Monday, May 05, 2008

Guilt by association: McCain+Liddy sittin' in a tree

OK, fine. Let's play the guilt by association game as well as the blogosphere echo-chamber game. Let's talk about McCain and his buddy G. Gordon Liddy.

Liddy of course is famous for his role in Watergate and was convicted and served time. He has since made some stunning comments.

After Waco, Liddy said: "Now if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests. . . . Kill the sons of bitches."

He later backed off, saying he meant merely that people should defend themselves if federal agents came with guns blazing. But his amended guidance was not exactly conciliatory: Liddy also said he should have recommended shots to the groin instead of the head. If that wasn't enough to inflame any nut cases, he mentioned labeling targets "Bill" and "Hillary" when he practiced shooting.
(From the Chicago Tribune.)

That story also mentions that he has no regrets about the role he played in the Constitution-subverting crimes of Watergate.

And on a personal note, Liddy has described how listening to Hitler on the radio made him feel: "made me feel a strength inside I had never known before," he explains. "Hitler's sheer animal confidence and power of will [entranced me]. He sent an electric current through my body." (From MediaMatters.org.)

The Chicago Tribune describes McCain's relationship with Liddy this way: How close are McCain and Liddy? At least as close as Obama and Ayers appear to be. In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns—including $1,000 this year.

H/t to Bill in Portland Maine writing at Kos

I'm not suggesting that McCain holds any belief held by Liddy or that McCain is not a good American because he cavorts with a man encouraging people to shoot federal law enforcement officers doing their jobs.

I just want to point out that if you're more inclined to conjoin Obama with Ayers than to conjoin McCain with Liddy, you're filtering.

3 comments:

Scooter said...

I read that article yesterday. Liddy is a much smellier albatross than Hagee.

Michael said...

I'll take Liddy over Ayers. would you?

Stephanie said...

Hard for me to say. Divorced from context, obviously burglary is not as serious an offense as planting bombs. But there IS context. There's also redemption in the form of productivity/good works in more recent years.