I had been hesitant to do so. I long ago came to the conclusion that RS’s reputation for journalistic excellence was largely undeserved, probably because its conclusions usually jibed with the preconceived cultural biases and world view of those who pass judgments on journalistic reputations. Plus, the RS is just soooo …. sixties.

There are a few parts of this article that make me cringe, like this one:

During his 1992 campaign, at the end of a long day, McCain’s wife, Cindy, mussed his receding hair and needled him playfully that he was “getting a little thin up there.” McCain reportedly blew his top, cutting his wife down with the kind of language that had gotten him hauled into court as a high schooler: “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.” Even though the incident was witnessed by three reporters, the McCain campaign denies it took place.

I’ve seen this story in print before. If true, I makes it almost impossible to vote for McCain. But, as I’ve said before, I would find this anecdote would be much more believable if it named the reporters.

It’s a glaring omission in an article I found remarkably well-sourced. Time and again, writer Tim Dickinson quotes colleagues and former comrades — including those held at the Hanoi Hilton — to paint a picture of a reckless aviator who was accustomed to special treatment, who pulled strings to advance his career, and who didn’t behave especially bravely compared to other POWs:

Soon after McCain hit the ground in Hanoi, the code went out the window. “I’ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital,” he later admitted pleading with his captors. McCain now insists the offer was a bluff, designed to fool the enemy into giving him medical treatment. In fact, his wounds were attended to only after the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a Navy admiral. What has never been disclosed is the manner in which they found out: McCain told them. According to [Air Force Lt. Col John] Dramesi, one of the few POWs who remained silent under years of torture, McCain tried to justify his behavior while they were still prisoners. “I had to tell them,” he insisted to Dramesi, “or I would have died in bed.”

Dramesi says he has no desire to dishonor McCain’s service, but he believes that celebrating the downed pilot’s behavior as heroic — “he wasn’t exceptional one way or the other” — has a corrosive effect on military discipline. “This business of my country before my life?” Dramesi says. “Well, he had that opportunity and failed miserably. If it really were country first, John McCain would probably be walking around without one or two arms or legs — or he’d be dead.”

McCain own words are also used to source the article. But the writer quotes Republican colleagues, who say they don’t want McCain’s finger anywhere near the trigger because he’s too hotheaded. The picture painted is that of a candidate too willing to place career above principle, too willing to flip-flop on matters of core ideology and who has never really stopped being the selfish son and grandson of admirals.

Basically, McCain is a maverick only because he keeps telling us he is. All evidence in this article is to the contrary.

It’s a fascinating read.