One of the concerns that many observers have had over the prospect of a McCain presidency has been the Senator's reputation for being temperamental. Though he has since reversed himself, Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran gave these worries wide attention back in January when he remarked, "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
Well, if you're Max Boot, and you are totally at a loss for why Iran and Syria and North Korea continue to be so antagonistic toward U.S. interests (almost as if they perceive our being semi-permanently mired in Iraq weakens us or something), then John McCain and the smoldering anger he keeps welled up in the blackest pits of his consciousness is just what the doctor ordered!
...ask yourself which presidential candidate an Ahmadinejad, Assad or Kim would fear the most. I submit it is not Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or Mike Huckabee. In my (admittedly biased) opinion, the leading candidate to scare the snot out of our enemies is a certain former aviator who has been noted for his pugnacity and his unwavering support of the American war effort in Iraq. Ironically, John McCain's bellicose aura could allow us to achieve more of our objectives peacefully because other countries would be more afraid to mess with him than with most other potential occupants of the Oval Office -- or the current one.
Yeah, don't go looking for anything even remotely resembling substantive "policy" or "strategy" in Boot's piece. Also: don't expect him to make mention of Afghanistan or Pakistan, because if we keep on repeating, "We defeated the Taliban," maybe it will be true! And everyone knows that taking a firm line with Pakistan -- home to al Qaida safe havens and political assassinations -- is just crazy talk. No, no: America will be made safe through McCain's "aura" and the snot-depriving fear he will astrally project into our enemies' brains. It will all be spelled out in a forthcoming PNAC white-paper entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses: MCCAIN SMASH!! RRRRRUUUGGGGHHH!"