What do you think of the article that McCain wrote for today?

Wow, looks like the old John McCain (from before 2008). Good for him.

I think its the most responsible thing he’s said in a long, long time. Not to mention its the most responsible thing I’ve heard out of any politician here recently. I respect how he acknowledges that there’s a lot of abhorrent behavior out there that needs to be addressed and stopped and chooses to not neglect his own party’s contribution to it. Most excellent.

I appreciate the effort, and would have liked it in it’s entirely much better without his comment about being victimized himself by being accused of contributing to the cause of the incident.

Imagine how it must feel to have watched one week ago the incomprehensible massacre of innocents committed by someone who had lost some essential part of his humanity, to have shared in the heartache for its victims and in the admiration for those who acted heroically to save the lives of others – and to have heard in the coverage of that tragedy voices accusing you of complicity in it.

I don’t doubt the accuracy and the sincerity in his statement, but I don’t think it was appropriate to include it. Man up and accept that you had a part in the political vitriol and divisiveness, not the actions of a madman. Because of that comment, I can’t help but come away with the thought that the purpose of the article is less a “let’s all be more civil”, and more a “it’s not my fault and stop accusing me”.

Well I’ve always respected McCain, even when I disagree with him.

Not much. He’ll just completely contradict himself tomorrow. Poor guy. Dementia must be hard.

I think he is very well-spoken, but I’ve lost all respect for him. So, really, I don’t care much for anything that comes out of his mouth. See here for part of why..

Well written and makes a fine point. I hope it creates at least a little bipartisanship, but I’m not holding my breath.

I was far more impressed by the McCain before 2008 as well, but am not considering that reading his essay today. I think if one doesn’t care for his message today because of who he is, perhaps reread the article and pretend Harry Reid wrote it (or whatever person you aren’t biased against).

It was a good opinion column.

This is the first thing I have seen McCain say since the election that was positive towards Obama.
I am glad the meds are working for him.

I don’t agree with much that John McCain says but I respect the man and I agree with the sentiments in this article.

I agree with @Mamradpivo: it looks like the old McCain, who I much preferred to the new McCain. I think @MissAnthrope has every right to be skeptical, but it would be nice if this were the first step in a more permanent return to the old McCain. We’ll have to wait and see.

Not that the old McCain was perfect. I had plenty of disagreements with him even then. Still, I would not have despaired had the old McCain become president. There’s a difference between disagreeing with the person in office and being worried that he’s downright incompetent. I accept that not every vote will be decided in accordance with my opinion, politics being the art of compromise and all.

Finally, I’m not sure I agree with @syz‘s interpretation of the passage quoted above. McCain doesn’t specifically say he’s talking about himself, and I’m unaware of anyone blaming him. Sarah Palin is the one who has come in for criticism on that score, and it seems he is defending her (if anyone). As part of an essay that pleads for a change in the rhetoric, it doesn’t seem all that inappropriate. We don’t need to blame Palin or say that anyone’s rhetoric is responsible for various tragedies in order to tone it down. The resultant state of public discourse is its own reason. Recent events might serve to have raised the issue, but they need not be the reason we choose to control ourselves.

Too little, too late – but good noentheless.

@syz – you must have missed this part:

“Our political discourse should be more civil than it currently is, and we all, myself included, bear some responsibility for it not being so.”

@psychocandy – Got any proof of that?

@cletrans2col That’s my point exactly. It starts off as if it’s about civility, and then (for me, at least) he ruins it by saying how hard it is to be accused of such things. Really? It seems callow to complain about your own pain in such a situation, when compared to those who suffered so much more.

@syz – Well, as was pointed out before, he was probably referring to Palin, since no one has said that about him. But I do believe that people should defend themselves from the accusation, since many on the left have pretty much called them accessories to the crime even though it’s been shown the dude is just crazy

The passage that @cletrans2col quotes seems to be about civility, not accusations. McCain is admitting that he has been part of the problem he is addressing in the article. This is not because he has been personally accused of anything, but because he realizes that certain elements on both sides made a mistake in their response to the Arizona shooting.

Some people on the left immediately jumped to conclusions about the right being to blame. Those conclusions were unwarranted. Similarly, some people on the right reacted by screaming “the left does it, too” (which is hardly the point, and a tu quoque fallacy as well) or trying to paint the shooter as a leftist (a conclusion just as unwarranted as the assertion that he was a rightist).

The person responsible for the shooting is the shooter, and he did it because he is mentally unbalanced. Nevertheless, we have been given an opportunity to examine our own discourse and balance our rhetoric, something which is worthwhile on its own.

Not bad for a politician.