# Is it possible that John McCain wants Obama to win? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 17, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335 "2008-10-17T04:04:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/21 "2008-10-18T04:45:41Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Oppose him in elections, yes. Oppose him in legislative efforts, not so much, **Obama worked with a lot of Republicans in both the US Senate and the Illinois Senate, and he was known for being good at getting both sides to agree to compromises to get a bill that was agreeable to everyone**. Cite? I thought that was McCain’s strength? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/22 "2008-10-18T05:04:31Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Could it be that on some subconscious level he\* wants \*Obama to win the election? This is a serious question. I can’t otherwise make heads or tails of his actions. I have no opinion on your reasons, but seriously, as a Hillary admirer and former supporter who for so long had longed for her crack at the presidency, I consoled myself recently with the fact the US is in so much trouble financially that her domestic agenda would once again fail and thus undermine the Clinton legacy. I’m afraid the agenda of the next president will be severely hamstrung financially and politically as a result of the previous US government ineptitude. Honestly, I would think to lose this election would be a huge relief. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/23 "2008-10-18T07:19:28Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Cite? I thought that was McCain’s strength? Would you believe the word of [Senator Lugar?](http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=278019) > [@](#): > > Thursday, June 28, 2007 > > WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) today announced that the Senate Appropriations Committee accepted their request to provide funding to implement the Lugar-Obama nonproliferation initiative. The Appropriations Committee expressed support for the initiative and provided $48 million for Lugar-Obama, $36 million for programs to destroy heavy conventional weapons, $10 million for efforts to intercept weapons and materials of mass destruction, and $2 million for rapid response to proliferation detection and interdiction emergencies. This is the culmination of an 18 month effort to authorize and fund the Lugar-Obama initiative. > > [snip] > > Lugar and Obama traveled together to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan in August 2005 to oversee a number of Nunn-Lugar projects. Obama and Lugar introduced the legislation in November 2005. > > Operative sections of Lugar-Obama became law in January 2007. Later in 2007, Lugar and Obama pressed the Appropriations Committee to provide funding for its implementation. > > Senators Obama and Lugar are members of the Foreign Relations Committee. Lugar serves as the Committee’s Ranking Member. Obama is Chairman of the European Affairs Subcommittee. Then there’s [this analysis,](http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2006/10/barack_obama.html) written back in 2006, by someone who’s intrigued by Obama but no fanatic for him: > [@](#): > > But I do want to add one little data point while people are talking about him, because it’s something I haven’t seen people say. And it’s this: a lot of people are going on about how Obama has not sponsored legislation on any of the Vital Issues Of The Day. Personally, I think that he’d have to be delusional to introduce, say, his own solution to the health insurance crisis: no bill on such a topic introduced by a freshman senator from the minority party would have a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding, and the only reason to introduce one would be to grandstand. For that reason, I think that his failure to do so tends to speak well of him. > > [snip] > > But I do follow legislation, at least on some issues, and I have been surprised by how often Senator Obama turns up, sponsoring or co-sponsoring really good legislation on some topic that isn’t wildly sexy, but does matter. His bills tend to have the following features: they are good and thoughtful bills that try to solve real problems; they are in general not terribly flashy; and they tend to focus on achieving solutions acceptable to all concerned, not by compromising on principle, but by genuinely trying to craft a solution that everyone can get behind. > > His legislation is often proposed with Republican co-sponsorship, which brings me to another point: he is bipartisan in a good way. According to me, bad bipartisanship is the kind practiced by Joe Lieberman. Bad bipartisans are so eager to establish credentials for moderation and reasonableness that they go out of their way to criticize their (supposed) ideological allies and praise their (supposed) opponents. They also compromise on principle, and when their opponents don’t reciprocate, they compromise some more, until over time their positions become indistinguishable from those on the other side. > > This isn’t what Obama does. Obama tries to find people, both Democrats and Republicans, who actually care about a particular issue enough to try to get the policy right, and then he works with them. This does not involve compromising on principle. It does, however, involve preferring getting legislation passed to having a spectacular battle. (This is especially true when one is in the minority party, especially in this Senate: the chances that Obama’s bills will actually become law increase dramatically when he has Republican co-sponsors.) > > [snip] > > I can’t remember another freshman Senator who so routinely pops up when I’m doing research on some non-sexy but important topic, and pops up because he has proposed something genuinely good. Since I think that American politics doesn’t do nearly enough to reward people who take a patient, craftsmanlike attitude towards legislation, caring as much about fixing the parts that no one will notice until they go wrong as about the flashy parts, I wanted to say this. There’s an in-depth look at his Senate track record, which is damned impressive for such a short tenure. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/24 "2008-10-18T07:58:36Z")
I’ve been only semi-joking about this for a long time. > [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > I seriously doubt this, or the opposite. I mean, Johnny and Barry have to be way more wrapped up in their own visions of how the country is and should be than people on this board are, and we freaking hate each other. As \*\*CairoCarol \*\*said: not. > [@Ganryu\_Kojiro](#): > > So, it isn’t that McCain is trying to throw the election, he’s just boxed in. He has people working for him who know only how to fight nasty and he’s going along with it because he lacks options. I agree. As recently as a year ago, I enjoyed McCain’s appearances on The Daily Show and other interviews I saw. In accordance with his self-proclaimed “I can work across the aisle” status, I saw him as someone I might not agree with, but who I could work with. (Metaphorically speaking, of course. By “I”, I mean people in DC, not me.) And where did that get him? A whole lot of nowhere. So he hired Rove and his cronies, and their strategy is fear and hate. McCain is an asshole when he sticks to that script. When he deviates - when he tries to calm his angry mob, or when he spoke at the benefit dinner - I see the old McCain peeking through. I think it’s sad that he thinks the hate and fear route is his best chance of winning, and I’m glad that he’s wrong. > [@Knorf](#): > > You must be joking. Did you see McCain’s body language in the debates when Obama was speaking? It looked like contempt most of the time and barely contrained rage a lot the time. I think his barely constrained (contained) rage is more self directed, to be honest. I think he feels sick that he’s agreed to this Rovian script. It looked to me like he couldn’t look Obama in the eye because he was ashamed, not because he loathes him. McCain at the debates is just not himself. The McCain who stopped the lady after the “scared…Arab” comment (even if he put his foot in his mouth doing it), reads to me like the real guy. He was rattled that this juggernaut of negativity and hatemongering was being taken so seriously - to him, it’s just a strategy. He’s shrewd and calculating, but he’s not as evil as he’s pretending to be, I think. Of course, I’m basing all of this off of my own filters and experiences with other people and interpretation of his body language, and not much else, so I could be way off base. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/25 "2008-10-18T08:15:01Z")
This is just idle speculation, but… Were I a strategist within the GOP, I would silently, wish for an Obama win. The economy, Iraq and a lot of other messes to clean up. That’s going to cost a gazillion dollars. Obama’s election promises needs to be payed for. I would be betting that Obama would be a new Carter, serving only one term and becoming famous for being the first black prez, but pretty much failing in everything else. I’d then spend the next four years undermining his precidency and creating a brand new shiny candidate for '12, hoping for eight glorious years. Then again, I’m a very \*realpolitik \*kinda guy. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/26 "2008-10-18T08:51:24Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > undermining his precidency And you’re a great patriot, too. Don’t forget about that. It’s amazing to me how Pubbies actually spout this patriotism meme while all but openly (and sometimes openly) admitting that they hope (HOPE!) Obama will fail, that the economy tanks, that he spends a shitload of money while taxing people to death and ends up making things so bad we elect a Pubbie in 2012 and every year thereafter. Wouldnt you be better off if you prosper under Obama, despite your fears and doubts? According to the Pubbies, the best result would be if his presidency is a total failure, and they’re comfortable rooting for that to happen, even working for that to happen, while claiming (with no basis) that the dems are anti-American. Get a mirror, would you? ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/27 "2008-10-18T09:53:15Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > Were I a strategist within the GOP, I would silently, wish for an Obama win. The economy, Iraq and a lot of other messes to clean up. That’s going to cost a gazillion dollars. Obama’s election promises needs to be payed for. I would be betting that Obama would be a new Carter, serving only one term and becoming famous for being the first black prez, but pretty much failing in everything else. Bear in mind that it’s actually _corporations_ which run our government, not political parties. Just this past week, I’ve noticed a seismic shift in media bias – traditionally conservative and/or centrist papers, such as the L.A. Times and the Chicago Tribune, have endorsed Obama, and I’m seeing lots of stories which indict “Joe the Plumber” for his flaws, and other stories which downnplay Ayers’ “terrorist” history. “Socialism” is no longer a dirty word. Since corporations also run the media, this must mean that our Corporate Illuminati (if you like) has decided to abandon the conservatives and focus on liberalism instead. After all, it’s pretty clear at this point which candidate is going to win. Which essentially leaves the GOP powerless. It’s a mistake to assume Obama will be blamed for all the messes he has to clean up. People have short memories, and while this recession may last for 2-3 years (which would actually be quite a long recession), if the economy starts booming again by Nov. 2012, people are likely to vote for the Democrats again. I do get the feeling McCain can’t wait to get back to the Senate – he’s looking mighty exhausted lately. Obama, on the other hand, is looking more Presidential than ever. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/28 "2008-10-18T10:12:22Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > I believe that in his heart, John McCain is a decent man. I also don’t think he is stupid. So for the life of me I can’t figure out why he has become so polarizing and extreme lately. Surely he knows that he needs the moderates in order to win this election…yet he has suddenly become Church Lady, scoffing at the mother’s-life-is-in-jeopardy excuse and other such nonsense. McCain has always been consistent on this point: he’s opposed to abortion. It’s not a sudden change. For some reason, his position on abortion comes as a surprise to some people, who are sometimes puzzled when they hear his position and think that he’s pandering to the social conservatives on it. But he’s always taken this position. If he were to take a different position now, that would be a major flip-flop. See his website: [Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life](http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm): > [@](#): > > **Overturning Roe v. Wade** > > John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. > > Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat. > > However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. And this article from the NPR: [Misperceptions About McCain’s Abortion Stance](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18632802): > [@](#): > > Many Republican voters, however, seem to believe, incorrectly, that the current Republican front-runner, Arizona Sen. John McCain, supports abortion rights, too. > > The misperception is interesting, considering that McCain has not attempted to keep his pro-life views a secret. > … > And while now former candidate Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee, won the coveted endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee, McCain’s voting record on the issue is just fine, says David O’Steen, the group’s executive director. > > “He’s been very consistent; he hasn’t changed his position,” O’Steen says. He says that his group has supported McCain in every one of his senate races. “We’ve always considered him pro-life,” he says. And this TIME article: [McCain and Obama on Abortion](http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1833496,00.html) > [@](#): > > Before a friendly but still skeptical Evangelical crowd at Warren’s Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., on Saturday night, McCain won a roar of approval when Warren asked him at what point a human being gets human rights: “At the moment of conception,” McCain replied. > … > McCain’s straightforward answer, along with his assertion that he would not have nominated any of the Supreme Court’s four liberal judges (notwithstanding that he voted to confirm all but John Paul Stevens, who was named before McCain was in the Senate), had social conservatives breathing sighs of relief. “I will be a pro-life president, and this presidency will have pro-life policies,” McCain said to cheers from the audience. “O.K.,” Warren said, laughing. “We don’t have to go longer on that one.” ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/29 "2008-10-18T15:09:40Z")
Interesting comments, everyone. As a moderate Republican who used to support McCain, I am _baffled_ by how he has chosen to run his campaign. He just does not appear to be the John McCain who I thought I knew…but based on the cites provided by Northern Piper, maybe I never really knew him. I always thought he was personally pro-life, but believed abortion had to remain safe and legal --no cites, but I could swear I’ve heard him say this…many times. I feel duped by him…but I’m feeling better and better about voting for Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/30 "2008-10-18T15:29:13Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Interesting comments, everyone. As a moderate Republican who used to support McCain, I am _baffled_ by how he has chosen to run his campaign. He just does not appear to be the John McCain who I thought I knew…but based on the cites provided by Northern Piper, maybe I never really knew him. I always thought he was personally pro-life, but believed abortion had to remain safe and legal --no cites, but I could swear I’ve heard him say this…many times. > > I feel duped by him…but I’m feeling better and better about voting for Obama. I know many friends of mine who are moderate republicans feel much like you do. They are not putting ‘republicans for Obama’ stickers on their cars, but they are voting for the man. I think those ardent republicans who will not vote Obama but do not want McCain will just as soon stay home election day, and let Obama clean up the mess of the last 8 years. I trust him to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/31 "2008-10-18T15:40:26Z")
This is off topic, but where is Shayna? I haven’t seen her around for awhile and she usually posts in thread like this. Is she ok? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/32 "2008-10-18T16:02:40Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > This is off topic, but where is Shayna? I haven’t seen her around for awhile and she usually posts in thread like this. Is she ok? Very busy I think. I haven’t talked with her in a while. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/33 "2008-10-18T16:10:28Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > This is off topic, but where is Shayna? I haven’t seen her around for awhile and she usually posts in thread like this. Is she ok? He last post was 14 hours ago and it was in a political thread. I’m sure she’s just fine and maybe took some time off to sleep and eat or something. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/34 "2008-10-18T16:49:21Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Conventional wisdom suggests that the Senate contest between Obama and Alan Keyes in Illinois was pretty much sealed up at the moment during the final debate when Keyes whipped out a stiletto and screeched “I will cut you motherfucker” at his opponent, and then barfed up seven and a half dollars worth of Canadian nickels. I don’t usually go along with the conventional wisdom but in this case I would have to agree. Be honest, Cervaise. His FIRST opponent in that race was banging Seven of Nine and _wasn’t satisfied_. He had to take her to swingers clubs, for heaven’s sake. If that’s not evidence that running against Obama does weird things to you I don’t know what is. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/35 "2008-10-18T20:03:01Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’ve been only semi-joking about this for a long time. > > As \*\*CairoCarol \*\*said: not. > I agree. As recently as a year ago, I enjoyed McCain’s appearances on The Daily Show and other interviews I saw. In accordance with his self-proclaimed “I can work across the aisle” status, I saw him as someone I might not agree with, but who I could work with. (Metaphorically speaking, of course. By “I”, I mean people in DC, not me.) > > And where did that get him? A whole lot of nowhere. So he hired Rove and his cronies, and their strategy is fear and hate. McCain is an asshole when he sticks to that script. When he deviates - when he tries to calm his angry mob, or when he spoke at the benefit dinner - I see the old McCain peeking through. > > I think it’s sad that he thinks the hate and fear route is his best chance of winning, and I’m glad that he’s wrong. > > I think his barely constrained (contained) rage is more self directed, to be honest. I think he feels sick that he’s agreed to this Rovian script. It looked to me like he couldn’t look Obama in the eye because he was ashamed, not because he loathes him. > > McCain at the debates is just not himself. The McCain who stopped the lady after the “scared…Arab” comment (even if he put his foot in his mouth doing it), reads to me like the real guy. He was rattled that this juggernaut of negativity and hatemongering was being taken so seriously - to him, it’s just a strategy. He’s shrewd and calculating, but he’s not as evil as he’s pretending to be, I think. > > Of course, I’m basing all of this off of my own filters and experiences with other people and interpretation of his body language, and not much else, so I could be way off base. I’ve wondered the same thing myself–especially after the “treason” and “kill him” remarks started coming from the crowd at his rallies. I somehow picture the real McCain, somewhere in the back of his mind, saying, “What the hell am I doing? I hate this!” I actually liked McCain back in 2000 when he was bucking the GOP establishment–now look at him. He wants Lieberman or Ridge as VP–his handlers tell him “No, you have to pick Palin” and he appears to have no choice but to accede to their demands. I think, deep down, he’s over all of it. Does this remind anyone else of “The Leader” in the Star Trek episode about the Ekosians? A man who thinks he can run as a Republican benignly, without all the hate and polarization, only to find out too late that the ones with the real power won’t let him? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/36 "2008-10-19T13:18:06Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I agree about McCain. But in 1992 there was an interview with GHW Bush that was filmed before the election and broadcast after he lost. > > He didn’t want to win. It was so obvious in that interview. He wanted to lose that election. He was devastated by the experience of leading a country into war. He cried about it during the interview. He sounded tired, and sad, and beaten. Where was that interview? I’d like to see it. I had no idea he felt that way about the Gulf War, especially considering how much better that went (at least for us) than the second one. Also, that doesn’t seem like a wise thing to film when there was still a chance he would be president again. I would think it would be harmful if it got out. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/37 "2008-10-19T16:06:48Z")
> [@riker1384](#): > > Where was that interview? I’d like to see it. I had no idea he felt that way about the Gulf War, especially considering how much better that went (at least for us) than the second one. > > Also, that doesn’t seem like a wise thing to film when there was still a chance he would be president again. I would think it would be harmful if it got out. Oh, he didn’t say that the war was a mistake or anything like that, he just sounded like he thought it was too hard a thing to do. I’m pretty sure it was PBS. I was thinking Bill Moyers, but I can’t find evidence of it. God, maybe I invented it in my own head! ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/38 "2008-10-19T17:46:47Z")
> [@Yumblie](#): > > …It must be infuriating to have worked your whole life toward being president, but this upstart rookie swoops in and snatches it away, and he makes it look so easy! … He didn’t seem so annoyed when Bush did it to him, but maybe having it happen a second time might just do it. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335/39 "2008-10-19T18:17:22Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Interesting comments, everyone. As a moderate Republican who used to support McCain, I am _baffled_ by how he has chosen to run his campaign. He just does not appear to be the John McCain who I thought I knew…but based on the cites provided by Northern Piper, maybe I never really knew him. I always thought he was personally pro-life, but believed abortion had to remain safe and legal --no cites, but I could swear I’ve heard him say this…many times. > > I feel duped by him…but I’m feeling better and better about voting for Obama. You’re probably remembering this- “I’d love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” > **[McCain has been pretty consistent on Roe v. Wade](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2007/aug/23/mitt-romney/mccain-has-been-pretty-consistent-on-roe-v-wade/)** > > The Roe v. Wade charge against John McCain seems to be the result of a verbal lapse eight years ago by the notably anti- It’s what I remembered and went looking for when I heard his “new” position, but as the article says, he misspoke. Apparently lots of people missed the quick retraction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-that-john-mccain-wants-obama-to-win/468335.md?page=1)