That was the general theme of Bob Dole's failed Presidential campaign against Bill Clinton in 1996. The former Senate Minority & Majority Leader, with a resume stretching back to the Nixon era, attempted to capitalize on several decades of Senate pomposity, horse-trading, and all-round political hackery. The result? No sale.
Fast forward 11 years, and we're seeing it again. I don't know why it took me this long to realize it, but the parallels are pretty eerie.
Both Dole and McCain were war heroes. Both have, or had, more time in the Senate than it healthy for anybody and his state. Both engaged in high-profile speech-making and legislation authoring. Neither one was noted for tact.
George Bush's back-to-back wins derailed McCain during his prime decade. Now, if he takes the oath, he'll be the oldest American to assume the Office. Frankly, McCain is no Ronald Reagan. I don't think there's much chance of that.
Now, as John McCain's campaign is fading, one wonders if he's secretly voicing the motto of his predecessor- the last Republican Senator to seriously attempt a run at the Oval Office- 'it's my turn, dammit!'
