John McCain Plagiarizes Himself

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


McCain’s major speech on housing was panned, so he’s trying again today on foreign policy. If you want, you can read the whole thing here.

But in the meantime, check this out. Here’s an excerpt from McCain’s speech in Los Angeles today.

“The lives of a nation’s finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted; economies are damaged; strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict…. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that is lost when war claims its wages from us.”

And now check out a paragraph from a 2001 editorial McCain wrote for the Wall Street Journal:

“The lives of a nation’s finest patriots are sacrificed. Innocent people suffer and die. Commerce is disrupted, economies are damaged. Strategic interests shielded by years of patient statecraft are endangered as the exigencies of war and diplomacy conflict. However heady the appeal of a call to arms, however just the cause, we should still shed a tear for all that will be lost when war claims its wages from us.”

That’s exactly the same. I appreciate McCain’s sobriety about war, but it’s time to get a new speech writer. And it probably isn’t good to send such a strong suggestion that McCain’s thinking hasn’t changed in seven years.

THANKS FOR READING. NOW ONE QUICK ASK...

Trump and his allies are clamping down on the press—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and the power of the federal government. While major media outlets cave, Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Will you help us make the most of it?

Every dollar you give online through September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The forces working to demolish trust in the media and the very idea of shared facts are not slowing down. If you believe in kickass, truth-telling independent journalism, now is the time to show it. Please give what you can—any amount—and know that every dollar will go twice as far.

payment methods

THANKS FOR READING. NOW ONE QUICK ASK...

Trump and his allies are clamping down on the press—using lawsuits, lies, intimidation, and the power of the federal government. While major media outlets cave, Mother Jones won’t back down. To help us stand strong, a generous board member just chipped in a $50,000 digital matching gift. Will you help us make the most of it?

Every dollar you give online through September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

The forces working to demolish trust in the media and the very idea of shared facts are not slowing down. If you believe in kickass, truth-telling independent journalism, now is the time to show it. Please give what you can—any amount—and know that every dollar will go twice as far.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate