Column: Not all politicians are heartless

By Rachel Kaufman
April 29, 2008

The big question in political news is which Democrat will come out on top: Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., or Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.? Well, lost in the shuffle of this Democratic debacle is a candidate who has already received the nomination from the other party — remember that one?

Probably not. For a party that is constantly ridiculed and scrutinized, its candidate for president is staying pretty far out of the limelight and letting the others catfight. I mean, I’m not opposed to this tactic, but I recently stumbled across an article written in Slate magazine that I thought was something that should be shared with everyone. Let me preface this by saying I know a human interest piece is not the same as an in-depth investigative political story. And I also know that one’s character isn’t the sole factor in determining a successful president. But all that has been reported about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been stories highlighting his anger, his lack of enthusiasm in the campaign, his inability to fundraise and his conservatism. Some, truer than others, are spun by the media.

The Slate.com article I read was much different. It talked about McCain in a way that we don’t see him, or any other candidate for that matter. It talked about McCain’s relationship with former Sen. Mo Udall, D-Ariz.

Udall and McCain are from the same state, but different parties. Udall was often seen as the voice of the liberal conscience in the U.S. Senate. When McCain began his career in national politics, he said Udall helped him in about 50 different ways.

In the past few years, Udall has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and has lived in a veteran’s hospital in northeast Virginia. It is often accompanied with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, resulting in not recognizing others, and thus becoming unrecognizable yourself. What does this have to do with McCain?

Since at least 1996, McCain has made it a priority to visit Udall in the hospital on a regular basis, when no one else does; not even family. The article describes how the once most prominent man in the Democratic Party now lays “disfigured” underneath a tattered hospital blanket.

“Udall is seldom conscious, and even then he shows no sign of recognition,” the article states. “McCain brings with him a stack of newspaper clips on Udall’s favorite subjects: local politics in Arizona, environmental legislation, Native American land disputes, subjects in which McCain initially had no particular interest himself. Now, when the Republican senator from Arizona takes the floor on behalf of Native Americans, or when he writes an op-ed piece arguing that the Republican Party embrace environmentalism, or when the polls show once again that he is Arizona’s most popular politician, he remains aware of his debt to Arizona’s most influential Democrat.”

McCain might have a temper. McCain might have less money than Obama or Clinton. McCain might be a senior citizen. But he is able to remember how he got there, and does not take it for granted. Vote for him or don’t; that’s a personal choice, and I don’t intend to influence it. But remember that not all politicians are cold and heartless — no matter how they are portrayed in mainstream media.

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Column: Not all politicians are heartless

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