San Diego congressman can't hold a candle to McCain
SAN DIEGO -- Current events being what they are, the death of John McCain is especially poignant for those of us in this coastal city.
That's because, just days before the 81-year-old went to his rest, San Diegans witnessed a spectacle that was the antithesis of everything McCain stood for. And it drives home what Americans have lost.
The Arizona senator was defined by courage and character. The former POW showed both when he told his North Vietnamese captors to shove it rather than accept early release so the son of a four-star admiral could be turned into a propaganda tool. As a result, his stay at the Hanoi Hilton was extended.
Meanwhile, Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, R-Calif., appears to have never made the acquaintance of either courage or character. It's a deficit for which the 41-year-old has long been given a free pass because he's an ex-Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is assumed that when you volunteer to serve your country in uniform and go into battle on its behalf that you must automatically have courage and character.
But those of us with a few more miles on our tires know that it's not that simple. Some who serve have those things; some don't.
It turns out, Hunter doesn't. Last week, the congressman -- who represents a district just northeast of San Diego -- found himself on the wrong end of a 47-page indictment on federal corruption charges for allegedly misusing campaign funds. Hunter and his wife, Margaret, are accused of dipping into the campaign till to pay for various personal expenses, ranging from dental bills to football tickets to a family trip to Italy.
Hunter got his job the old-fashioned way. He inherited it from his father, an
ex-congressman with the same name, who no doubt used his own political
influence to clear a path for his son.
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