San Diego congressman can't hold a candle to McCain

I see junior as an underachiever who needed a leg up from Dad. In fact, if he had been named "Smith," he might have found his true calling as a rodeo clown.

It's OK that Hunter might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer. For instance, he says the most baffling things. He once said at a constituent meeting that it might be a good idea to deport the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

Also known as U.S. citizens. Hint: We don't deport U.S. citizens.

It's not the end of the world that, after an FBI investigation, Hunter now finds himself in a scrape with federal prosecutors. Maybe he'll beat the rap.

What is unforgivable, however, is how Hunter performed under pressure. He cracked. With his back up against the wall, and in danger of tarnishing the family name by doing at least a nickel in a federal penitentiary, the congressman did the unthinkable: He sacrificed his spouse on the altar of self-preservation.

Responding to the charges in television interviews, Hunter blamed his wife, Margaret, who had his power of attorney and ran the family finances.

So, congressman, you mean to tell us that you're totally in the dark and that the guy standing next to your wife in those vacation photos from Italy, that's not you?

What a punk. This ex-Marine may have been an officer, but obviously he's no gentleman.

Let's see. McCain wouldn't break as a prisoner of war while subjected to beatings and torture and isolation. And Hunter falls apart under the bright lights of a television camera?

McCain's greatness stemmed from the fact that he grasped -- perhaps because of those hellish 5 1/2 years in North Vietnam -- his proper relationship to God, country and family. Next to each, it was clear, he felt small and insignificant.

We all should feel that way. If you get that, you will be remembered. If you don't, you will be forgotten.

God. Country. Family. Those were the things on McCain's mind at the end. They were there in his final words -- presented in a statement read this week by longtime aide and friend Rick Davis.

God: "Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America." Country: "Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America." Family: "I am the luckiest person on earth. ... I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine."

To borrow a line: Congressman Hunter, I knew John McCain. I admired John McCain. You're no John McCain.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.