OPINION:
Sen. James Inhofe, the Republican who’s due to take over leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made a remark during a chat with reporters that John McCain is “partially to blame” for the White House’s back-and-forth on lowering-raising-lowering again the U.S. flag as a mark of honor for the senator’s death.
Why?
Because it takes two to tango, Inhofe suggested.
His view: President Donald Trump may have openly hit at McCain for various political offenses and perceived personality deficits. But McCain was right there giving it back, hit for hit, jab for jab, punch for punch.
Still, Inhofe’s pretty brave for saying it.
In context of discussing the criticisms tossed at the White House for its lowering of the U.S. flag in memory of McCain, then raising it, then lowering it again, Inhofe said this, as noted by The Hill: “Well you know, frankly, I think that John McCain is partially to blame for that because he is very outspoken. He disagreed with the president in certain areas and wasn’t too courteous about it.”
That’s a bit of an understatement.
But true as that is, Inhofe’s walking a shaky path for saying it out loud. McCain’s supporters — and there are many, even more than he seemed to have when alive — don’t want any mention of the Arizona senator’s culpability in the long-running and public feud he had with Trump.
But it is what it is; it was what it was.
And McCain took his grudge to the grave, making sure Trump wouldn’t be the speaker at his Capitol Hill memorial services.
“Despite our differences on politics and policy,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House, after critics dinged him for failing to speak eloquently about his long-time political nemesis, “I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment.”
R.I.P., Sen. McCain. The flag’s at half-staff and the nation, including the White House, sits in formal mourning.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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