McCain outlines plan to make America more vulnerable

If you're like the Gleaner, then in addition to occasionally marveling that the AC still works (mostly) in the Gleanermobile, you almost never watch local news and you might have missed the interview John Sidney McCain III did with Channel 8 while he blew through town Saturday.

As with any McCain interview, there are so many lies, so little time, etc. But it might be of some benefit to Nevada voters and perhaps even worthwhile from a standpoint of, well, national security to unpack a particularly unsound contention that emanated from Sidney the Third's misshapen wrinkly pie hole.

McCain told the back of the local TV guy's head that leaving nuclear waste at nuclear power plants around the country is a "significant national security risk." The implication of course is that if Yucca Mountain is built, waste will be centralized in one super safe spot instead of scattered around at all those plants for the evildoers to blow up or whatever.

High-level radioactive fuel rods from nuclear power plants must "cool" in a pool for at least five years before they can be casked up and moved to Yucca Mountain or anywhere else. As long as the nation's 104 operating nuclear power plants are running, there will be nuclear waste at those plants -- about 100 metric tons per plant, to be specific.

If McCain, who relentlessly insists that he's the national security candidate, sincerely thinks that waste piling up at nuclear power plants poses a "significant national security risk," he wouldn't want to build 45 more plants.

Nuclear waste is probably like the economy -- just another damned thing that McCain doesn't know anything about -- and it wouldn't be surprising at all to learn that he genuinely has no idea that a significant amount of nuclear waste would still be stored at nuke plants even if the Yucca Mountain dump had opened ten years ago.

Then again, the one thing that can fairly be said of John McCain is that he has been around a very, very, very long time. So it's conceivable, s'pose, that somewhere over the years he has in fact learned that waste must sit in pools for years before it can be transported -- he just never mentions it. That would mean that in the course of making a national security argument, the national security candidate is effectively lying by omission to the American people.

With McCain as with every Republican politician, it always seems to come back to the same question: Idiot or liar? (recognizing again of course that the two are not mutually exclusive.)

In any case, he's not fit to lead.

Comments

[Terri Reno, Nevada]

I guess Barrack Hussien Obama is fit to lead? It is like taking a janitor and making him CEO of the company just because he is nice to look at and has a good speaking voice. You libs sure are dumb. I bet you love John Edwards too. If anything happens in this country I hope to hell the person in the top job has a clue. That won't be the messiah.

[Oh goodie!]

A right-winger pried their ears away from Rush long enough to join the festivities! Let the lambasting begin!

[Michael Green]

This must be someone from the McCain campaign, which was going to take the high road because that's just the way he is. Well, honest whores do take the high road. He doesn't.

[SparksNV]

Terri, If the Janitor has class, taste, dignity, self-respect, respect for others, common sense, intelligence, integrity, a grasp of reality, and a history of a strong commitment to a high standard of values...of course he should become the CEO....makes more sense than having a CEO lacking or void of these qualities...don't you think?

A reasonably intelligent person who can think for themselves..uses common sense, reason, logic and pertitent facts to form their cpionions...not GOP talking points...

[Patrick]

100 metric tons of nuclear waste is about the same tonnage as about 50 Hondas. I'm not impressed.

Besides, if we let the market work and build nuke plants they could be considerably more efficient by now. The more efficient the power plant the less nuclear waste there is.

[That Anonymous Guy]

Dearest Terri,

The correct spelling would be "Barack Hussein Obama." But then again, spelling requires a brain, which has never been a prerequisite for a dipshit wingnut Republican.

Oh, and we already know what happens when the guy in the top job doesn't have a clue when the shit hits the fan. You get a completely unnecessary and endless war, $500 billion-plus deficits, a national currency worth less than toilet paper and an economy in the shitter. That's why we're trying to elect a guy who actually has a functioning brain.

How many McCain cheap-shit points did you earn for posting that incredibly stupid drivel, Terri? Do you get a set of McCain golf tees now?

Idiot.

[Wrecking Crew]

Just imagine 50 automobiles made of the most toxic and deadly substances on the face of the earth. They are passing through a town near you to get to their special used car lot that was built by the lowest bidder and inspected for safety by political cronies that are really industry shills. That really makes an impression on me.

And do you really think that research on nuclear energy has not continued since the last nuke plant was built? If there were any real breakthroughs in design that made a positive difference in safety, the industry would be pushing it as if it were 'clean coal' technology. (Which dosn't exist either!)

[happykid]

Terri Reno: Sorry, but only thinking, open-minded Americans are allowed here. Please take your right-wing, by-the-book (and oh, so predictable) talking points to Free Repblic. A moron like yourself should fit right in.
And one more thing: GO TO HELL.

[happykid]

Terri Reno: If you really want to blame anyone for the state our nation is in these days, I'd suggest you take a long, hard look in the mirror.
Bet you don't have the guts to respond to me, or anyone else here calling you out on your bull, you chickenshit right-wing troll.
Truth hurts, doesn't it, Terri?

[happykid]

Terri Reno: Sorry, but only thinking, open-minded Americans are allowed here. Please take your right-wing, by-the-book (and oh, so predictable) talking points to Free Repblic. A moron like yourself should fit right in.
And one more thing: GO TO HELL.

[GE]

Dear Patrick;

Has there ever been a nuclear plant built in this country without a government subsidy? Even the Dominici ammendment to last year's bill had a government "backstop" (new word for private company bailout by US taxpayer of free market system that is run by boozos), inserted!

I would say that if a nuke plant has not been put into operation in 35 years the market has spoken. Or did the US or all of the states outlaw nuke plants?

[Terri, Reno]

You are all so angry. Left wingers all need a lesson in anger management. Nothing you can say would make me think the BHO is fit for command of this great country. I have to guess that you are all young and ignorant. Just wait a few years and you too will figure out that being a conservative makes more sense. See you on the other side. God Bless the USA and even you poor dears. I will keep coming to this site cause I think it is funny and it amuses me. Live with it!