However, as to McCains quote, he is severly misinfomed. There is Respect, there is Tolerance, and there is Acceptance.

Respect is the most basic and should be required. No matter your views on a persons behavior and actions, you should always respect them as a human being. I heavily believe in Kant’s philosophy of believeing all men are responsible for their actions, not society. Therefore if a man commits a crime, to respect his humanity is to give him the proper punishment for that crime. Because he is a man he knows what he did and knew he would be punished for it. To do otherwise is not respect.

Tolerance is a horse of a different color. You should only tolerate that which can be tolerated. Tolerating intolerance is a suicide pact. If something is going to have what you view as a negative impact on society, you must be skeptical until they can prove such a course is neutral or good for society.

Finally, acceptance is the last level you should consider. You do not need to accept anything. Tolerance is one thing, it is the allowing of things you do not deem to be a societal good. Acceptance is endorsing or approving of something.

So to sum it up:

I respect the members of the left who would sell us down the river as human beings, I would not take action against their person. I tolerate their actions even though I find them to be treasonous, illogical, and anti-American. However, i do not accept their actions as a public good, nor do I feel the need to accept their inadequate arguments and treasonous behavior.

McCain is a sleazy politician who has ripped of retirees and the taxpayers, the latter by hundreds of billions of dollars.

Oh, yeah, me too — I thought he was great.

If McCain had won the primary, I might have voted Republican back then, rather than casting my vote for Harry Browne.

Now, not so much. In the intervening six years, it’s seemed like his “straight talk” is more bark than bite.

I think he would have grown exponentially in the role.

I think he is the president the gods meant us to have in these eight years.

It’s not a bad thing.

What is a bad thing is that “don’t be an a-hole” is bring portrayed as a daring concept.

I’ve liked McCain for quite a while, but I see his getting into bed with Falwell as political calculation only and it’s greatly diminished my respect for him.

And the likelyhood of my voting for him.

Respect is key. It’s what the moderates on both sides strive for. If only the rest of the electorate would hold this value a little big higher.

Plus Mccain has a serious age issue… if he runs in 2008 he’ll be like 72, 3 years older than the oldest elected president ever (reagan). Mccain is reminding me of Alan Alda in west wing after he lost the election he kept up some false hope of running again in four years… “come on guys, I’m healthy, 70 is the new 60…”

“But let us remember, we are not enemies. “

If I was in the lions den, I would be inclined to say the same thing.

Last night I looked in vain for a full transcript of John McCain’s speech at Liberty University. This morning, Michael Reynolds on Donklephant quotes a big chunk of it from Newsweek, with Jon Meacham’s commentary. Read it. McCain’s marvelous words

McCain took a lot of flack for accepting the speaking engagement at Pat Robertson’s Liberty University and prior to his speech it was my guess that he was pulling the classic Nixonian “Run to the right early, head back to the center mid election seas…