McCain has long rap sheet as a serial suspender

Suspending things can be habit-forming — and it’s generally not a good habit in a leader of the Free World.

“Maybe if there’s other things down the road, he might suspend being president,” David Letterman riffed, after Sen. John McCain suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday due to the country’s financial crisis — and in so doing canceled a scheduled appearance on Letterman’s “The Late Show” on CBS.

Does McCain have a habit or pattern of suspending things? The Minnesota Independent took a look back to see whether McCain is a serial suspender.

Here are some things — good, bad and in between — that Sen. John McCain has suspended or proposed suspending. (Quotes are McCain’s and sources are linked, except as noted.)

His 2008 presidential campaign, as GOP nominee:

“Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington” (Sept. 24, 2008)

Day One of the 2008 Republican National Convention:

“We’re going to suspend most of our activities tomorrow …” (Aug. 31, 2008)

The federal gas tax:

“I propose that the federal government suspend all taxes on gasoline now paid by the American people — from Memorial Day to Labor Day of this year.” (April 15, 2008)

U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve purchases:

“Over the same period, our government should suspend the purchase of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which has also contributed to the rising price of oil.” (April 15, 2008)

Non-military federal discretionary spending:

“As president, I will also order a prompt and thorough review of the budgets of every federal program, department, and agency. While that top to bottom review is underway, we will institute a one-year pause in discretionary spending increases with the necessary exemption of military spending and veterans benefits.” (April 15, 2008)

Releasing his medical records, as a presidential candidate:

John McCain’s presidential campaign repeatedly delayed disclosing the 71-year-old cancer survivor’s health information. (“One of the problems has been getting the doctors together and getting everybody ready to meet at the same time,” McCain said.) In early March, the McCain campaign promised to release his medical records “in a month or so.” That turned into a (broken) pledge they’d be released by April 15, then May 15, before, finally, a bizarrely limited review on May 23.

His campaign aide, Soren Dayton:

For twittering a link to an offensive spoof video on Obama. (March 20, 2008)

Tax penalties on borrowers whose lenders have forgiven part of their mortgages:

McCain wants to expand the Federal Housing Administration’s ability to bail out subprime borrowers and advocates suspending tax penalties against borrowers whose lenders have forgiven part of their mortgages, said his senior policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin. (Newhouse News Service, Feb. 25, 2008)

Druggie pro atheletes:

A bill introduced in May by Davis, Waxman and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain would suspend offending players for two years for a first offence and ban them for life if they fail a second drug test. (Toronto Star, July 29, 2005)

His 2000 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination:

“I am suspending my campaign so that Cindy and I can take some time to reflect on our recent experiences, and determine how we can best continue to serve the country, and bring about the changes to the practices and institutions of our great democracy that are the purpose of our campaign.” (March 9, 2000)

The Family and Medical Leave Act:

Before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the act unless the federal government either certified that compliance would not increase costs for business or provided financial assistance to businesses to cover any costs associated with implementing the law. (1993)

Medicare insurance surtax, for one year:

”The Senate today blocked an attempt to suspend for one year the surtax that many Medicare beneficiaries pay to finance insurance against the catastrophic costs of prolonged illness. This issue is going to be with us; it is not going to go away,” said Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican who sponsored the proposal and who has vowed to attach it to other bills that come before the Senate. (July 28, 1989)

His first marriage:

In his 2002 memoir, “Worth the Fighting For,” McCain wrote that he had separated from Carol before he began dating Hensley, who is 17 years younger.

“I spent as much time with Cindy in Washington and Arizona as our jobs would allow,” McCain wrote. “I was separated from Carol, but our divorce would not become final until February of 1980.”

However, an examination of court documents tells a different story. McCain did not sue his wife for divorce until Feb. 19, 1980, and he wrote in his court petition that he and his wife had “cohabited” until Jan. 7 of that year — or for the first nine months of his relationship with Hensley.

While McCain suggested in his autobiography that months passed between his divorce and remarriage, the divorce was granted April 2, 1980, and he wed Cindy Hensley in a private ceremony five weeks later. In fact, McCain obtained an Arizona marriage license on March 6, 1980, while still legally married to his first wife.