McCain And Graham - Past Their Prime

What happens when politicians have outlasted their usefulness?  They meddle.

Jimmy Carter is the champion of meddling even today but two Republicans are running a close second.  How can two be second?  Because you never seem to see one without the other.

Lindsey Graham, the oh so pious yet vague Senator from South Carolina, will at least have to face some challengers in 2014.  Failed presidential candidate and self anointed maverick McCain will be around for awhile yet.  I'm thinking if Graham goes, though, maybe McCain won't be able to find another willing partner.  I've always wondered that if these two are as right about things as they tell us they are, why more of their ilk haven't jumped on their bandwagon.

The administration has them pegged.  They can be used, rolled, whatever you want to call it as long as the reward is face time on camera.  Sometimes it works for them, sometimes not.

I'd say McCain and Graham's recent trip to Egypt to let them know what they must do to retain our favor might not sit well with the Egyptians and might do the administration more harm than good.  They went with the administration's 'blessing' but not at it's request.

Imagine the chutzpah involved in suggesting the release of Morsi and some of their political prisoners might be negotiated in return for concessions from the interim government.  They aren't even part of the administration, thank you very much.  We have a Secretary of State to handle such matters.  And making a joke about what is or isn't a coup.  Talk about abusing political correctness on a grand scale in another country! Let it go, John.  It's right up there with 'bomb, bomb Iran' on your top ten bad joke list.

So the Egyptians have now officially been warned by our twin mavericks that their aid money might be in jeopardy if they don't admit to our terminology then apologize for it and do the bidding of these two. Wow. Never mind what the Egyptian people want. Why are they there again?

I don't think the Egyptians are concerned.  The Saudis have offered them far more in aid than we have.  They have successfully made the administration look weak for having these two appear to be roving ambassadors even though it's another self appointed title.

It's bad enough when the administration makes blunders.  They don't need the help of two from the Republican side making it worse.  So what's the end result of this exercise in narcissism?  I can't believe I've extended the term beyond  the presidential persona, but I have.  In spades.  So, we have a failed trip at tax payer expense and the contempt of the Egyptian people and their interim government for having interfered where it wasn't needed or wanted.

And you wonder why the world looks at us as inept, weak and inconsequential.

Grumpy Old Men

Wow!  McCain and Graham cannot win for losing this week.  This must be foreign territory for the political Bobbsey Twins!  I couldn't be happier.  I hate sanctimonious politicians and these two personify it and they're not handling it well.

After the Rand Paul filibuster, the Twitter world would have you believe that just maybe the Republicans are finding a voice.  Of course one incident does not a revitalized party make, but it's a start.  Especially when colleagues have the courage to come forward in support.

But these two!  Mocking the effort and calling the participants "wacky birds" doesn't make Paul and his associates look wacky, but rather McCain and his!  It is no secret that the Republicans are split.  It's also correct that neither side of the split has a monopoly on being correct as to the direction the party should go.

One reason I was against McCain when he ran for President was his age and his grasp of things he should have had and did not.  Even something as simple as knowing how to send an e-mail.  His war record is long past and while it should be appreciated for what it was, it doesn't come with a lifetime pass to act stupidly.

As for Mr. Graham, he's good with platitudes.  Occasionally I will catch him on Greta and find he does a very consistent sidestep when pressed on why things are not getting done.  A silver tongue and a reasonably pleasant persona is not a substitute for straight answers.  Of all people he should know that since he's still waiting for straight talk on Benghazi.

Times change.  There comes a point when people don't.  I'm going through that phase myself.  I'm having a difficult time reconciling what I've known and believed for most of my adult life with new attitudes and ways of accomplishing things.  Politically, though, there should be one constant and that should be the Constitution, no matter your age or party.  When you begin to think that those 'youngsters' don't know anything and you know everything, it's time to go.

If you believe in the principles of the Republican Party, then discuss your issues in private.  You're supposed to be on the same page here.  What you're doing is magnifying the split and looking petty along with it. You aren't all knowing and don't hold all the cards any more.

If you can no longer serve with dignity and grace perhaps it's time to retire with dignity and grace. Showing yourselves as petty and pathetic would be a sad way to see once distinguished careers come to an end. And end they will.  Sooner rather than later if it isn't understood that rigidity and change aren't compatible.

McCain Chose The Wrong Sarah!

Did you know there is a periodical called the Journal of Experimental Psychology ? Neither did I. I think though, it may be well named considering the subject of a recent article.

All this time, since the election, I've been under the impression that McCain lost because he was a weak candidate with an even politically weaker running mate. As is often the case, I've apparently been mistaken. I guess I failed to consider the psychology of the matter. The idea that Sarah Palin was too good looking for her - and John's - own good.

According to an article on Yahoo , a group of students were asked to write their thoughts and feelings about Palin. Another group was asked to write about their thoughts and feelings about her appearance.

The most favorable results came from the group writing about her appearance rather than her those who were asked to assess, among other things, her competence. They also reported they'd be less likely to vote for the McCain/Palin ticket.

Wow. What they're telling us is that if you have a pretty face you can't possibly be capable. Tell that to Glenn Close when she's not in her Sarah, Plain and Tall make up!

There is a definite psychological implication in all of this. Consider the news media. How many unattractive people of either sex sit in an anchor's chair? How many of them come across as being nothing more than a reader of words, written by others, from a monitor? And maybe not the brightest bulb on the set?

Talk about the brainwashing of the masses! There are a huge number of reasons I would not like to see Sarah Palin in national office, but her looks are definitely not one of them!

Some Thoughts On Why McCain/Palin Lost

As gracious as McCain was in his concession speech, I was stunned to hear him say he didn't know what else the campaign could have done to win. He could have remained the John McCain of 2000 for starters.

I couldn't help wonder if it was an ill prepared statement, certainly not the speech he had hoped to give, or if he really is clueless. What really made this catch my attention was earlier in the evening, before any results were in and polls were still open, the McCain campaign released a series of robo calls, in Spanish, in southern Florida stating that Castro had endorsed Obama and all the insinuations that go with such a statement. A last minute burst of negativity.

Health issues and age aside, I was turned off when McCain, who had promised a clean and honorable campaign, delivered anything but. Obama too promised the same and kept his word for the most part. Negative campaigning works. That's why the more a campaign finds itself struggling, the more negative it gets. Perhaps it has now run its course. But I wonder if McCain and his campaign couldn't see that it wasn't working.

This morning I heard Sarah Palin stating that she didn't think she was of enough significance to have taken votes away from McCain. What the heck is that supposed to mean? She was his running mate! So of course she did unless you were one of the extreme right who found her enchanting. Her personal political emphasis paired with her own rock 'em, sock 'em style of negative campaigning most certainly did take votes away from McCain, just as her inexperience in matters beyond Alaska did.

It is all moot at this point and my thoughts are nothing more than conjecture. However, Obama won convincingly. It wasn't all for his stance on policy as much as it was his demeanor, his intellect and sincerity and his inordinate ability to inspire.

For those who may still be thinking he is too young and inexperienced to be able to govern effectively, just think about the staff he put together and the campaign they ran. Had Hillary done the same she might have prevailed. The same holds true for McCain. Neither maintained control of the campaigns that bore their names.

The emphasis shifts now. Obama told us last night the future will be a rough road for awhile and that we may not all agree with decisions he makes. That would be true of any newly elected President. The most important thing he said, to me, is that he will be honest with us.

That one thing can make the difference between change and business as usual.

Our Love Hate Relationship With Sarah Palin

I laughed out loud this morning as I read Kathleen Parker's column regarding undecided voters. In it she described Sarah Palin as "the winking wonder woman of Wasilla".

It got me to thinking about how voters either love Ms. Palin or hate her. There seems to be no middle ground. Everything about her seems to be polarizing but I think there is a middle ground truth to be found.

Let's look at those who love her. Men who think she's hot! Parents of children with developmental disabilities. Staunch believers of the ideology of the Christian right. Those who see her as the girl next door who made good. She is not a "wonder woman" to them; she is "every woman".

Those who hold her in far less esteem are like me. They see someone who has done little since day one than pad her resume and hasn't made much of an effort to hide it. A woman with a modicum of raw ability and more than a modicum of ambition. One savvy enough to create an opportunity for herself yet naive enough to allow herself to be used to her own detriment. An unworldly lightweight.

The campaign has cried foul when her detractors have called her on her less than impressive credentials, especially members of her own party.

There are similar feelings about "Joe the Plumber". We either love him as an "every man" or we hate him as an opportunistic fraud.

What has caused this polarization? Where is the middle ground where each would have been met with a shrug then dismissed as a non issue? I think it's because we sense so much of ourselves in each of them. Perhaps we even recognize, through them, we have been a part of the problem in which we now find ourselves immersed.

We're not the intellectuals we'd like to think we are. We see ourselves as more important than we are. We exaggerate our strengths to minimize our weaknesses rather than facing the truth. We take to the stage for our fifteen minutes of fame whether or not it may do harm to others. It's all about us and not about us at all.

Even though the race is far closer than I'd have thought at this time, perhaps the reason Obama has been so successful is he always emphasizes it is not about himself, but about us. And perhaps the reason John McCain hasn't done better is because it always seems to be about him.

Presidential Pathos

This photo will probably not resonate with many of my readers. It is the forced grin McCain usually flashes after delivering an Obama put down. My readers probably don't see enough clips of McCain to realize this.

Having energy for little else then trying to beat a cold the past few days, I've seen quite a few of these on the various news shows covering campaign events. It has given me the opportunity to reflect on the rhetoric coming from both camps.

Obama has touched on substance to a degree; as much as I'd expect when trying not to provide fodder for the opposition. McCain tells me what Obama will do versus what he, McCain, will do but I have yet to hear him say how he actually intends to do anything.

The mantra has been reduced to ridiculous name calling; socialist, communist, redistributor and on and on. The stretch is so great I wonder that the whole nation hasn't tuned it out. He remains on the kick that Obama is too inexperienced and naive. I won't even go into the ranting coming from the Palin wing of the campaign other than to point out she hasn't improved her level of articulation, nor realize "Joe Mama" is not to be uttered lightly.

It seems to me McCain is accusing Obama of being a mirror image of himself as the one who doesn't "get it ". He promised to run an "honorable" campaign. What happened to it? A campaign of substance. Where is it? Oh, sure, all the policy positions can be found on the web site if one is so inclined to study them. In this age of instant gratification, it's unlikely many do.

Other than that the whole wrap up has been reduced to no more than a circus sideshow of personality bashing. It's McCain who doesn't "get it". Obama gets it just fine. That's what "change" is all about. A departure from the mudslinging and character assassination of partisan politics. An addressing of issues and ideas for solutions.

I've already voted, yet I continue to watch. Policy differences aside, an unaddressed issue is now the comportment of the candidates. Cool and composed versus hyper, bumbling, artificial and a deep seeded mean-spiritedness. There is no question in my mind which man I would rather have facing down the problems that loom before our nation.

As I have preached so often, campaign promises are only as good as the Congress in place and the circumstances of reality. They will change over the course of an administration. That is reality. Equally important to me is how the President will react to changing conditions; how willing he is to listen to advice and to alter his thinking if necessary. Wisdom. Prudence. Pragmatic.

Which candidate? To me it's a no brainer. I'm sorry the polls aren't reflecting a like minded constituency.

To Grandmother's House He Goes. Why Was It Even Questioned?

Barack Obama's Grandmother. She's 85 years old. She has osteoporosis. She recently took a fall that caused hospitalization and has since taken a turn for the worse. Who among us, if this was the lady that had raised us, would not be rushing to be with her?

Instead there was speculation about how much damage would be done by his leaving his campaign at this critical time. If the McCainites have any class at all, before each rally they'd be wishing Madelyn Dunham well.

In an interview with Harry Smith, Obama explained that change in his Mother's condition happened so fast he was unable to reach her side before she passed away. He was determined to not to let that happen again.

I know exactly how he feels. My own Mother had not been feeling well for several days and her Doctors were brushing her off. When her wonderfully persistent caregivers finally managed to get some tests ordered and completed the prognosis was dire. I was not able to get to her side before she passed away. I have never forgiven myself. You see, long before this happened, in one of our conversations about the inevitable, she told me she did not want to die alone. She did not. Her caregivers were with her. But it wasn't the same as having her daughter or son there. Neither of us were. I don't think I will ever get over the feeling that I let her down. That for all the times over so many, many years that she was always there for me, I wasn't there for her at that most important time of her life. Her death.

McCain has been saying Obama will say anything to get elected. Maybe, maybe not. For the moment the measure of this man is that his actions speak louder than any words possibly could.

A Few Observations From Middle America

We've been to the banks of the Mississippi and back this past week and the trip was an eye opener.

First though, about the photo from my last post. Tropigal gets the gold star. The half body of the drinking fountain, the legs, standing in front of the Body Shop. Maybe you had to be there! The thing is I hadn't noticed the irony until I had the picture developed.

Okay. Middle America. Observation number one. This probably has to do with the time of year one travels but I had no idea how many sunflowers are grown in the Dakotas. Field after field of drooping heads all along the Interstate. It must have been spectacular a month ago.

More middle America.

If one is to go by the campaign signs McCain is going to win in a landslide. We did not see one single Obama sign from Idaho to Iowa. Even in the university towns of Ames and Iowa City the signs posted were all McCain/Palin. University towns, other than in Idaho, are usually bastions of liberalism.

There cannot possibly be one skunk left living between Idaho and Iowa; the highways at times seemed to be paved with them.

Ranchers and farmers do not like Obama's "spreading the wealth" idea one bit. It's easy to understand why. For them it's feast or famine depending on their harvest. If they are heavily taxed in a good year they'll have nothing to carry them through a bad one.

Our first night out we were having dinner in Miles City, MT. The debate was on the TV in the bar. While fully visible from our table we tried to ignore it and enjoy our meal but the cowboy at the next table was exercised. Finally he had to get it out of his system and spent the remainder of our time there extolling everything wrong with Obama's thinking. It was an interesting lesson in the economics of ranching.

That first evening turned out to be the norm. No matter where we were or where we ate, the dinner table conversations surrounding us were all about Obama and his economic plan. None of those conversations were applauding it.

I found out just how many people drive gray or silver cars when I watched who passed us in fog so thick we couldn't see the fog line.

Once again I was reminded again of how beautiful western Montana is this time of year. It is the peak season for the Tamarack warriors resplendent in their gold armor advancing up the mountain sides.

We're home safe and sound. Bacchus was a real trooper. The laundry is in progress.

Oh, yes, one last thought and apologies to Al Franken. Rush Limbaugh is still a big fat idiot. He should be hung and quartered for the hatchet job he did on Colin Powell yesterday.

Portrait Of A Frustrated Voter

I was sorting through some family keepsakes, getting things gathered to donate to the museum in my folks hometown, when I came across an old World War II ration book. Along side the coupons are tokens, a schedule letting you know when you could get certain items and an old civil defense volunteer armband.

I got to thinking maybe I should explain why I am so passionate about the upcoming election and frustrated with what I've been seeing. You see, these items belonged to my Mom and Dad. I was very young at the time but not so young that I don't remember what sacrifice meant to everyday Americans. And why that sacrifice was necessary. We were just coming off the Great Depression and entrenched in World War II.

We had strong leadership then - Roosevelt. He knew how to soothe or persuade - whichever was necessary. He never told us to go shopping. In fact, he prevented us from doing so! He talked to us.

I remember working in the victory gardens everyone in the neighborhood had. I developed a taste for tongue and heart and liver because we could get organ meat and Mom was a fantastic cook. She could and did make everything taste good. She made all my school clothes. There were no $100 Nikes, iPods or cell phones. If there had been no one would have bought them and the technology would have been applied to the War effort first.

As I grew up my interest in politics waned as one might expect. The war ended, the country stabilized. There was so much of interest going on. I loved school and band and my dance band and Friday night football games. Yes. I was a kid then and I loved every minute of it. I look back and treasure those memories. Today's kids are growing up so fast. Sex and drugs far too soon. One mistake and poof, no more childhood. And oh, my, what they missed. Being a kid.

My college years were a mixed bag. Our worst vice was maybe taking up smoking or guzzling 3.2 beer on the weekends. Even then loose girls were received with a raised eyebrow.

On the serious side I remember Nikita Khrushchev visiting our campus and men in trench coats prowling around roof tops with strange looking cases. The fervor over John Kennedy. Many of my classmates were veterans of the Korean War attending school on the GI bill. We had a large international presence. I dated Iranians, East Indians, Egyptians and Africans without giving it a second thought, yet I would not go out with a black basketball player from New York. Questions began to stir within me. I was learning how to look at myself, who I was and what options lay before me.

I remember Kent State with students lying dead, shot by our own National Guardsmen for protesting; I remember the National Guard being called out in cities across the country to quell race riots. Kennedy's death. I was watching live TV when Lee Harvey Oswald was murdered by Jack Ruby; Martin Luther King's death, the attempt on Gerald Ford, the attempt on Ronald Reagan. All unsettling times.

I remember Vietnam and the young men who came home. One friend, still in the Army, couldn't look at rice nor hear a car backfire. He had problems. He saw a letter from a male friend on my desk and threatened to break a chair over my head. That was the end of that relationship. My own brother-in-law came back with an alcohol and drug problem that caused his untimely death. It was a tough time for those who served. It would seem we still haven't learned the lesson that was taught.

Time marches on and maybe it's an old fogey thing. I'm not sure. But when I listen to the pundits on radio and television calling the events of this election like it's a play by play on Sunday afternoon football I get mad. Nothing going on today is a laughing matter. It's bad enough they don't handle it with the seriousness nor the depth of understanding it deserves, but it's worse that they don't appear to understand much of it themselves. There is really no one to explain it to those who are going through some of these things for the first time. Those of us who try either do not articulate it well enough or are considered less then credible because - what? We're old?

McCain, who lived through these time, isn't explaining things. Who better could? And why isn't he? Chanting he knows how to fix everything doesn't cut it. Where has his leadership been all these years?

Obama isn't explaining either. How can one lead us into the future without an understanding of our past? Is it okay that they, along with the rest of us, are bewildered by this massive breakdown and the speed with which it seemed to occur? Of course, in reality, it wasn't speedy at all. Everything just culminated all at the same time. Where was everybody?

It is not okay to pretend they know all the answers. They do not. I would rather hear that admission along with a pledge to do the best they can to find the right people, regardless of party, to get it l sorted out. The posturing and blame gaming of Barney Frank and his ilk does not inspire confidence in me. Many in Congress were part of the problem in the first place.

Every one of us is concerned about how and when things are going to shake out. We're angry and we're attacking anything that moves - in anger, without rationale. It is disturbing to witness. It's like the entire country is on the brink of a nervous breakdown and our shrinks are running around in little tight circles, the worst of us all!

The wars are not going to end tomorrow. Humans seem never to learn the cost and futility of them. They will continue to drain our treasury which really isn't so much ours any more. It will continue to kill our young men and women. A drain on our future talent. This is no laughing matter.

If ever there was a time for a clear head and a steady hand , one that realizes the seriousness of the circumstances in which we find ourselves and the courage to be honest about how difficult extraction from these circumstances is going to be, it is now.

This is why I'm so frustrated with the tone of the campaigns and the caliber of the candidates. We are walking on very thin ice. I've been there, I've seen it; I've lived it. Lessons not learned. Actions not taken or taken merely to give the appearance of doing something. This is nothing new. History has a way of repeating itself because our attention span is short if we pay attention at all.

There was a question in one of those "man on the street" columns just this last week. It asked the participants what they thought of Sarah Palin. Out of six only one even knew who she was and he was Canadian. The other five are all of voting age. Where have they been? Do you want them to vote?

Writing this hasn't really made me feel any better but it does bring to mind a question; can there be worse things than rationing books? You bet. In a time of national crisis there can be a lack of them.

Anarchy Looms!

This election is going to go down in history for many reasons. The first viable black candidate, the first Mormon candidate, the first viable female candidate and the oldest first time candidate. There is one more element and the most disturbing of all.

At a time when both candidates are championing the need for non-partisan cooperation and each claims to be the one most able to accomplish same, this is turning into one of the most divisive campaigns I can remember. I cannot ever remember the anger being shown within the parties at their own candidates such as we've been seeing at McCain rallies.

Today Michael Barone, in his column talks about how the Democrats are doing their best to quell anything put forth deemed criticism of Obama. Some supporters have gone so far as to threaten criminal prosecution of his critics. They have even gone so far as to edit the content on a Saturday Night Live skit that spoofed Barney Frank and a couple of contributors. This is obstruction of one of our few remaining freedoms - that of free speech, the First Amendment!

It is disturbing enough to watch the hate mongering I wrote about in the previous post. The "Obama thugocracy" , as Barone puts it, suppressing free speech is something we indeed need to fear should it continue unchecked.

These are frightening times. People are worried more than most have ever been in their lives. You have to be of my generation or older to remember the great depression and the World Wars. Even the Korean "police action" as they liked to call it. Knowledge of how these events were resolved and those who were the players are little more than names and lessons in a history book. If history is even being taught anymore. Revisionism seems to be popular this day and age so I have no idea what students are being "taught".

While all this is going on I'm looking for one or both of the candidates to take control of their own people and reign in the turmoil. I do not see it on either side. If the people are left to their own devices and their frustrations are allowed to boil over, neither candidate will ever be able to regain control. Then it becomes anarchy.

That's all we need on top of everything else.

Come on gentlemen. You're each vying to be our leader. Show us some leadership and nip this now while you still can. For your sake. And for ours!

Why I'm For Obama

Michelle Obama said something on Larry King the other night that really resonated with me. They were discussing the "that one" comment and the "what don't you know" question from the debate. She turned serious after a few quick quips and said, basically, Barack knows what he doesn't know and surrounds himself with those who can educate him. In other words he doesn't surround himself with "yes" men. That is important to me.

Realistically, neither candidate is going to be able to deliver all that they have promised. Even if times weren't so bad, campaign promises go only as far as Congress allows. So let's take that out of the equation. Being less than specific is political expedience. Both candidates practice it. Yes, it is frustrating when one wants specifics, but with today's political climate and constantly changing conditions, be it the economy or the wars, any specific statement would come back to haunt many times over. So they don't do it.

It's not because I'm a hard core Democrat. I am not. There are many policies Obama has put forth that I don't think he can deliver nor should. The same, however, holds true for McCain. When he states he'd have the government buy up the bad mortgages, it proves to me how little a grasp he has of the situation. Why? Because those mortgages have been split so many times between so many entities, no one knows exactly who has what. That's part of the problem. It's not as simplistic as McCain would have us believe.

I don't believe anyone is entitled to be President. McCain, to me, acts like he is. His superior attitude doesn't sit well with me as I watch him dither on policy. His choice of Sarah Palin stings like a slap in the face. Yes. I understand all the reasoning. I don't think it's valid if one is really putting "country" first.

Obama promised a different kind of campaign. Up until now he has kept his word. The depth of misinformation and fear mongering the McCain campaign has sunk to requires recourse and now the McCain campaign is shouting foul. Again, it does not sit well with me.

As for his associations; who among us at one time or another has not associated with someone, on some level, we could have done without? It's over and done with, in the distant past - or you didn't even realize it until after the fact, but if you're a public figure you're denied having a life with people in it. That's unrealistic.

His religion. He says he is not a Muslim. Why must that horse continue to be beaten? Even if he were, so what? Look how many of our athletes have become Muslims? Do you think they are out to over throw America? We have two Muslim Congressmen. Do you think they are intent on over throwing America? The people who elected them obviously do not. Why must a uniformed police officer have to insinuate the worst at a McCain/Palin rally? It's disgusting. And don't give me the free speech argument.

That Sarah Palin relates to the Joe Six-packs of America is great. I can almost hear the bubble gum pop when she talks. But I don't want Joe Six-pack for my President. I want one who can relate to more than the folks at the corner bar.

Many leaders from around the world have been educated in Great Britain - Oxford, Cambridge, Sandhurst. Those who have studied in this country have gone to Harvard, Yale or Princeton. I want our President to be able to relate on that level and to understand how they think and why they think the way they do. I'm tired of swagger, smirk and bullying. Condescension scares me.

I've said before we no longer get the best of the best running for public office for the very reason that is so evident today. Few want to put themselves or their families through the punishment. We're fortunate though. The cream of the African American/White community has risen to the top with Barack Obama. No longer are the race baiting rants of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton the foremost image of that segment of our society. Barack Obama is no self-anointed preacher. The worst I can say about him is he is a politician.

I am sure some aspects of this historical journey weigh heavily on him. Should he win he bears the burden of having to rise above expectations. He has done it before; I believe he will continue to do so. I believe he is an inspired leader, he resonates with the young, he is cool under pressure. That's not being elite. That's poise. That's what I want in our President. One who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world. One who will not embarrass us. One who will listen. One who can articulate.

Our economy continues to tank, we're afraid for our futures, especially those of us who are no longer young and resilient. Just today the news talks of how the conflict in Afghanistan is worsening. That means more of our young men and women will perish. It is not a bright and sunny forecast.

I want in our President not the man who knows how to do it all as McCain claims he can, but the man who is willing to talk and listen and has the energy to tackle the multitude of problems facing us without illusion. I believe Barack Obama better fits this need and this is why I support him.

There is just too much of importance happening in the world to get caught up in the web of deceit.

Editorial Endorsements Ought To At Least Get It Right!

Eastern Washington is heavily Republican as is all of Idaho, so it was no surprise this morning when I saw that the editorial board of the Spokesman Review
endorsed John McCain.

At best it was lukewarm, a dictate from management it would seem, but never-the-less some of the text was ridiculous. For instance it points out McCain's call for an increase in troops was indeed the correct call. What isn't mentioned is that General Eric Shinseki told the Senate back at the outset, according to the AP , that a successful postwar occupying force would have to be several hundred thousands in order to stave off ethnic tensions and other problems. Rumsfeld stuck with his lean and mean theory and Shinseki lost his job.

The editorial goes on to suggest that McCain's stand on torture will do a great deal toward re-endearing us to the rest of the world. According to the Washington Post he called water boarding "torture and illegal" yet voted against Democratic sponsored legislation that would have, indeed, banned it along with other coercive tactics used by the CIA. He voted with the minority. Fifty one Senators voted for the ban.

As for the likelihood he'd be more bi-partisan with the Democratic led Congress on economic issues facing the country, I'd rest better if I thought he actually understood them.

In conclusion it is suggested we need a leader who has proven leadership and that John McCain's is a matter of record. Right. He suspended his campaign, ran to Washington, after snubbing David Letterman in order to visit with Katie Couric, then ended up voting for what may be the largest pork laden bill in the history of the country. Doonesbury is keeping McCain's promise to make those names public. How About Gary Trudeau for President?

There is more, but you get the idea. One reason why I read a wide range of papers and magazines, ones that I can actually name, is so I can get beyond managerial prejudices.

There is more at stake here than the "vision thing", as Bush one liked to say. It has a lot to do with who has the vision and how it applies to the people of the country today and in the future. A seventy two year old man does not see the world through the eyes of our youth. Neither do I. Though I make an effort. I have young friends I stay in touch with, listen to and ask questions of. We think differently and we learn from one another.

I want to enjoy the time I have left as pleasantly as possible; the young have so much more at stake and they deserve a leader who understands that - and them.

I'd at least like to have a President that knows what a Blackberry is and can send his own e-mails!

Loose Lips And Fact Free

I'm tired of looking at pictures of Sarah Palin so when I saw this I thought it made a good metaphor. Old Navy man John McCain being the ship. Hahahahaaaa.

Yep. It's all beginning to get to me. I read Bill Crystal's pander to Palin in the New York Times and thought there she goes again!

Crystal was having a little chat with Sarah discussing among other things Obama's associations with Reverend Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers. Now, we knew Wright was going to be resurrected didn't we? Specifically he wanted to know if Wright wasn't in fact the bigger issue because of Obama's closer connection with him.

She had this to say:

"To tell you the truth, Bill, I don’t know why that association isn’t discussed more, because those were appalling things that that pastor had said about our great country, and to have sat in the pews for 20 years and listened to that — with, I don’t know, a sense of condoning it, I guess, because he didn’t get up and leave — to me, that does say something about character..."

Discussed more? Where were you during the primaries, honey? It was beaten to death and then some!

First, it was explained, ad nauseam, that Reverand Wright did not spend every single sermon lambasting America. And, by checking the dates of the offensive sermons against Obama's schedule found his claims that he was not present to be true.

Oh, I'm getting so weary of Ms. Palin playing catch up and in so doing not doing her homework. Attacking Obama's character can be treading on thin ice. There is the Keating Five issue with McCain now getting some play; there is his Brazilian hottie and the treatment of his first wife that are all ripe for exploitation.

As for Palin, it's out there honey - your alleged affair with your husband's one time business partner not to mention hubby's involvement with a secessionist group. If seceding from the United States isn't anti-American I don't know what is!

Oh yeah, it's all out there. The bloggers have been having a field day with it. The main stream press is beginning to pick it up. But don't blame them for gottcha journalism.

Gottcha!

McCain's Macaca Moment Compliments Of His Brother?

Remember when Virginia Senator George Allen was on the fast track to the Republican nomination? Then he tried to make a joke by referring to an East Indian supporter of fellow Senate candidate Jim Webb as "macaca".

Macaca translates a couple of ways. It could be referring to a monkey that lives in the Eastern Hemisphere or, as in some European cultures, it is considered a racial slur. Either way, it was demeaning to the young man and in spite of explanations that fell flat and apologies, Allen's Presidential hopes came crashing down around him.

Maybe the candidates and their surrogates ought to leave humor to the professionals at Saturday Night Live.

Though I do have to laugh at the lunacy that is going on around us.

John McCain's brother, Joe, while campaigning for John referred to the Democratic leaning counties in northern Virginia as "communist country". Do these guys ever think before they speak? Of course the campaign passed it off as his attempt at humor. I have no doubt that it was, but I'm wondering how the local Democrats like being equated with Communists!

If "lipstick on a pig" is always a referral to Sarah Palin and Obama is "pallin' around with terrorists" I guess this comment should not be blown out of proportion. McCain spokesperson Gail Gitcho passed it off with this, "John McCain and Sarah Palin are committed to winning the support of voters in Northern Virginia and understand the region's importance to victory statewide."

I know McCain/Palin are a pair of mavericks and I know negativity is supposed to be the most effective way of winning votes, but I have yet to understand the strategy of damning the opposition as a way to convince voters you are the best choice to lead the country! Especially if you need a portion of those opposition votes!

Palin And McCain May Deserve Each Other But Do We Deserve Them?

I knew when I posted last night I did so at great peril. Defending Sarah Palin in any way, shape or form gave me great pause.

Today that feeling of uneasiness proved true. The gloves are off. The dirt is flying. And Sarah, in her own folksy way, is leading the charge with reckless abandon!

According to an AP article on Brietbart she has now accused Obama of "palling around with terrorists"!

Whoa, Nellie! She is, of course, referring to Bill Ayers, one of the founders of the radical Weather Underground. When the group was active and taking credit for violence during the Vietnam War era Obama was a child. In time Ayers denounced his own radical activities and is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Obama served on a charity board with Ayers and has indeed had dealings with Ayers over time. These include serving together on the board of the Woods Fund dedicated to the development of community groups to help the poor and Obama served on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a school reform group that Ayers founded.

If this is a terrorist I'd not mind palling around with him myself!

Ms. Palin had this to say about Obama, " Our opponent is someone who sees America, it seems, as being imperfect, imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country" and "This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America."

Whoa, again. Back the pony up to the cart! Your view, Ms. Palin, is not how I see America nor how I see Barack Obama.

I could suggest you didn't do your home work on this one or your handlers had so much to feed you they missed this, but I don't think that's the case.

You, Ms. Palin, and John McCain will do anything to turn the tide of this election. You both should be ashamed to have sunk to this low. I hope the American people are beginning to see you as the puppet you have become.

Yes. I'm angry now. You're team isn't resonating, your team is weak on the war, on the economy and on decency. Folksy doesn't cut it when you totally misrepresent your opponent. You degrade yourself, your ticket and your party.

I withdraw my earlier statement about you deserving anything. You owe an apology to Barack Obama and Bill Ayers.

Oh yes, when the dirt is dished about you, don't blame the media. Check under your rug. I understand the pile is getting pretty high.

Trouble In Paradise?

I don't think Sarah Palin is Vice Presidential material. That being said, I resent the fact that she is being used, as a woman, to further John McCain's ambitions. I'm beginning to think that even he doesn't think she measures up but if she can bring in the Christian conservative vote, so what?

This headline, Palin questions McCain's concession of Michigan on Yahoo news caught my eye. I was astounded.

The article reports that Palin only learned of it Friday morning when she read it in the papers! Talk about not being kept in the loop! What an unconscionable slap in the face!

Being the feisty go getter that she is, she had this to say, "Todd and I, we'd be happy to get to Michigan and walk through those plants of the car manufacturers. We'd be so happy to get to speak to the people of Michigan who are hurting because the economy is hurting" and "I want to get back to Michigan and I want to try".

I applaud Sarah Palin for that attitude. Walking away, pulling your ads and reassigning staff because the polls are against you is no way to convince the American public you are concerned about their needs. Only your own.

Governor Palin has been kept on a short leash for good reason. We've seen glimpses of why in her interviews and in the debate. The campaign is doing everything it can to minimize the exposure that showcases her weaknesses and in turn blame what does come through on the evil media.

That may work some of the time but when the Vice Presidential candidate is not informed of a major strategy decision until after the fact, it tells this voter a lot about the character of John McCain and just how Ms. Palin would be used if the team is elected.

I mentioned in my earlier post today how I'm hearing women voicing the feeling of insult and betrayal because this woman was chosen over many more qualified. Well, here's a new reason to feel both emotions. Whether you like Sarah Palin or not, whether you feel she's qualified or not, she deserves better from the man who put her in this position.

What Was Pelosi Thinking?

The gavel had barely fallen when the Republicans were out in force blaming Nancy Pelosi's speech at the end of the rescue plan debate for causing the vote to fail.

If ever there was a time for leadership to take a conciliatory stance this was it. Especially with so many house members facing re-election. But no. She had to use it as a campaign diatribe of her own blaming the Bush administration for everything and touting how wonderful the Democrats are. Not even all of them agreed with her. Ninety five Democrats voted against it! That's leadership?

The Senate comes next. Oh, boy.

Back to Pelosi. Here we have a woman, a seasoned politician and Speaker of the House leading the way on a serious and delicate matter. Where was the deft hand? Instead of encouraging the vote why did she have to throw it in the administration's face? This was not the time for politics as usual.

A seasoned, experienced politician. An extremely partisan politician. A slip up of major proportions. These things happen. They shouldn't. I expect our leadership, no matter the party, to know when to be prudent.

McCain claimed that by his presence all was well. It was not. Another seasoned, experienced politician. Do we really want a light weight waiting in the wings?

We've potential wars looming all around the middle east, we've natural disasters on our own turf we have yet to figure out how to handle, the next President will have the responsibility of getting this financial mess back on track. I want that President to have a number two that can look all these issues straight in the eye and know how to deal with them.

What I don't know is what we will get.

McCain - Savvy Or Scared?

Some of us are old enough to remember back in 1981 when Ronald Reagan was shot and Al Haig, his chief of staff, was running around in little tight circles exclaiming, "As of now, I am in control here in the White House."

That's what I'm reminded of as I watch John McCain's posturing. Stop the campaign! Cancel the debate! I'm going to Washington to make sure the bailout is done right! Pretty good for someone who admits he doesn't understand much about economics. When did he take his crash course?

Between Sarah Palin and her quivering non answers to Katy Couric's questions and McCain's "taking charge" antics, this December/May team is really beginning to frighten me. I can't help wondering if cancelling the debate is anything more than a ploy because McCain knows, even though it's to be on foreign policy, Obama will turn every answer into one with an economic edge.

Then what will McCain do when the economic debate comes around? It's another thing to turn each question on this subject into one on foreign policy.

As for Ms. Palin, I keep waiting for her say something other than rehearsed talking points. She is not as articulate nor as quick on her feet as I had expected and I often find myself wondering if in fact she understands the questions. As for her foreign policy experience, I'm not convinced meeting with two world leaders and exchanging chit chat gives her the bona fides the Republicans would have us believe.

I do know posturing doesn't get it done. I waiting to see if either of this team can do more. I'm also not holding my breath.

The Media And Messianic Politics

I browse a lot of the international press websites. There is often information there we do not get in the U.S. as well as a perspective on us that we usually don't have of ourselves. Such is the reason for this post.

I'm hoping this will be one of, if not the, last post I do on Sarah Palin. However, with all the hyperbole regarding Obama's former pastor, Reverend Wright, I find it interesting to learn Ms. Palin also has a rather controversial minister behind her.

First I would like to lay out some speculation. The obvious is, the sooner we quit obsessing over Ms. Palin, the sooner she will go away. John McCain is the Presidential candidate.

Considering how little regard McCain has for the office of Vice President, I do not see Ms. Palin being given much to do after the election. McCain wants it too much to "share" it with his V.P. I would guess he harbors some chauvinistic tendencies that also contribute to this assumption. Therefore, I assume, he is "using" her strictly for political expedience rather than for what she brings to the ticket. He needs the Christian Conservatives and the women who will fall for this ploy.


That being said, the following headline caught my attention on the London Times online site: Palin linked electoral success to prayer of Kenyan witchhunter . The first paragraph reads : "The pastor whose prayer Sarah Palin says helped her to become governor of Alaska founded his ministry with a witchhunt against a Kenyan woman who he accused of causing car accidents through demonic spells."

That should be enough to give you the gist of the story. One can never be sure how much is true but it is worthy of a read and especially a look at the video that is referred to.

I admit I do not relate to the thigh slapping, rapture inspiring rhetoric of a lot of religions. I am more the type who appreciates a greater power by watching the squadrons of geese looking for wintering grounds this time of year. Or my fence line of awesome sunflowers, as big as dinner plates, in full bloom. I left behind the idea, long ago, that faith and doom and gloom are compatible.

Neither is "faith" and political expediency. McCain left behind his Episcopalian faith to become a Baptist. There is nothing wrong with this but I do look at the timing and question why.

Ms. Palin is very open about her faith, but it is important to know what it is that faith espouses. Watch and listen to the video clip. Form your own opinion.

I'm personally very uncomfortable with what I saw and heard. I'm also very uncomfortable with the fact I had to visit a London paper's link to learn of it.

Beyond The Rhetoric

It was a well practiced speech and went fairly well for John McCain. There was one line, however, that stirred up so much disgust I walked out of the room. In touting his experiences as a prisoner of war, where he had admitted to being a hot shot prior to being captured but had changed into a better man because of it, he said, "I was never the same again. I wasn't my own man anymore. I was my country's."

How quickly one forgets. The picture is of his wife at the time, Carol, as she looked after her accident. Note the crutch? He had cheated on her, dumped her and married Cindy a month afterwards after she had waited all those years of his captivity no doubt praying for his well being and eventual release. This, to me is the height of self-indulgence that is indicative of his maverick persona. I don't find him a man of conviction nor one of character no matter how much he suffered as a prisoner. If anyone should have been empathetic to suffering, regarding Carol, you'd think it would have been John. That was apparently not the case. How one conducts personal relationships is reflective of character. I find John McCain lacking.

As for Ms. Palin, there is so much on the Internet debunking the rose colored image we have been provided, I don't have anything more to add. One thing, however, when it is said that if a man with five children had been the nominee, nothing would have been made of it. That is a totally ridiculous premise and those touting it should be ashamed.

The only men with five children who have a right to defend or deny that premise are stay at home dad's who have taken on the child rearing responsibilities. Family Phil , care to comment?

Now the campaigns will move forward. All I ask from here on out is quit insulting my intelligence.