James B. Stockdale -The Candidate And His Character

There was a poignant column in this morning's Wall Street Journal. Written by Taylor B. Stockdale, the son of the last unknown candidate for the Vice Presidency, it states an understanding of what the Palin family is going through. It is headlined Debates Don't Always Reveal Character.

That is very true but in looking at his father compared to Sarah Palin, and John McCain for that matter, the debates can show a lack of character.

For those of you scratching your head wondering who the heck I'm talking about, let me refresh your memory. It was 1992, Ross Perot was running for President and asked John Stockdale to be his running mate. Stockdale reluctantly accepted, feeling indebted to Perot for the aid he had extended to he and his family while he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was most noted for looking somewhat overwhelmed by the circumstance and saying "Who am I? Why am I here?" Many heard nor saw anything else.

He was elderly at the time or at least appeared to be. He was not a practiced politician and I never forgave Ross Perot for putting him in a position that drew little but criticism and ridicule.

So who was this man? An Admiral and Medal of Honor recipient. A fighter pilot. A husband and a father.

He was also a prisoner of war for eight years who maimed himself to prevent the North Vietnamese from parading him around for propaganda purposes. A fellow prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton was one John McCain.

This is a case where the debates did not do justice to this particular candidate, but I do not recall his ever having used his being a prisoner of war as a reason to be heard, what's more elected along with Perot. Politics was not where his ambitions took him. He had no need to tout his war experiences nor exaggerate his know how for the sake of getting elected.

Today's candidates would do well to look back at this man, who he was and what he was and how he has been remembered. Along with that, a bit of introspection might also be useful. Not all people with good character make good candidates and not all candidates have particularly good character.

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.

Small Town Politicians And Wannabes With Ambition - Beware!

I have often wondered if corruption in government trickles down from the top or begins at the local level and creeps upward. I believe an AP investigation has answered my question.

As I mentioned a few posts ago, we have a very fractured community with a very active watchdog group. While I think their obsession with finding all things wrong is unhealthy for the community, it is also true that they are not always wrong. My major complaint with them is that they never seem to applaud what is right.

That being said, if there are any local politicians with ambitions for higher office, beware. What you do today, how you vote, what the perception is, be it correct or not, in this age of You Tube and blogging it is quite likely to come back to haunt you at the least opportune moment!

Just look at Sarah Palin. Regardless of what the McCain campaign would like us to believe, they did not properly vet her. Had they done so I doubt she would have been chosen regardless of her youth and gender. Ah, yes, her history of small town politics.

Asking for a zoning exception to sell a house, accepting an "awesome" facial, asking for the loosening of rules for a snow machine race at the time she was a co-owner of a store that sold snow machines. These may appear innocuous enough but they lead to a pattern.

Our town is not unlike many others. The movers and shakers public lives intertwine with their private ones. Sometimes it's difficult to separate the political from the personal and this is where the difficulties begin. As our watch dog group points out day in and day out.

There is a lesson to be learned for both sides from what Sarah Palin is now having to endure. If you hold public office and want to climb the ladder you will be under the most invasive of scrutinies. Like going through airport security every moment of you life with your neighbors wielding the wands.

On the other hand, those doing the watching aren't above risking their own perils. Inaccurate accusations, character assassination, grudge bearing and self righteousness can also come back to haunt. Especially if the intent isn't so much for the good of the community as is preached, but an ambition to take the places of those you disparage as you move them out - or they move on up the ladder.

Debate #1 - My Take

I can't believe I watched the whole thing! But I did. Before the kazilion instant analyses could influence out thinking, Hub and I decided it was pretty much a draw. What it did show was the huge difference in style. Thought versus bluster? Respectful disagreement versus patronizing condescension?

I do have a few thoughts and observations. One, I'd like to know what prescription protocol McCain is on to keep him going. This is a man who, during the primaries, had one event a day and didn't do week ends. The Presidency is a 24/7 job. Bush, who is years younger, retires, when he can around nine. What's McCains retirement time? I'm of an age in between them and I know my stamina level is sub prime after a long day. One long day.

Two, it's no wonder he hasn't made much of a mark as a senator other than being dubbed a maverick, he's never there. He's always travelling the world.

Three, he brought up the maverick point often. Do we really need another one leading the country? The difference between McCain and Bush in this area is that Bush has a whole faction, led by Dick Cheney, behind the scenes pulling the strings. With McCain I fear it would be just him going off where ever he feels like. At least the neo cons have a theory. Does McCain?

Finally, it wrapped back around to his choice of Sarah Palin for Vice President. With what I consider a patronizing grin, McCain time and again pounced on Obama's naivete, lack of judgement and not having been to all these world hot spots. My own opinion on that aside, along with the fact it is Obama running for President and Palin is not, if these preceived failures he finds in Obama are so important, the reason he should be President, how can he justify Sarah Palin as his second?

I'm not sure she's even been to Hawaii. How many of the lower forty eight has she visited before being selected. Heck, can she even name the Sates and their capitals?

The deer in the headlight, verbose without substance woman will be the one standing in the wings. Senator Biden has his own problems with foot in mouth but he at least was chosen to offset areas where Obama is weak. Other than gender and age, what does Sarah Palin bring to the ticket of an old man who's straight talk does not include his health records, what's more his vision for the country.

He stated so often that "I know how to do it" I lost count. If so why has he not been leading the way and getting it done?

Because he's a maverick. People don't trust mavericks. Why? You never know where they stand. Just what we need.

Separation Of Church And State? Up Yours!

So says Christian ministers from 22 states who plan to endorse candidates and give political sermons this coming Sunday. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times , Reverend Wiley S. Drake of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, CA, went so far as to say this, "I'm going to talk about the unbiblical stands that Barack Obama takes. Nobody who follows the Bible can vote for him." Says who? And just who are you?

And we wonder what has happened to the moral leadership in our country! Here we are agonizing about the collapse of our financial institutions because of greed from the unqualified buyer to the greedy lender and are wondering how this could happen! How un-American! Well, when the clergy bands together to defy a federal ban on campaigning by nonprofit groups, why shouldn't anyone or everyone who has an ax to grind thumb their nose at the law? Let chaos reign as long as it suits my purpose!

Let's look at this from the top down. Part of the reason this country exists is so people can worship as they choose. Worship their deity; not have their political views dictated to them under fear of divine damnation.

The Bible has been dissected and translated and interpreted by so many for their own ideology over the centuries, if it is looked at as anything more than a template for right and wrong, good and evil, you're not thinking for yourselves.

How about that? Have we become such sheep that we think this act by these preachers is right? Are we so lazy that we need them to dictate how we think and who we should choose to lead us? Do we hold these men, and that is all they are, men, to be so all knowing? Do we not suspect they just might have a teeny weeny agenda of their own?

The current administration has already stripped us of many Constitutional rights. Now we have clergy trying to strip us of more. The world is watching this election along with the struggles we're having as a nation. What they see is racism, gender bias, greed, manipulation - a Congress that can not get beyond the self interest of it's individual members and a segment of the religious community thumbing its nose at the very institution that allows it to exist. And the people. The voters. We, the sheep.

Is it any wonder why we are defied when we try to force our way of life upon others? We don't have to look at what has happened to them when we have failed. All we have to do is look at ourselves. What we've become. And what we haven't.