My Case Against McCain

I've taken quite a few potshots at John McCain in this blog. I reckon it's time I gathered my whole case together and present it for your judgment.

The flag-waving, saber-rattling, pseudo-patriotic, "we are number one" behavior McCain exhibits is just stupid. It's horribly dated and and culturally retarded. Think: when was the last time the United States bullied any other nation into complying with our wishes? We simply do not have the ability to do that sort of thing any more to any nation of any size. It's taken us longer to "conquer" Iraq than it took us to conquer Hitler and Tojo, and at least back then we had a clear victory. Even Dubya doesn't use the words "Iraq" and "victory" in the same sentence any more, instead opting for the euphemism, "success".

Five years of torture makes McCain a true hero, but also must have tweaked his psyche. I don't care who combs his hair, but I care a lot whether he has any residual psycho-ticks. I'm not saying he does, but I'm saying I fear even the possibility.

The same personality characteristics that make someone a great jet jockey disqualify them from the Presidency. He is precipitate in both his thoughts and actions, often shooting form the hip (or lip). That personality in a position like the Presidency can be a recipe for disaster. We need intelligence rather than cleverness, control rather than impetuosity, and wisdom rather than action for action's sake.

It is incredibly easy to listen to McCain speak and hear Dubya saying the same things.

His worldview is anachronistic, simplistic and dangerous, and is far more likely to involve us in another war. Unconditional refusal to talk to potential enemies is almost a guarantee to remove the word "potential". His refusal to talk with potential enemies like Iran is pathological. Even General David Petraeus, our most effective commander in Iraq and new head of the U.S Central Command, thinks we should talk to enemies.

McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate says an awful lot about his character. He treats her like a political accessory, keeping her in the dark on big campaign decisions and refusing to let her be interviewed "unchaperoned" by the press. He clearly did not choose her because he thought she was the second most qualified person to be President.

John McCain has already proven that he sacrifices personal principles for political advantage, with the South Carolina incident as a perfect example. Here is the quote as reported by the New York Times: "I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary," Mr. McCain said. "So I chose to compromise my principles. I broke my promise to always tell the truth."

McCain desires power and influence "for their own sake", and was stupid enough to say that in his own book, the 2002 memoir "Worth the Fighting For". The quote: "I have craved distinction in my life. I have wanted renown and influence for their own sake. That is, of course, the great temptation of public life. ... I have never been able to conquer it permanently, but I have tried."

He's in his 70s and has already had four melanomas surgically removed. If he vapor locked and left us with Palin, could we muddle through? Yes, we could. But why should we have to?

In the face of the biggest economic crisis in a hundred years, McCain's principal campaign tactics appear to be portraying his opponent as a terrorist and as a Muslim. We need "straight talk" about the enormous problems that now confront our nation, not lame, racist attempts to smear Barack Obama.

Finally, on a purely emotional note, I just have to say this: McCain's smile creeps me out. Every time he smiles he looks like he is in pain.

Please...let there be no "Bradley effect" that might put a man like McCain in the White House. The way things appear now, the only thing that could keep Obama from the victory he deserves is if American voters show that the plague of racism is still alive and well.