Monday, March 24, 2008

Let us now talk about John


The Democratic race has been so much more exciting I feel we’ve been a little like the media in general in that John McCain has gotten too little attention. Since he is my horse in this race, let me try to make the case for him and I’ll be interested, as always, in your responses.

I won’t dwell overly on his personal story, but it is worth stating in the beginning that few people who have ever run for President have given as much to their country, or shown a degree of personal courage that even approaches Senator McCain’s. I do not fault Senators Clinton or Obama for having given less – each of us lives our own lives – nor does this difference make them unqualified for this office. But we will have a choice and McCain’s character is clearly the most tested, and proven worthy, of those choices.

What problems loom most ominously ahead of us? In my view the greatest is the international political turmoil of terrorism and the shift in power to countries like China and an oil-rich Russia. Here again, McCain’s military and international experience dwarfs Clinton and Obama’s, and he is the only one of the three unwilling to promise the fairy tale ending of immediate and total withdrawal to the Iraq mess, which could only lead to a horror show for the Iraqi people and complete chaos in the middle east.

Second, we have America’s looming status as a second-rate economic power, as our Congress (and current President) continues to spend money we don’t have by borrowing it from China and middle eastern potentates who will use the debt as political leverage against us for decades to come. McCain may have questionable credentials as a social conservative, but no one doubts his status as a fiscal conservative. McCain is a vocal and determined foe of pork barrel earmarking, in which our elected representatives appropriate our money under the cover of darkness to advance their own pet political projects.

Social Security begins to go upside down in 2017; by 2030 it will run a half trillion dollar annual deficit unless something is done, and done soon. Who of the three still in the race is most likely to tackle this problem, I ask rhetorically?

Sen. Obama has made a great case for abandoning the old partisan politics, and perhaps he will, but who has actually done so? McCain had a real bipartisan success with campaign reform; he worked closely with Ted Kennedy on education reforms, and was an ally and mentor to Mrs. Clinton on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

You may remember that there was even serious consideration given by Sen. Kerry to making McCain his Vice Presidential running mate in 2004. Maybe he should have done it. Neither Obama nor Clinton have any real crossover appeal in the world of political governance. One might even call them polarizing.

And since the Democrats seem to be a lock to control both houses for at least another two years, I would feel a lot less need to hold on to my wallet if John McCain was in a position to veto Congress’ natural proclivity to hock our futures and spend our money without regard for the consequences.

Finally, while he is a politician, and all politicians say and do things for the sake of expediency at least occasionally, there have been few politicians of stature in our lifetimes willing to say the hard truths – to tell unemployed auto workers in Michigan that their jobs may never come back, to say it is impossible to deport 12 million illegal aliens, to call Donald Rumsfeld the worst defense secretary ever – and more. A little more truth is what we need.

So there it is, my case for John McCain. Another old white man, I know. But are you going to buy the packaging or the substance this time?

10 comments:

Kaz said...

The "substance" about McCain that bothers me is his personality - the eruptions of rage here and there. I don't want his finger on the trigger.

Anonymous said...

All good points, but was he ever under a sniper attack in Bosnia?

Anonymous said...

I take a back set to no one in my respect and admiration for John McCain. Anybody who says that Rush Limbaugh and his ilk are circus clowns and then apologizes to circus clowns is okay in my book.

I don't think he's the right person now. He doesn't seem even slightly interested in the domestic issues that will make or break us as a country -- health care, energy, and infrastructure among others. I hope Obama is. I now Hillary is not.

Anonymous said...

Changing the subject, Frontline is airing a two part documentary about the Iraq war on PBS. It is really informative and helps explain how we got into this mess. The 2nd part is tonight. Do not miss it.

Anonymous said...

That tiny glimmer of hope Hillary had was completely shot to hell in Bosnia. When you tell the American public you faced gunfire, and it turns out all you really faced was a little girl with flowers -- well, that's as bad as it gets.

Now it's down to OB and John. I agree with DB about McCain's strengths in dealing with international politics, but I need to see more meat and potatoes from him on the domestic front. A good start was his Remarks on Economic Woes -- go to Real Clear Politics and check out transcripts/speeches.

He also has to make a VERY STRONG CHOICE for a running mate. When you're 72, you make provisions for the future --politics be dammed!

That said, OB brings a lot to the table -- and I'm still vetting him along with the rest of the world.

Anonymous said...

The assumption that our greatest threat is military might be wrong. How about energy independence and exporting its technology as another way to view it. Fighting to defend foreign energy flow appears to be a no win situation. As for Iraq, they are going to have a reckoning. Staying in their affairs only recruits others against us. That pot is going to boil over no matter how long you try to keep the lid on it. The best the surge is doing is to gain time. All sides are using that time to their best advantage. Our military position has been too predictable to be effective. If this isn't really about a military solution, do we really need a seasoned military leader?

Besides, I personally can't abide another ultra conservative on the Supreme Court.

Anonymous said...

The supreme court arguement does it for me as well. Not to mention the many circuit court judges that will be appointed.

Anonymous said...

Neil Gabler's opinion in today's Times (3/26) on JM is rather interesting. No doubt he is a 3 dimensional person with a soul that each of us could connect with.

If elected, his administration certainly would not resemble the current one. He is approachable.

Anonymous said...

Whoops

Anonymous said...

You write very well.