McCain Behaves Like Bush - Obama Looks Presidential

Considering that foreign policy was McCains strong suit it appears that the edge in the debate goes to Barack Obama only because he held his own against McCain and appeared just as informed and believable as the Commander In Chief. Obama showed clear knowledge of the foreign policy issues and came back at McCain whenever needed. The fact that Obama looked and spoke directly at McCain on many occasions while McCain never looked in Obama's direction gives Obama an edge on confrontational strength, an attribute needed when dealing with foreign leaders. What stood out here was McCain's refusal to face Obama even after repeated prodding by moderator Jim Lehrer to do so. McCain risks being perceived as too hot headed to debate another man eye to eye or looking like he thinks he is too priviledged to face Obama on the same level. Whatever it was it stood out as an oddly pious posture as McCain glaringly ignored the moderator's directive to face and speak to Obama. One might think this is a character trait of the Republicans general arrogance since George W. Bush also reacted in the same manner in his previous debates but more likely it is the character trait of those who know deep inside they do not have a leg to stand on mano e mano. Here again John McCain misses another chance to distinguish himself from Bush and this Bush-like arrogant debate posture is what McCain should have avoided like the plague.
Again it is not that Obama won this debate on points but because the doubt about Obama's capability to handle national security and foreign affairs hurt him in the minds of undecided voters this debate will have the effect of dispelling some of that doubt.

Economic Collapse The Fruit of Bush Rightwing Ideology

For years and years the Republican party has shoved it's flawed ideology of hands off government down our throats. Through the 8 years of the Bush administration the American people have clearly shown in poll after poll after poll more interest in government involvement but this poorest of all presidential administrations ignored the public's desire again and again. Had the people or their Democratic counterparts had their way we would not have this economic debacle.

It should not be lost on American voters that the Republican right wing has wanted unbridled capitalism, which means letting the love of money run rampant, to run it's course continually without oversight and so now it has as we are reaping the fruits of this disastrous economic ideology.
Bush and right-wing Republicans opposed, for so long, reasonable government regulations to keep the excesses of mortgage banking giants in check but now after being so compliant for so long to those interests of big money, in effect, have on their hands a one thousand times worse outcome in the form of the beginnings of a government socialist(what they call it when we want health insurance for the millions of uninsured) takeover of our banks.
The bigger shame is that the religious right, boasting they are led of God, fervently supported and strongly pushed this money serving economic ideology. The tragedy here being that the religious right, so stubborn and sadly unwise will undoubtedly fail to learn to discern out of another fiasco once again even with the truth raining down around them.

Where the Republican candidate for president is concerned, John McCain does possess certain attributes that make him interesting as a potential president but the Republican party at large deserves none of it. Even the simplest of wisdom tells you one can allow human nature to run only so far but even then past failures should inform you immediately of that nature but even the S&L crisis of the early nineties was conveniently lost on the Republicans.
One can say that they knew exactly what they were doing and if it is so it is a a colossal testimony to the indifference toward others begat by the power of money and greed where politicians and CEO's are deluded into ignoring the so well exposed nature of human beings over so many years and millenniums.
There is just no excuse for this abrogation of responsibility in places of power. They are just not learning or they are ignoring on purpose. Either way the Republican party as we have known it has no place in governing over the people of this nation now or in the near future. We cannot afford to lease control of our nation any longer to those so irresponsible and drug-like susceptible to the power and influence of money. Where do we normally put people with such consequential lack of self control? Back on the street in control of peoples lives? Nada. We put them off the streets out of contact with people and, in this case, straight into political rehab., that is if we are nice. Nice will do...for about fifty years.

Palin Shrouding Reveals Unpreparedness

Sarah Palin ready for the presidency? Since the convention McCain, Obama, and Biden have all taken questions from the press and have appeared on radio and T.V. talk shows, all that is, except Palin. Why? She is being restricted from the public and crash coached by the republicans to meet the challenge of appearing she knows the answers to questions. Questions she should have known the answers to and weighed the right and wrong of many times to even be considered a legitimate vice-president. Imagine picking a candidate for any other reason than being prepared. The whole thing is a glaring farce. She doesn't even know enough to answer questions correctly let alone know enough to be ready for a challenge to the presidency itself. That should say it all. I mean, what do you think is going on here, Glamour Shot prep.?

McCain Does A Ross Perot

Throughout this campaign John McCain's principal weapon against Obama was the question of experience. That weapon has now been essentially neutralized with McCain's own pick of an extremely inexperienced housewife...er..a...politician, Sarah Palin. Former beauty queen, oops there goes the celebrity rap too, mayor of a small town for 10 years then governor of the 48th smallest state in the nation for one and one-half years with zero experience or exposure to foreign affairs. The one last criticizm of Obama which was only a reverse defensive tactic, that of lack of experience begatting poor judgement, has gone out the window by selecting Palin to be one heart beat away from commander and chief never mind the other responsiblities. With Obama firing off in his acceptance speech about McCain's lack of judgement he never dreamed it would be such a timely prologue to McCain's next act, the V.P. pick. McCain has given up all three weapons against Obama and has given up the competency and judgement rap in spades.

In Palin, McCain could not have picked a weaker candidate to take his place. On the face of it you get some of the same feeling of when Ross Perot picked Admiral Stockdale for vice-president 16 years ago, that is it makes no sense for someone seriously wanting to be president. Palin is off the page and leaders in the Republican establishment are fuming believing that the inclusion of Palin in the V.P. list was primarily political and not to become a reality but now desperately try to put the best face on it. As much as Stockdale came across as slow and "out of it", Palin is light, light and then light. A brisk peppy personality but then little more in national public service experience with the albatross of the Bush/Cheney connection where she is tied to oil companies. It will take the media ignoring her negatives and then bringing her positives under extreme onesided magnification in order to sell her but then that is something the other side will not allow. Already there is question about the extent of her commitment to ethical reform since it has been revealed she endorsed millions of dollars in earmarks as governor and millions in earmarks during her mayoral years. The stand McCain trumpets for her on the Alaskan bridge is dishonest since she rejected the "bridge to nowhere" only after the U.S. congress had fully cancelled it. In the beginning while the "bridge to nowwhere" was a live issue she supported the bridge.
One can feel for McCain in his evident desperate attempt to find a qualified ethical politician from his side of the aisle.

McCain would like people to believe this V.P. pick underlines his independence but in fact the truth is he caved in to the base of the Republican party, the religious right, by selecting one of their own instead of who he really wanted, pro-choice Joe Lieberman, although I'm sure the right would have liked a male at the position. At best she is his soul mate on ethics reform but it ends there as the religious right were already holding their nose for McCain.

Obama has all three arguments now, the experience issue, McCains poor judgement on Iraq, more tax cuts for the rich and the shakey vice presidential pick. Oh yes and the former beauty queen firmly puts the celebrity rap into Obama's arsenal as well and well if that is not enough, a risky desperate pick such as Palin bodes the question; will he make these types of decisions under pressure as president? And that brings us back to judgement.

As it was for one politician 16 years ago one must ask; What could McCain be thinking.