The May Political Thought

We usually avoid politics here, but when my mother emailed me this I felt it appropriate to blog it. As I display often, I am a political moron. I don't follow it very much, I find talking points to be lacking, I really like political debates when they are substantive, but otherwise they bore me, and I've been a conservative democrat for most of my voting life without a political party the last few years. I'm really not very impressed with either progressives or conservatives right now, they act too much alike expecting absolute party loyalty at a time when the political parties on both sides have been sticking their collective foot up the ass of the people of this country. Sorry, you partisans ask too much. I have a perception I'm still working out, it is a shorter distance for me to go right to McCain than to go left to Obama, at least that is how I see it so far on the two issues that matters most to me: economic policy and foreign policy.

I have made no secret how much I dislike our current president. I'm not touching the Democratic Party until the primary season is officially over and I don't have to listen to the 24/7 spin on TV. I think it will be refreshing to hear the Democratic Party nominee speak for oneself for a change. However, when my mom emails me this story and reminds me that I may not get a chance to vote for someone who has lived a real life like this again in my lifetime, I admit I find that argument interesting.

The Navy recently released McCain's military record — most of it citations for medals during his Navy career — after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.

McCain was awarded a Silver Star Medal for resisting "extreme mental and physical cruelties" inflicted upon him by his captors from late October to early December 1967, the early months of his captivity, according to the citation. The North Vietnamese, according to the Navy, ignored international agreements and tortured McCain "in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes."

The story goes on and on describing his record. It is impressive. I want to know more about Barak Obama, but he doesn't have a very impressive resume to judge, and he hasn't said much that has impressed me yet. There is a long election ahead for that. A resume doesn't tell the whole story, but it does tell a story.

Which is why I found this very interesting. This is John McCain's official Navy service record. It doesn't tell me who he is, but it tells me a lot about what he has done, and people don't do these things without learning some things a long the way. Some suggest his age is a factor. It is against Hillary, not Obama. Against Hillary she has the advantage, against Obama it becomes McCains experience vs Obama's youth. That is the age issue for me in a nutshell.

McCain is so clearly not George Bush, and I think the nation would be doing very well if McCain is like his father, which he may not be. Being different than Bush may not help him with Republicans, but expect his opponent to spend $100 million dollars in advertising trying to paint the Maverick into the image of the Decider. That tactic might work to influence the ignorant, but it will take substance to overcome the kind of substance McCain has listed on that service record. It is going to be an interesting election, hopefully we get good choices, instead of settling for the better of two frustrating choices.