In no way am I suggesting that John McCain is qualified to be president of the United States. By temperament and policy, he is clearly not able to lead us in foreign affairs or domestic policy. He is mired in the cold war policies of the past. His aggressiveness is likely to provoke another useless war... But in defending Barack Obama this week, McCain did a good thing. A woman in a rabid right wing rally said, "We can't trust Obama... He's an Arab." McCain answered "No ma'am. That's not true... He is a good family man." As if the two were mutually exclusive.
If McCain were smarter, he could have seized the Lincolnesque moment and have knocked it out of the park...He would have won political points among independents -- who hate negative campaigning. He could have gone on a riff about how Arabs can be loyal Americans, etc. Even now McCain could insure an enduring place in history, and perhaps help himself in the campaign. .....by delivering a major speech on these themes. Or maybe he could interject such ideas into Wednesday's debate. "My friends, a woman at a rally told me that my rival, Senator Obama, was suspect because he was an Arab. "I want to say this once and for all. He is not an Arab. He is not a Muslim. He is a Christian and a loyal American.. "But even if he were an Arab or a Muslim, this would not preclude him from being President... There are millions of hard working Arab Americans and Muslim Americans who are loyal to this country and are to be honored. "This kind of blind prejudice against Arabs or Muslims or black people or Jews or women is frankly un-American and traitorous to everything we stand for. "Bigotry and hate speech must be stamped out and exposed whenever we see it.
"Voters -- even my supporters -- who give in to prejudice and racism are subverting everything that is good and special and noble about this great country of ours.
"The principles of our great, unprejudiced America are what I went to war to defend... this is precisely what our brave soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting for. "The bigots and hate mongers are the real traitors to what our country stands for. To what makes us so great." At this point McCain doesn't have much to lose and he might have much to gain...
But Nah, he won't do it. Not bright enough, not brave enough. Not Presidential enough.
Which is why he is going to lose.
write to: jfleetwood@aol.com