John McCain and George W. Bush: Not a Dime's Worth of Difference

In any other democracy in the world the Republican Party would be toast, its prime minister tossed out, its years of governance repudiated. But not in our exceptional American form of democracy. A Republican stalwart who played a key role in implementing the agenda of George W. Bush over these long miserable eight years now attempts to recast himself as an "outsider" eager to return to Washington and clean up the mess he helped create.

John McCain can run from Republican Washington but he can't hide.

The policy prescriptions in John McCain's acceptance speech tonight were nothing but retreads of the failed policies of the Bush-Cheney years:

He promised tax cuts for the rich and the corporations.

He promised "free trade" deals that hemorrhage American jobs.

He promised vouchers for people to pull their kids out of public schools.

He trashed the teachers' unions.

He promised more deregulation of big business.

He promised more privatization of government services.

He promised judges who will curtail consumer protection, worker safety, and women's reproductive rights.

He promised to continue the saber rattling and threats against Iran, Russia and any other country that defies U.S. hegemony.

He promised more militarization of our foreign policy.

He called for peace through war.

And once again we had to endure a corny homily where we re-fight the Vietnam War, an unjust and savage abuse of American power, which has now become a quadrennial tradition in American politics.

There was nothing in McCain's speech tonight that differed in any significant way from the disastrous Republican policies of the last eight years.

He's got Karl Rove's surrogates running his campaign.

He's pandered hardcore to the religious Right with the Sarah Palin gambit. It's gay marriage all over again.

There is not a dime's worth of difference between John McCain and George W. Bush.

Four More Years!