Dear Senator McCain

Dear Senator McCain,

I'm writing to ask that you return to your senses, and to the conscience that I truly believe you have. You have a wealth of well-deserved admiration out here in voter country -- for your military service, and for your subsequent long service in government. You have an immense depth of sympathy and recognition for those years you spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. You have proved yourself, at times, the maverick you now claim to be at every opportunity -- but, alas, no longer seem to be. You have been well-loved and well respected. I believe that Senator Biden means it from his heart when he tells us how much he values your friendship.

But in recent weeks you have lost track of that admirable person -- at least insofar as I can determine from what I read and hear. You sacrificed a great deal in the tooth-and-nail scramble for the Republican nomination. Once there, it would have been the moment to pause, to have taken a good look about you, and to have read the mood of the American public -- all of us, not just your "base." Your convention would have been an excellent moment to call for a unity of vision for America. Instead, you played to the lowest common denominator with your divisive appeal to "Country First" -- with its strong implication that the slogan excluded all those who did not agree with you. You played on false patriotism at the cost of honesty and inclusiveness.

Worse, you selected as your running mate a woman whom you must have known to be the embodiment of that lowest common denominator. You did this, I can only presume, because she was a woman, and because you thought she would attract the votes of women from both parties, along with those of the already-converted. Predictably, she has ignited -- and continues to ignite -- fires under the faithful with rhetoric that appeals to the basest instincts of those who lack the discrimination to see how they are being led by the nose toward their own destruction. You have dignified her words with your grinning approval, even as your poll numbers continue to drop. Your words and actions have confirmed that you have abandoned the need to address the serious issues that confront us as a nation in favor of a strategy of attack.

Senator, I cannot believe that you do not understand the gravity of the situation that we face. As a result of decades of free market excess and deregulatory policies, our economy is in tatters, and the world is rapidly descending with us into the abyss. Americans need work. They need desperately to be able to support their families. They despise the wars into which we have been dragged by the present administration, and want nothing more than to enjoy the collaboration and respect of the rest of the world once again. They want a future for their children and grandchildren, without the shackles of debt that already threaten to cast its shadow over their well-being. They want a healthy planet for those children and grandchildren to inherit.

Granted that gravity, I appeal to you to call a halt to the shameful partisan bickering you have embraced as your campaign tactic, and for which you have brought in the otherwise clearly unqualified Governor Palin to serve as your deluded and self-aggrandizing surrogate. I will not buy the oft-repeated argument that the poison comes from both sides. It comes primarily, loudly, repeatedly and unashamedly, from yours, Senator. I hold you responsible for this.

There is still time to come to your senses. Tonight's debate offers you the chance to shun those opportunities to project your animus and your evident frustration out upon your opponent, as you have been doing, and instead to join in a real debate about the grave issues that confront us. No matter how much you may claim to the contrary, Senator Obama has in fact made a point of addressing those issues. He has put forward plans and policies, some of which you undoubtedly disagree with. Fine. Disagreement on issues can do us no harm, and may well benefit the discussion. But let us, please, hear the reasons for those disagreements, along with whatever counter-proposals you may have to offer. I, for one, am willing to listen with an open mind to anything you have to say of substance. But my ears will close, as will those of millions upon millions of voters like myself, if you have nothing to offer but sarcasm, mockery, empty sound bites and talking points, and denial.

I am a serious person. I take our national predicament seriously. I am capable of critical thought and discrimination between conflicting policies and opinions. I wish to be taken seriously. I wish to be treated as an intelligent adult, not as an idiot who is seduced by nods and winks and silly, meaningless barbs. I expect and demand better of you, Senator. This is not a game.

Sincerely,

An American Voter

Comments

[jja]

Great post. Americans do not want to hear anymore of this silly, meaningless jarring. At the onset of the campaign, I was willing to listen to McCain and have been reading, blogging and tuning in to everything I can with the hope I will hear something meaningful, thoughtful and of substance. The one thing I will say, is that John McCain does not disappoint. He is consistent. I have consistently only heard rhetoric that is negative, self-serving and devoid of any really substance.

[Pantleg]

Osama Bin Laden must be happy he has succeeded in all that he wished. He wanted us ruin our economy by waging an expensive War. It was not Reagan who ended the cold war it was the Afghanistan war that ruined Russia'si economy. Well Osama has succeeded
Bush @ McCain have given comfort to the enemy by their actions.

[hutcherson]

This is good... it bears repeating:

"Americans need work. They need desperately to be able to support their families. They despise the wars into which we have been dragged by the present administration, and want nothing more than to enjoy the collaboration and respect of the rest of the world once again. They want a future for their children and grandchildren, without the shackles of debt that already threaten to cast its shadow over their well-being. They want a healthy planet for those children and grandchildren to inherit."

Thanks Peter.

[mediamarv]

Again, and try to remember this time, McSame did not, repeat not, pick Palin, she was picked by Schmidt or however you spell his name. That bald headed spawn of hell is the reason she is there and that the campaign is pulling from the toilet bowl.

[Peter Clothier - Huffpost Blogger]

Of course he picked her - whether by weakness or by capitulation to poor advisors. But he's the candidate. He made the pick.

[grendl]

Oh can I play?

Dear Senator McCain,


Because Barack doesn't have the common sense or cajones to ask, what constitutes victory in Iraq?
Mission accomplished was uttered five years ago. Are we on Mission Impossible 2, 3, or 4 at this point, and does Tom Cruise get any points on the back end.
And if you ever utter the term "experience" again, in a political context, be prepared for a bolt of lightning to strike you dead. If there's a god, as your running mate states even he won't tolerate that much hypocrisy.
Should you dredge up Bill Ayers in this debate, can you at least be clear as to what that has to do with anything? Has Barack maintained a close friendship or working relationship with this man recently? Do you have some secret photos to show them meeting in an indoor parking lot?
Or are you just blowing smoke that isn't already venting from your ears because you're getting beat by this decent honest individual who represents the real change and is the real Maverick in this campaign?
When will you realize, the wars we won in this country were in defense of this country and this union. We weren't defending this nation from Iraq, we invaded them. And when you have nowhere to go, like in Viet Nam you tend to put up a helluva fight. When you occupy foreign soil, looking for a reason to be there, you tend to get your ass kicked.


grendl

[Peter Clothier - Huffpost Blogger]

Common sense? Cojones? I tend to think that Obama is too smart to indulge in the child's play of tag politics. I don't think it has to do with either common sense or cojones.

[grendl]

Fair enough.

Blind devotion to any candidate is a dangerous thing though. Barack's candidacy has been a growing experience, replete with missteps.

I want him to win, but lessons can be learned even in success.

[RickO]

Add my signature too!

[BillZBubb]

Lots of luck with that plea. McCain is all in with mud slinging and like all Republicans he'll slime away as long as there is a chance to win.

[Buffkat00]

Thank you! My sentiments exactly!

[peterg76]

The last thing we need is for McCain to be mentally competent person for a few weeks, win the election, and then change back. If McCain wanted to undo the damage he has done, nothing less than withdrawing from the race (yes, even at this late date) will suffice.

[trebutts]

I, too, worry that Sen. McCain will play nice in an attempt to deceive America. However, I think now that he has reveal what lies beneath the sheep's clothing, any attempts at a faked niceness will ring rather hollow. Thank goodness someone finally pointed out that one camp, the McCain camp, is responsible for all of the distasteful mudslinging.