I watched most of the Republican National Convention intent on learning what John McCain would do if he and Gov. Sarah Palin were elected.
Unfortunately it was what was not said that was the most telling and predictive.
In order to be a successful president, John McCain will have to address and correct the actions of the Bush presidency. Yet, only once during his acceptance speech did John McCain mention President George W. Bush and even then the name Bush was not stated. Vice President Dick Cheney was never mentioned.
Amazing! It was as if the last eight years did not exist.
There was no mention of his inheriting the additional $3 trillion dollar debt incurred by Bush (yes, one "conservative"-minded Republican accounts for one-third of our entire national debt).
There was no mention of the nearly $700 billion spent on the war in Iraq and the fact that most Americans believe the war was a mistake. There was no mention of the fact that with our distraction in Iraq, al Queda now is in 60 countries, whereas on 9/11 they were only in four countries.
There was no mention of all the manufacturing jobs America has lost and left our economy in shambles under the unmentionable Republican president and Congress.
There was no mention of the $700 billion per year we send overseas for imported oil and the fact that Bush did nothing to curb energy use or help develop new energy sources. But one of McCain's responses now is to drill, drill, drill—which experts agree will result in a drop in the bucket.
Apart from what was not said at the Republican convention, it was equally important as to what could be seen at the convention. There was a sea of white faces—only 2 percent blacks this year.
By 2050 white people will be a minority. Because of the Republicans’ current policies and lack of inclusiveness, the Republican Party will not exist in 2050.
The outfit of Cindy McCain itself was pretty telling. She was well-bedecked and wore jewelry worth an estimated $300,000. Now that is helping the economy! But one could argue that Cindy McCain did her part for humanity by adopting two children from Bangladesh.
That's admirable, but at the same time she said she was saddened by all the innocent people disfigured by land mines left behind in the soil from wars. For heaven's sake, Cindy, get beyond the jewels and dresses and pledge that you, should you be First Lady, will push to have the U.S. join the 156 countires that have agreed to the 1997 Land Mine Ban Treaty.
While you are at it, Cindy, also pledge to have the U.S. join the 111 nations that have adopted the Cluster Bomb Ban Treaty. Thanks to the U.S. sending cluster bombs to Israel, 1.2 million cluster bomblets were dropped on Lebanon in 2006. A significant number of these did not explode and now line the countryside, waiting for innocent victims, unless the UN is able to clean them up.
And therein lies the problem with the Republican Party. It operates in a very narrow sphere of thought and either intentionally or not it is mainly self-serving. The rhetoric sounds good but the actions come up short.
Just think about the last eight years.
It took until the last minutes of the convention for the real John McCain to appear. The clue was there with his choice of Palin as his running mate.
I have seen a lot of hockey moms and Palin presents herself as the kind of hockey mom we all learned to avoid, as their aggressive, selfish style was an embarrassment to the hockey team.
I can picture her at the rink screaming her brains out and heckling the referees while the real hockey moms are making the hotel reservations, bringing the kids fruit and drinks, sharpening skates and giving a consoling pat on the back.
From what I have seen, pit bull with lipstick is a apt description of Palin. But soft-spoken maverick and war hero John McCain showed what I believe to be his true self at the end of his speech by thundering "Stand up and Fight, Stand up and Fight, Fight, Fight, Fight for what is Right!"
The chant was over the top. I believe we can safely forget about John McCain reaching across the aisle any time soon. Too bad, as that is what we need.
Instead, strap it on: John McCain and Pitt Bull Air have launched. My error: I expected a 72-year-old to be a statesman, not a warrior.
No comments:
Post a Comment