Why McCain should not be president.

I’ve been intensely reading the news this week and struggling with my own perspective and how to present that on this forum. I’m clearly uncomfortable with the fact that Sarah Palin could be our 45th president… but I’m also uncomfortable with the attacks and some lies about her personal life and family. Her record is easy to find holes in and she’s obviously lied in public many times about it…. but while lies ABOUT a candidate are not as bad as lies BY a candidate, I’d still rather see the debate be about John McCain… because that’s who this chioce is really reflective of.

I’m realizing lately that I’m coming around on the idea that John McCain is an honorable public servant. I’ve always thought him to be a fairly moderate republican who couldn’t be worse than George Bush at running the country… but now, based on his recent campaign choices and his choice for VP, I think that he’s an extremely dangerous choice and must be defeated.

Let me explain….

John McCain, by demonstration, showed us that he really does not care about “straight talk” or putting his “Country First”, nor does he seem to put much stake in experience or foreign policy by choosing a person who has virtually no experience in politics, especially foreign policy! He has put abortion and evangelical values above keeping our nation safe, should something happen to him. He has put party politics above his new, fake message of change and it’s sickening to watch. He used to abhor torture, and for very good, personal reasons. Then he voted with Bush to condone it. I wasn’t going to vote for him anyway, but at least I respected him. Now, I’m sure he does not deserve my respect.

Andrew Sullivan is a Republican I admire and respect. He speaks as a conservative gay man and until a few days ago, supported McCain despite the Republican’s stance on his own right to marry.

Here a recent column of his at theatlantic.com, which echoes my feelings from a more conservative perspective. I hope Joel and other true conservatives will take a step back and consider this race a bit more broadly:

Yes, McCain made a decision that revealed many appalling things about him. In the end, his final concern is not national security. No one who cares about national security would pick as vice-president someone who knows nothing about it as his replacement. No one who cares about this country’s safety would gamble the security of the world on a total unknown because she polled well with the Christianist base. No person who truly believed that the surge was integral to this country’s national security would pick as his veep candidate a woman who, so far as we can tell anything, opposed it at the time.

McCain has demonstrated in the last two months that he does not have the character to be president of the United States. And that is why it is more important than ever to ensure that Barack Obama is the next president. The alternative is now unthinkable. And McCain - no one else - has proved it.

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

justin