STILLBlog

McCain can legitimately take a lot of hits for the nonsense he's pulled in trying to win the 2008 presidential election. His Straight Talk Express has been superseded by the How Do I Get All of You to Vote for Me? Express. He was inspirational in 2000; that's why he wasn't elected, and he's figured that out.

His attack ad comparing Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears was low. Though he brandishes a very legitimate point about the cult of celebrity surrounding the first-term senator from Illinois, he was way out of line in picking two of the most controversial and derided pop-culture stars of our day. And attacks on Britney Spears are just uncalled for. She's ill; she should not be the fodder for anyone's jokes or pointed barbs. (And admit it: some of you were among the tasteless joke-makers. But I digress).

However, it was Obama who said something along the lines that McCain doesn't trust him because he doesn't look like the other presidents on our paper currency. This wasn't only low - it is patently untrue. And it's not something I expected from Obama.

Oh, I know... Obamaniacs are going to quote McCain's opposition to the national MLK Ho0liday, back in the day. They'll dredge up his "gook" comment from 2000. They'll remind us that he's hired campaign strategists that conducted race-baiting campaigns for people like Dubya.

But McCain atoned for his MLK Day mistake; though his stated reasons for not voting for it when it first came up in his home state of Arizona have been evasive, it's really immaterial. He's never made a public anti-black or Jewish or Latino comment in his life. Many archconservatives have been outraged at McCain precisely because he's never done this.

He was tortured for 5 years by Vietnamese combatants. I understand his anger at them. Hey, you want to argue that he bears a grudge against Vietnamese in general, okay. I won't get into that with you... Except to say that there are an awful lot of Black Americans who bear a grudge against White Americans, and that's often accepted as perfectly understandable in this culture.

But John McCain is not racist toward blacks, or Latinos... he hasn't even made any questionable remarks regarding Arabs or Muslims. In fact, he's gone out of his way to denounce commentary this is race-baiting... like when Fox News repeatedly referred to Obama by his full name, "Barack Hussein Obama."

The people he's hired are there to get him elected, and there have been many reports that he's had his differences with them. He's a man who wants to be president - just like Obama. They've both learned that means choking back a little on previous positions and statements.

Now I know there are those who are going to reply with quotes and such culled from the Internet to point out how wrong I am. I don't have the inclination to spend my time micromanaging third-party quotes, so thanks in advance for the help. But the point of all this is both McCain and Obama have been disappointing since they've sown up their respective party nominations.

I don't see any of the "change" Obama keeps talking about. He drew first blood when it came to racial politics. McCain drew first blood when it came to the politics of the insipid. All I can say right now is that McCain has more of a proven track record; Obama does not. But that doesn't give any indication of my vote this November.

Wow. what a choice.

Oh? That title I wrote way up there? Why, we are talking about baiting, aren't we??