Broken Thumb Blog

Seriously, I'm supposed to support John McCain? Really? What exactly do I owe him?

The Senator pays lip service to the areas where we agree. He promises to toe the line on judges and taxes, but he has consistently demonstrated an eagerness to stick it to the party's base whenever it suits him. The only promise I expect him to keep as President is staying in Iraq forever and ever. And I suppose that if he feels the need to raise taxes in support of unending war spending, he will do it.

The strength of the Republican Party is derived from its conservative base. Moderates represent many branches of the Party, but they all draw their sustenance from the roots. One can cut a branch from the tree and survive. But to cut out a root weakens the whole tree.

I am not going to fall in line and cast a vote for John McCain. I am not going to move to the middle in support of his positions simply because the Democratic candidate presents a "worse" alternative.

The Senator from Arizona tells me he's going to unify the party and win the Presidency. He says it as though it's the natural order of things. He seems to think that the political realities of the day favor his ultimate ascendancy. He is wrong because he mistakes my firm political loyalties for his malleable ones.

Here's some straight talk for the Senator. My vote does not belong to him simply because he is the default candidate. It does not belong to him any more than it belonged to Bob Dole in 1996 or to George H. W. Bush in 1992. He has never earned my vote. And his speech at CPAC did not earn it today.

The following is the letter I sent to friends and family after McCain's win in Florida.

Dearfriendsandfamily.doc

When facing the prospect of war, I prefer that the President of the United States and the Senate choose such a course only after much consideration, deliberation, and soul-searching. I would prefer the cost in national blood and treasure be weighed against the dire consequences of all possible outcomes. I would likewise prefer that all alternatives be subjected to equal degrees of due diligence.

George W. Bush was obviously not capable of these things. He decided on war, groped about for a justification, and ignored any possible outcome which did not involve laurel wreaths and rose petals.

Now Senator McCain has declared that there will be other wars. It was a guarantee he euphemistically passed on as more of his signature "straight talk."

Until now, I have only viewed McCain as simply a nuisance within the GOP--buzzing about, interjecting his self-righteous opposition on issue after issue, and pursuing a self-serving "bi-partishanship." But now, I recognize that he is a dangerous little war-monger. So eager is he to avenge the hurts of Vietnam--to the nation and its veterans--that he is incapable of evaluating the future course in Iraq (and the our future course in the world) with a judicious eye. He is inclined to pursue national security threats, no matter how remote, with a vigor that will make W look Fonda-esque.

Add to that his self-professed ignorance on the economy and you end up with a much WORSE version of Bush. How exactly does he intend to balance the budget, provide tax cuts, and wage wars without end? There will be guns, but no butter.

I very much intend to vote for anyone but McCain, and that includes Hillary Clinton, in November should this bellicose little man become the Republican nominee.