Vintage glove lasts at the recent brocante at Chatou, France. It appears that Sen. John McCain needs a helping hand with history and geography lessons when it comes to Iraq and inter-Arab conflict in the Middle East.
Ok, now this just gives me a headache. This is a man who claims to be an "expert" on Iraq - yet still can't get the key players straight? Pity the nation, as Lawrence Ferlinghetti says.
Ten things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than George W. Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports McCain and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander-in-chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any presidential candidate.
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."
10. The Arizona senator positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.
So please consider the facts before making any rash decisions about voting for a man who so closely follows in George W. Bush's non-reality-based footsteps. McCain may be an American hero for his service in Vietnam, but that doesn't make him qualified to serve as president - and he's proving that more and more with each day that passes.
I'm glad you only listed ten items...I couldn't stand to have read more. Still, I hope everyone learns what you have to tell about this candidate.
Meilleurs voeux!!
Posted by: blueVicar | 14 April 2008 at 02:27
Ok, now you're scaring me Tara! The conservatives I talk to like him for most of those items like over turning Rowe vs Wade.
Posted by: Tammy | 10 April 2008 at 03:28
While true, much of what is on your list is a result of McCain pandering to the right to get the Repub. nomination. His real views (i.e. non election record) tends to be a bit less radical.
More importantly, what's up with Mrs. McCain? You never see Johnny without the Mrs. just a few feet away. Bill Clinton? Off on his own. Mrs. Obama? Off on her own. Mrs. McCain? Stuck to John like he's got her on a leash. Can't she trust him if he's out of her sight, or is she carrying the portable defibrilator?
Posted by: MrSooz | 09 April 2008 at 19:14
Your post is wonderful. I hope millions and millions of Americans read it, for our country is in trouble, and we don't need "another Bush". I will NEVER vote for John McCain. God Bless him and I thank him for his military service but leading America is not what he needs to be doing. It's scary!
Posted by: artzyjudie | 09 April 2008 at 15:23
And he is old and I have some health concerns about him. I think our country need someone younger, with fresh new ideas to lead this country into the future.
I have friends that will move to Spain if he gets elected. And you know what I am thinking about doing....
But I have no fear. I have to believe OBAMA will win!!!
Posted by: My Melange | 09 April 2008 at 13:22
On the one hand (pun intended) I can't even imagine people voting for McCain, but then sadly on the other, I can imagine....
Adore the photo!
Posted by: stephanie | 09 April 2008 at 01:36
Don't get me started... I'm going to look at Paris photos next and try to forget this person exists...
Posted by: Jeanie | 08 April 2008 at 23:02
IT is sad and it weighs on all of our minds.
Posted by: Yoli | 08 April 2008 at 22:20
Oh Tara. I read these posts with such a heavy heart. It is hard to be optimistic when you think about all the heavy political machinery that is toiling behind the scenes of this election. We have so very much to lose.
The Paris photos are almost like a soothing balm to make one forget reality for a little while. Almost.
Sad in SF
Posted by: tangobaby | 08 April 2008 at 22:17