Before I go on I should suggest why someone from the UK is taking such an interest in the US election. Well to sum up, it’s bloody important for us over here too! We have felt the consequences of the decisions made by the last incompetent president (quite a mild description compared to what I would like to say about him) and the decisions facing the next one are going to be made during a more turbulent time concerning global issues. So therefore is it not important for someone with a shred of competence to be taking over?
The gravity of this election is massive, the outcome could lead us to or steer us away from World War 3 / mass environmental disaster / money market meltdown (yes it could get worse!) and then, there are the issues that used to be the serious ones that have now taken a back seat in the face of mass disasters on all fronts. Such as this hocus pocus crap; ‘Creationism’ in the face of overwhelming science.
Anyway as the title suggests I have a little list for you, check it out.
1. The Comedy that is Sarah Palin!
McCain’s selection of running mate was based purely on the spectacle of the election. It appears that no consideration was made as to whether or not Sarah Palin is fit for office (the importance of which is highlighted in point four).
The obvious lack of confidence in Sarah Palin is acknowledged by the McCain camp’s reluctance to put her in any situation where she would face true scrutiny (which, perchance, the electorate deserve when making such large decisions). It displays where the McCain camp place their importance, as I see it: winning the election has priority over governing properly. In the frightening event that they do take office, should the electorate select not be the candidate with the better credentials and desire for good governance?
2. Like a bad gambler chasing a loss.
McCain is seemingly gung-ho towards military deployment and seems to neglect the reality of current military scenarios in, favour of ‘honouring ’ those that have died rather than respecting the lives of those that may die. Is the death of a soldier the precursor to their importance, and therefore the precursor to being considered by a McCain government in decision making?
He is like a bad gambler chasing a loss; the clever man knows that at some time, enough is enough. McCain however seems blinded by the story surrounding the hero bracelet that he wears. He would apparently make decisions based on the emotional plea of a mother who lost a son fighting in Iraq. It’s right to take the opinions of bereaved family members into account, however the broader picture such as the national security of America, the lives of those still fighting, and quite importantly achieving the stated aims of such missions, should be the primary factors for making such consequential decisions (note, it was the consensus a long time ago that Iraq had no WMDs).
3. Contradiction, the order of the day.
McCain seems to be full of contradiction and cannot sit still when it comes to beliefs and opinions. On the one hand, his main route of attacking Obama is his lack of experience, yet on the other, his running mate has barely enough to call herself a professional politician. Palin also seems to be on this bandwagon, by forgetting McCains main selling point when being questioned by Charles Gibson of ABC news. Apparently trying to attack Biden she inadvertently attacks McCain by saying “Americans don’t want somebody’s big fat resume maybe that shows [they have spent] decades and decades in that Washington establishment.” Hang on, doesn’t McCain believe experience is of upmost importance?
Obviously I must mention McCains now infamous “the fundamentals of our economy are strong” comment. I wonder if that was what he was thinking, when, last Monday, on NBC, he said of the current financial situation: "We are in the most serious crisis since World War II." He then followed this up by suspending his campaign and rushing back to DC. (Coincidentally at the same time as an impending debate, make of that what you will).
4. ”Every candidate for major political office, owes to the electorate assurance that they are capable of satisfying the requirements of the job” Michael D. Fratkin, M.D.
Now the issue here is not with his age, just the conditions generally associated with age. If the man is healthy enough, qualified enough and gets the vote then he deserves to be president. However, for every job of importance around the world, the health of the applicant is scrutinised. I have already taken a brief look at Sarah Palin’s (lack of) credentials, so if this man is to become president it would be a dire state of affairs in the event that he was incapacitated. Even without the lack of a competent VP to step in, it can’t be wise to let someone who is about to drop off take possibly the most important job in the world, as Chris Rock says, even if a 72 year old is hit by a bus it would be classed as natural causes. The job also involves following decisions through to the end, handling sustained pressure and being able to work all hours in the face of crisis, it seems good health would be paramount to maintaining high levels of functionality and clarity of thought.
This being the case, and with McCain having many known medical issues such as; invasive melanoma (giving him 65% chance of living ten years, five years ago), degenerative arthritis, high cholesterol ,and high blood pressure. The situation of John McCain’s health and the reluctance to allow proper scrutiny of his health records is an important one. This is better illustrated in the video put together by TheRealMcCain.com.
5. Policy anyone?
Now the important stuff, as I have mentioned in a previous blog. Policy should be the main factor is deciding who the next leader should be. So let’s take a look at the McCain camp’s policies.
It’s not a massive issue, I’m sure it was a simple mistake. Obama has already jumped on the Spain/Zapatero gaffe. However I thought it worth a mention as it is just one more in a long line of mistakes made by McCain. Gaffes of that ilk on a bigger stage (as the 44th president) could cause serious political tension. These errors coupled with McCain’s hard line foreign policy and failure to see that negotiation and talks are the way forward could inadvertently march us closer to World War 3. World War 3 – a war that is already looming if you look at the Iran/ Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia situations that are each scarily inflammatory on their own.
As a non US citizen and a resident of the UK I’m not really going to look too much into domestic policy as it does not greatly affect me beyond the perceptions and beliefs that get slowly absorbed through the media. I do believe though, that with modern money markets, financial policy has become an extension of foreign policy. With this being the case, I’m not too sure that the prospect of another Republican President representing the party that has marched endlessly towards the current financial crisis is a good one.
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