McBush Raising Bush Up From the Dead

No matter whether Clinton or Obama receives the Democrats’ blessing to hoist the party’s banner in the character war to become president, John McBush will offer the Democrats one major issue to embrace or to avoid: War.
McBush, also known as McCain, now acts as Jesus to G.W. Bush’s Lazarus. Bush started and intends to continue the stupid, unnecessary and morally and financially bankrupting war in Iraq. So does McBush.
Bush whines and wheedles to continue tax cuts for the rich and tax increases for the poor, in order, among other things, to repay his betters and bettors for their support for his disastrous foreign policy. We forget that the rich not only are getting giant cash backs, as it were, from the government in not having to pay much in the way of taxes; they also are receiving from their disciple’s hand the environment that allows them to make oodles of more money. That environment boils down to letting them, in the form of their banks, borrow dollars via the Federal Reserve at low interest and lend it at high interest to the rest of us, often through such come-ons and deceptions as having us take out mortgages that balloon the interest into the sky after a couple of years and as having us pay bills with the credit cards they issue at rates that would have embarrassed a Medici.
McBush accepts all of this, want to continue it, and indeed, maybe bring on another war, with Iran. Like all who formed their character as military officers, McBush is, while pleasant, not too swift under the brain pan and sees the world as something to be tamed with pistols and whips.
That means Obama or Clinton have to say what they intend to do toward our wars ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan and whether they are so stupid as to pick a fight with the Iranians, folks who over the past three thousand years have proved themselves stubborn and fierce and united when no matter how much they may hate each other they perceive their unique culture under attack. They are, in fact, very much like us when it comes to tribal unification in the face of the foreign attacker: Unthinking and belligerent.
Obama has less of a problem here than Clinton. He never voted for the Iraq mistake and has sedulously avoided votes on such humble matters as extending the military budget. Clinton, alas, has hedged war and peace from the start of her efforts to become president by becoming a U.S. senator first. She voted for to war on Iraq and has voted to support Bush’s constant repairs to Congress for more money–money that the Treasury borrows from the Chinese, Saudis and other pals of ours.
Even so, McBush, by running as Bush Redux, offers both his wattles. The only question is which has the courage to attack tooth and nail. In that, I bet on Obama. He’s not impressed by old warriors and has learned that millions of other Americans want him to revolutionize the country. Clinton, I fear, is still figuring that out and doesn’t seem to have much stomach for upending the established order.

Obama Surfs the Wave of Discontent

Obama has fate going for him: Despite no Obama organization operating or being obvious in the six rural Democratic precincts I coordinated for Washington State’s caucuses on February 9, the Democrats assembled went for Obama roughly 65 to 35 percent. I hasten to add no Clinton organization manifested itself either in this area where resolutions for consideration by the national party beg for an end to gun control while begging for an end to the war. (A number of boys in these parts opted for the Army or Marines rather than calked boots, chainsaws and hard hats in the evergreen woods, and have come home from Iraq in wooden caskets, with a flag for their folks as a souvenir.)

Obama is surfing a great wave of discontent in the U.S. People don't just want change. They want new. And they want it now. Obama is the only personification, the only voice of that desire. I voted for him, but not because he has any philosophical depth deeper than a sheet of copy paper but because I'm weary of the establishment. I'm willing to support him, but no one should ask me to outline his policies or ideas, because I haven't experienced any of those yet.

He is atop the wave right now. Just hope that it's big enough, tall enough and wide enough and powerful enough to deposit him triumphant on the beach. Just hope, in fact, that Osama Bin Laden–the greatest general of the past century–doesn’t score another cheap triumph against innocents in this country just before the election and sweep John McCain with his miliary mien into the White House.

Mitt Hears a Heavenly Message

Mitt Romney got the message, the message that caused him to announce he had to quit campaigning to be the Republican nominee for president.

One can bet the message came the day after last Tuesday, Super Tuesday, and it wasn’t the one the voters posted, which gave John McCain a commanding lead in the Republican race over Romney and Mike Huckabee, the Arkansas quipster whose giggles give fellow evangelicals hot flashes of the Rapture.

No, the message had to come from big Republican donors and players on the Republican National Committee: Quit now, Mitt, and Johnny McCain–if you’re nice and raise some dough for him soon–might make you our nominee for vice-president.

After all, McCain’s the oldest old boy who might become president. If he does and you’re vice president, well, all you have to do is wait and you’ll be president. You can read the actuary tables as well as anybody. His chances of living through a first term are less than one in two. His chances of living through a second term are nearly zip, you know that, Mitt. Be nice, raise some bucks and tell all the Bible and Book of Mormon thumpers and other conservatives supporting you to switch to John. You don’t have to tell them that switching to John might give them you, if they’re patient. They’ll figure that out.

You do that, quit and kiss John, and we’ll crank up Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Times and our blogmeisters to start calling for you as vice president and saying you’re proof John’s worthy of the vote of our hardheads.

And, by the way, Mitt, pat John on the rump, and our folks will begin polishing up Mormonism. You want a monument to Joseph Smith, with a fountain maybe, near the Washington Monument? Here’s your chance to start getting a marble pedestal for old Joe.

That’s what I think happened a couple of days ago, and Mitt, without even the necessity of a trumpet blast from Angel Moroni, had a revelation that he shared this a.m.: I quit (Hear me John McCain?).

McCain: The Dangerous Republican

John McCain, of all Republicans now, most endangers the chances of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to be next president of the greatest republic that ever was.

McCain appears to be a grey-haired warrior, which he is: For a man past 70, solid, muscular, a war hero from heros’ genes, witty, charming, tough, engaging, moderate on a few subjects–campaign-financing reform, immigration (no moats, just a fence), buying drugs from Canada.

As such, if Osama Bin Laden from his cave and kidney machine decides to help his favorite American political party, the Republican Party, again win the presidency by launching a few Moslem fanatics at some school or old-folks home in the U.S., McCain immediately would look like the best politician to lead a country under attack.

As a political liberal, do I think Clinton or Obama would be as good or better than McCain were the country seeming to be in military danger? No, frankly I don’t. Not if we speak of a brand new president. McCain already knows what military buttons to push. If an attack came a year after Clinton or Obama had been in office long enough to trust advisors and to understand the machinery of national defense, then I would say, yes, both have bigger and better brains than McCain and are nothing if not fast learners and gutsy people.

For this election, McCain, by seeming liberal, would attract independent voters, especially as the Republican Party’s hate machine spews sewage and venom at whoever the Democratic candidate will be, as it will.

McCain is not liberal. Ask him about abortion rights. Ask him about prolonging the war in Iraq that we can neither justify, explain, win nor afford. Ask him about kissing the fannies of Bible thumpers (if he can answer between puckers). Ask him about relieving the rich of paying taxes so that the poor can do it.

Though many Republicans already consider him an apostate because he does not want to ditch the country, fill it with water and alligators, to keep out impoverished Mexicans and other threats to the political powers of the plutocracy, McCain otherwise fellates the Republican philosophers without gagging.

What about Mitt Romney, you ask? I suspect after Tuesday coming, when California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts vote, Romney will ghost away, a footnote on Google searches about whether a nation drunk on Christianity would kiss a Mormon, a buss that like licking a toad leads to even greater lunacy.

No, it’s McCain Clinton and Obama should worry about. They should surround themselves with cigar-chewing retired generals and huzzahing prize fighters and hunky male action-movie stars to show that true heroes think they have the stuff to ward off evil from Bin Laden’s cave.