Blessed By Misfortune - McCain’s Speech

What is it to be an American? The John McCain I met tonight was incredibly Reaganesque as he reminded us that American pride comes from winning the fight - not from whining for handouts as victims. McCain, through his own riveting personal story of transformation from self centered cocky fly boy to dedicated man of his country. McCain reintroduced himself to America, and reintroduced us to ourselves. The speech was a huge hit. And the comparisons to Obama were striking.

I didn’t think the speech was horrible. The problem with Sen Dole in 1996 is that Dole tried to be someone he wasn’t.

Despite my disagreements with McCain, McCain is the only adult in this race at the top of the ticket. I thought he did that last night.

If you disagree with the content, fine, we are free to do so. John McCain isn’t going to win the election pretending
to be some one else. McCain was classy and he did point differences between him and the “anointed” one.

He called him out on that but you probably missed it if you turned it off half way through.

I heard it. However, as I say, you cannot run against Washington and expect GOP House and Senate members to be reelected. So he has ensured himself of a massive minority status.

But you know what? I'm not sure that's who "McCain is." I remember voting for him as a congressman, and first time as an Az senator. He was never a "maverick" back then. This whole "maverick" business didn't start until 1999 when he saw that Bush was the favorite of the GOP "establishment" (not that that is a bad thing), and except for the surge he has essentially run against Bush for 8 years, briefly campaigning for him in 2004.

Consider this: why does he almost exclusively (except Obama) criticize Republicans, but seldom Dems by name? I think it's because down deep, he DOES think Republicans are "better" than that, rather than "all the same" as the maverick talk suggests. Dunno. But I find him a paradox: he's run a great campaign up to that point, then reverted to form.

McCain has been my least favored pick on the GOP side for President. With McCain/Feingold, the Gang of Ten, Immigration "Reform" and a host of other issues, I differ with him. However, he is a man of courage and character and I will vote for him. At least he has a core. If Colonel Bud Day (who suffered with him in Hanoi) says he's sound, I'll listen to Bud Day - despite my personal reservations of his judgment! For one thing, I know Obama would be a disaster for America.

I think I figured out last night why McCain is always trying to "reach across the aisle" to make nice with the Democrats. Because of his POW experience he sees them as Americans first. He refuses to believe that deep down inside any American could be anything but a loyal American - despite differing political views. This is the paradigm he lived with and which sustained him through over five years of awful captivity. It was always "we Americans" against the enemy.

McCain has yet (and probably never will) to flesh out the notion that anyone with American citizenship can be just as much a part of the enemy to his beloved America as his torturers. To him, any American is "one of us". He just has to find the right key to unlock their good will and patriotism and he is more than willing to compromise with them and accept their differences to do so. Just like he had to do in captivity.

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