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Though I still disagree with John McCain on his support of the war in Iraq, I am glad to see him distancing himself from the Bush/Cheney line of thinking. Yesterday, he declared that he “detests” war and “called Wednesday for stronger ties with allies and cautioned that American power “does not mean we can do whatever we want, whenever we want.”"
I would like to hear more of this kind of rhetoric from McCain, and hope it rubs off on this administration. Foreign policy will be (and in my opinion, should be) the top value on how we vote in this presidential election. I will elaborate on my reasoning at a later time.
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In case you didn’t catch it, many conservatives are unhappy with the Bush/Cheney team. The Iraq War has become somewhat of a sticking point for those on the right and many feel that conservatism (in general) has somewhat lost its soul. There were no presidential candidates that conservatives liked, and John McCain as the presumptive nominee makes most conservatives shudder. Some have gone so far to suggest that they will vote for Hillary if McCain is the nominee (by the way, that’s not very flattering).
I came across this article on Slate.Com. I found Doug Kmiec’s endorsement of Barack Obama insightful and helpful as I consider my options during this election cycle. Unlike Ann Coulter and other thought-less conservatives, Kmiec is not boycotting his party this time around, but voting with the conscience of an American. He writes, “As Republicans, we are first Americans.” I am a fan of John McCain. I like that he has crossed the political aisle frequently and has historically appealed to moderates (such as me). But I have a fundamental disagreement with him on the Iraq War. Of late, McCain has been warming up to the Bush-style conservatism, which makes me wonder whether we would be getting a third Bush term with a McCain presidency.
I have been impressed by Obama and find that his voice and thoughts to be refreshing. I’m not convinced that experience or the lack of it to be a detriment, particularly since our political system does not necessarily function any better or worse with it.
I’m not ready to make my own endorsement (as if that even matters), but I will say this: people like Kmiec are talking the right kind of talk.
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It seems like we love controversies and scandals even when the scandal itself is a non-issue. In the past week, there have been several scandals that have surfaced that are non-issues.
McCain’s inappropriate relationship. “The New York Times” has recently come out with an article alleging that John McCain had an inappropriate relationship with a female lobbyist. The allegation states that those close to McCain have tried to distance the two as it could have hurt his Presidential ambitions. All of the allegations are by un-named sources which weakens the allegations, and both conservatives and liberals have come to McCain’s defense.
Michelle Obama is finally proud to be an American. In introducing her husband at a rally, Michelle Obama said that this is the first time in her adult life where she is proud to be an American. The implication is that Obama is less than patriotic. Conservative pundits and Cindy McCain jumped on that by saying that they have always been proud to be American.
Is that true? Were conservatives proud to be American during the Clinton years? When Rush Limbaugh was counting down the days of the Clinton presidency calling it a presidency taken hostage, was that not an expression of dissatisfaction and perhaps even embarrassment? When Bill Clinton was caught having an extra-martial sexual relationship, were they proud to be an American?
Barack Obama plagiarizes his speeches. It’s fine for the Clinton campaign to suggest that Obama is all talk and no substance, but Obama is hardly plagiarizing speeches. Apparently his soundbites are similar to his friend Governor Deval Patrick. In fact, Patrick had apparently given many of those lines to Obama.
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With Mitt Romney dropping out of the race today, Senator John McCain has pretty much wrapped up the nomination of the Republican Party. This was no small feat for McCain who ran in a crowded field of candidates and six months ago commentators had called his campaign dead.
If/When McCain wins the party’s nomination, he will have to either battle the conservative base of the Republican party, woo them over to his camp, or abandon his positions for those of the conservatives. McCain has been working hard this past week to pitch himself as a true conservative, after being attacked by Rush Limbaugh on his conservative credentials.
Ann Coulter has gone a step further in her attack on McCain, calling him a “liberal” (which is no praise for conservatives), among other things. Coulter and others cannot stand McCain, citing his liberal credentials such as coming to the defense of John Kerry in 2004 against the mean-spirited attacks of the Swift Boat Veterans.
Even James Dobson has weighed in to declare that he would not cast a vote in this election if John McCain is the GOP nominee.
I have been a McCain fan since the 1990s. I may not agree with all of his politics but I appreciate his candor and integrity, which is saying much in our political culture. The GOP will go through a soul-searching with moderates and (extreme) conservatives vying for control of the party.
Though McCain may not hold to every traditional position of the party, but perhaps those positions (on the environment, taxes, immigration, and war) need to be moderated and open for debate.
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The campaign strategies of John McCain and Barack Obama in New Hampshire provide some fodder for leadership insight for this week. As of Monday January 7, 2008, both Obama and McCain are in the lead in their respective parties in the New Hampshire primary race. Even a month ago, these men were running at least 10 points behind the leader. What happened? Continue reading ‘Leadership Insight 23: What McCain and Obama teach me about leadership’
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