The election season gets sillier by the minute. John Edwards was an actual contender in the primaries, though he had to know full well that his peccadilloes would be aired sooner or later, probably sooner if had won the democrat nomination. Senator Obama was hopelessly naïve in not realizing that his associations with strange people would lead to hassles that he could have avoided by getting out in front of the curve.
Candidates still parade their families before the public as if that has any connection to establishing their fitness for office. If Obama had known about the damage his wife could wreak in her statements about the nation being "mean" or the fact that she was not proud of the country virtually all of her life…another way of saying she hated it, he might have told her to stay at home and take care of the girls. Edwards' exploitation of his wife has been sickening, especially in light of his lurid infidelity and continuing episode, apparently, of "mistress subterfuge and support."
McCain and Obama "debate" in a church in California, notwithstanding that to do so stretches the First Amendment past the limit, since each man will be interested in making political points, not "testifying." It is more than probable that neither of them has much of a theological background (not said in unkindness, since the same would apply to most people). So… after they say they have the "faith," what else do they have to offer? Does anyone suspect that they will in any way denigrate Islam, which has as a tenet of its faith the command that Muslims "off" infidels (everyone else) at every opportunity? Of course not! That would lose votes in Michigan, a vital state.
Senator Obama pledged to help Senator Clinton recoup her $12.5 million investment in her losing campaign, and apparently expected everyone to both believe him and be impressed. It was actually a dumb thing to do and made any thinking person suspect ulterior motives, not to mention judgment on about the level of a kindergartener. Why should he or anyone else give a fig about Clinton's risking some of her multi-millions for any reason…except maybe in illegal futures-trading? He thought he could buy her support.
Did Obama buy Clinton's support? Oh…yeah! While he's been on vacation, the Clintons (Bill much in evidence) have literally "stacked" the convention. Support! Egad! Anyone who believes that this is not a blatant move on their part to snatch the nomination is eligible for a "bridge-offer," something like the Brooklyn Bridge for ninety-five cents. Obama caved on the roll-call vote thing vis-à-vis Clinton's bid, proving a wimpyness not suitable for running the country. He should have told Clinton and her screeching gang to bug-out…but he didn't. What would he do if the nation were threatened…look around for someone to "support" him…or maybe someone with whom to have a talk?
Now, the word is out that the candidates are mulling the veep choices with nary a thought regarding that person's qualifications for the office of the president in case the president should meet a Muslim imam in a dark alley. Word is that McCain may be looking for a pro-abortion running mate to make the NOW girls happy, since he is on the record concretely as against abortion. Make sense? Of course not! Obama may be looking for someone to ingratiate him with those "racist" southerners. Both are looking for states with huge electoral votes. George Bush picked a veep candidate from a state with three (count 'em) electoral votes. What if he'd picked someone from New York?
One tries not to either watch or even think of the campaign ads or, especially, the millions wasted on their cost – millions, as some are bound to remind, that could be used for humanitarian reasons. The ads are marked with silliness and condescension, the objective seeming to be the edification of the "great unwashed" out here in the boondocks. Paris Hilton? Berlin hunk? How unrelentingly silly and insulting can it get?
Then, there's the length of these superficial exercises in what some (the candidates) call patriotism, while others yawn and just wonder why the fuss? It's almost gotten to the point of "Who cares, anyway?" The obvious egotism and opportunism (admitted egocentrism for Edwards, not to mention his admitted narcissism) is enough to make one grab for Pepto. Perhaps the silliest episode in the coming days will occur at the Democrat Convention, when the gloves come off and the Clintons go at it with Obama.
This actually would be laughable – this silly campaigning that goes on virtually during the entire election cycle of four years. But, it isn't. The selection of the president, a presumptive world leader, should not devolve into the chicanery in evidence now on all sides. This country deserves better.
And so it goes.
Jim Clark
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