Putting Country First

I feel like I should be writing this at some twelve-step meeting or, perhaps, at some ideological reeducation/rehab camp. It's just insane and will shock anyone who knows me either personally or professionally. So, let's just jump right in, shall we? Just rip off the band-aid. Okay.

I'm voting McCain/Palin.

Why?

1. Obama is the least qualified presidential candidate in modern history and his VP running mate is an ignorant buffoon. Yes, Palin has much to learn but, according to those who have worked with her, including Warren Buffet, she's an extremely impressive woman and is being "misunderstimated." After reviewing her real Alaska record rather than the Obama-backed internet myths, I'm seriously impressed.

2. Obama has never looked beyond himself as candidate and seriously considered what it'll take to lead. This may have something to do with the fact that he's spent his entire political career running for some other office. Not once has he completed a term without running for higher office. Anyway, far too many questions result in Obama talking about his campaign rather than his record, a record he has taken great pains to conceal. What kind of person destroys his entire record as a State Senator, leaving no documents to be reviewed?

3. As a candidate, Obama is seriously corrupt in a way only a Chicago politician can be. From getting opponents kicked off the ballot to forcing the release of sealed divorce records, his campaigns in Illinois were Chicago corrupt all the way. During the primaries, he went even further, embracing Rovian tactics. There are widespread accusations of vote suppression, voter intimidation and vote fraud in caucus states around the country. The Texas Democratic Party has called Obama's actions criminal and requested a full investigation. Having reviewed the accusations carefully and discussed the caucuses with friends who were there, I find the accusations have weight and are truly frightening. The ACORN doesn't fall far from the Obama-tree.

4. Obama is a hypocrite. He has stoke partisan hatreds while claiming to be postpartisan. He has used the most racially divisive tactics possible while proclaiming himself the postracial candidate. Somehow, Obama and his supporters have managed to paint the Clintons, his Republican opponents, and the majority of Americans as racists for daring to questions his qualifications, his policies and his character. I've seen standard political boilerplate being recast as racist simply because it's being used against Obama. According to leaked documents from the Obama campaign that seemed to disappear once he became the Dem nominee, this was Obama's major campaign strategy.

5. Obama is a liar. Over and over again, Obama has changed his story and his stances on the issues. Call him on it and he denies he ever held the previous view, despite the existence of video, audio or written evidence! Over and over again, Obama has chosen not to explain his associations but to lie about them. Can you go to church twice a month for 20 years and never know that your minister is a loon and a racist? Can you call a guy your moral foundation and not know that he's an anti-Semite? Can a person babysit your children yet just be some guy you know that you had a conversation with once? Can a guy help get you into Harvard and help you pay for it yet be someone you don't even know?

6. Obama is a sexist and enabler of misogny and violent anti-woman rhetoric. From sexist attacks on Hillary during the debates to sexist attacks on Sarah Palin now, Obama has been both active and passive participant in the most blatantly misogynistic tactics to mar our national discourse in decades. My favorite: the obsession with Sarah Palin having been a beauty queen when she was about 20. Guess what Obama was doing around that age? Cocaine. I'll take fancy pageant-walking any day.

7. Obama is an idiot. During many recent interviews, Obama has talked about going into Afghanistan and stopping Al Qaeda once and for all. How can you be a citizen of the U.S. in the post 9/11 era, a Senator since 2005 and a presidential candidate since 2007 and STILL not know that Al Qaeda is an international bohemoth that can never be completely defeated in any one country? The only possible answers: stupidity or willful ignorance. There have been so many other naive, stupid or just plain boneheaded claims on Obama's part that I can't even catalogue them here. This is just the worst of the lot.

8. Obama's economic plans are potentially disastrous when combined with Congressional Democrats intentions for an Obama presidency. I work in an economically-related field in government. (Considering the classified nature of much of what I do, I'll leave it there.) I assure you that his policies are the exact opposite of what needs to be done right now and what is being done by state and local governments around the country. The decisions are hard, but they have to be made if we're going to stabilize our economy. Obama refuses to either see or admit that.

9. Obama is for Obama and nothing else. From his revolving door for associates and friends who no longer serve his needs to the willingness to provoke old hatreds, Obama seems to care little about anyone and anything but himself. Why did Obama not pick Hillary, the candidate who received more primary votes than any other candidate in history? Why did his campaign announce that the choice of more than half the electorate wasn't even vetted? Why did his campaign willingly participate in the disenfranchisement of Michigan and Florida voters? Why did his campaign participate in the charade at the Democratic convention where Clinton delegates were pressured into ignoring the voters and moving their support to Obama? Why did the normal nominating process give way to the joke of having Clinton stop the count on Obama's behalf? Obama. The alpha and omega of Obama's heart trumps any concern for the people, our expressed will and our democratic processes.

10. Etc. illegal campaign contributions, manipulation/intimidation of the press, broken promises on campaign funding, broken promises on FISA, ....

So, I'm voting McCain/Palin. With a balanced government and two leaders with a strong history of moderate, bipartisan rule, our country will be a lot better off and that's what matters.