The Blog to Be Named Later returns, despite a relative lack of commentary expressed by its readers, either publicly or privately, because it is now necessary for me to issue a formal apology.
During the life of this blog, I have been awfully critical of our president. I have expressed evolving views of the candidates to succeed him, with one constant caveat: Whoever is elected to succeed him, I opined, it will be an improvement. After all, I could (and have, on occasion) made the case from a historical perspective that George W. Bush ranks 42nd out of 42nd in terms of successful presidents.*
Well, Mr. President, I owe you an apology, because it’s clear now that I am completely wrong, because President John McCain would obviously be much worse.
Why is this, as I say, “clear”? Well, there is an overwhelming preponderance of circumstantial and concrete evidence that points to a McCain Administration eclipsing its predecessor in ineptitude.
First, there is the issue of ideological inconsistency. Say what you will about President Bush, but he has, over the last eight years, remained consistent with his core beliefs. I happen to think that they are wrong, but he has at least stuck with his principles. Whereas John McCain opposed offshore drilling as an impractical solution to the energy crisis, until he ran for president. He opposed the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, until he ran for president. He sponsored campaign finance reform and decried negative campaigning, until he ran for president.
Second, there is the issue of the nature of their campaigns. Bush ran for president in 2000, and ran for re-election in 2004, promising smaller government, compassionate conservatism, reluctance to commit American forces to open ended military assignments, and ample funding for education. Okay, so he gave us the exact opposite of all that. But at least when he tarnished the honor and integrity of his opponent, he did it by inference. He suggested that John Kerry’s policies would leave the nation vulnerable to terrorists. John McCain and his running mate are now calling Barack Obama a terrorist.
Third, President Bush is in one sense the kind of person I admire. He’s an idiot, but he at least KNOWS he’s an idiot, so he recruited some smart, experienced guys to work in his administration. For instance, he selected Dick Cheney as his running mate. Now, I’m no fan of Dick Cheney. He has, in my view, routinely abused the power of his office and promoted an agenda favorable to Big Oil at the expense of the American people. But how does he compare to his potential Republican successor? He’s Abraham Fucking Lincoln.
Finally, there’s one major difference between Bush and McCain, and it’s not that Bush at least didn’t crash his planes when he was flying them in Alabama. No, the biggest single difference is that while I have never doubted Bush’s incompetence, I have also never doubted his sanity. Again, say what you will about George W. Bush, but at least he has been steady. At least he could be counted on to at least speak responsibly compared to Captain Chaos. It’s one thing to elect a dumb guy to be president. It’s quite another to elect someone who is unstable. And that’s what the Republican nominee for president is. I am referring to his apparently unresearched decision to select Sarah Palin to serve a heartbeat from the presidency after months of promising to select a running mate solely on the basis of qualifications. I am referring to the bizarre back and forth make believe shutting down of his campaign to address an economic crisis that he one week earlier denied existed. And I’m referring to the following quote from his own biography:
“I don't torture myself over decisions. I make them as quickly as I can, quicker than the other fellow, if I can. Often, my haste is a mistake, but I live with the consequences without complaint."
Well, I for one am not prepared to live with the consequences of President McCain’s quickly made decisions. And, after all, given the power of the presidency in these perilous times, millions of Americans might not get to live with the consequences of those decisions.
Senator McCain, in the absence of a coherent economic policy, lacking the ability or knowledge to address the health care crisis, burdened by decades of opposition to alternative energy, and desperate to escape the performance of his own party these last eight years, has spent a large portion of what he promised to be an “honorable campaign” trying to convince the American people that electing Barack Obama is too great a risk. Instead, he has amply demonstrated that he himself is the true risk.
And so as the McCain campaign thrashes around like a boxer, losing on points but desperately seeking a late round knockout, I say to you, Mr. President, I’m sorry. You weren’t so bad after all. Comparatively speaking, of course.
*George W. Bush is the 43rd President of the United States. However, only 42 men have served as president. Grover Cleveland served non-consecutive terms and therefore counts twice.
