Suspension - WTF?

I think there is only one scenario where this isn't going to turn out horribly for McCain - that is if the stock market absolutely, massively plunges tomorrow or Friday. In that case, he can say with some authority "Told ya so."

I think any other scenario is just going to result in this looking like some desperate grandstanding event and a way to wiggle out of one of the debates. These are the things that 10+ point shifts are made of.

It reminds me far too much of Jimmy Carter's self-imposed exile during the hostage crisis. A leader isn't shown cutting back in times of crisis; a leader is shown working twice as hard as everyone else. Otherwise the message sent is that he is low on resources and perhaps only one more insult away from being toppled completely.

Reid/Pelosi '08

Obama supporters have been saying the phrase "Bush/McCain" in what feels like every other sentence.  Not to much effect I think; most non-kos people don't seem to be buying it.  When one thinks of the architects of the last 8 years, McCain does not land on the short-list.

I do think Obama is vulnerable to being tied to Reid and Pelosi however.  The popularity of Congress is at an unbelievably low level.  The Democratic takeover of '06 brought absolutely no change or reform.  If Obama is a weak leader (and he certainly looks like one), Reid and Pelosi will be the ones running the government for the next 4 years.  That has to terrify a good number of people.

It certainly scares me.  I have visions of a poster with Obama in the middle looking noble, but small, and then the grim faces of Reid and Pelosi looming large over him.

Blame Mexico

The immigration debate has been one of the most polarizing topics this election cycle and almost tanked the McCain campaign last summer.  People on different sides of the issue (fence vs no fence, deportation vs amnesty, documents vs no documents, etc.) seem to believe that any view that is not theirs is nothing short of treason.

One question I don't hear from any of the sides is "What the f*ck is wrong with the Mexican government?"  They share a huge border with us and have one of the best free-trade deals on the planet and the best they can do is send their people on a march through the desert so they can ship money back via Western Union?  How messed up is that?

So, if immigration comes up again, and it almost certainly will at a debate, I'd like to see McCain try to shift the narrative from the illegal immigrants and put the focus on how we need to pressure (and help) Mexico to reform its institutions so its citizens have more options than to live illegally in another country.

Iraq's $80 Billion

Obama and surrogates have been complaining that Iraq appears to have a nearly $80 Billion surplus.  They argue that it is a sign of irresponsibility for us to continue to spend $10 Billion a month on the occupation.

How I'd like the McCain team to respond:

• The point is to leave Iraq in a position to take care of itself.  That should include some liquid assets to help keep their economy going.
• That the Obama campaign wants Iraq to start off dead-broke shows bad judgement.
• Beyond the bad judgement, it betrays that old leftist reflex - success is bad. 
• And isn't that typical of the left - they see a large pile of money that isn't theirs and immediately they get to work at trying to turn it into a small pile of money.

Why here? Why Now?

So, why start a blog now?  To date, my blogging-related-activity has largely been limited to the posting of cute quizzes on LJ that tell what kind of pizza topping I'd be.

Mostly, things inside my head have remained there.  This might have been wise.

But these days, I find myself arguing with the talking heads on TV and the voices on the radio.  This is especially true when I hear a John McCain stump speech or one of his representatives being interviewed.

In this blog, I'll try to take those quick rants and flesh them out (at least into complete sentences).

Hello, world!

First post!