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Saturday, July 5. 2008
The Politics of Distraction
Hard to believe Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was released nearly 39 years ago. It’s on the tube, one of the HBO channels, which means it’s uncut and commercial free. That’s the only way to watch movies. Well, in a theater is always a good way too …As a young teenager, seeing Katherine Ross almost nude was almost more than my little tweeter could bear. I just wanted to see the woman nekkid! Just so happens, sometime before watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, my older brother Rick, ever the bad influence, came home with a fresh new Playboy magazine. The centerfold, Cynthia Myers, was the first nude woman I had seen, live or in pictures. I was hooked.
Anyway, that was nearly four decades ago. Life’s a little different as an adult, but Playboy’s Playmates are still beauties to behold and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is still a movie worth watching. It was made in a simpler time before there was such a category of films called “action.”
But enough nostalgia … what about …Barack Obama. Said he might “refine” his views on withdrawing troops from Iraq once he visits that country. Even more shockingly, he opposed the recent Supreme Court decision banning the death penalty for child rapists. Wow. Not to mention he supports limitations on a woman’s right to choose, supports giving tax-payer money to religious groups for “faith-based initiatives” and he even supports the eavesdropping bill that eats away at our 4th Amendment protections and shields the telecom companies that enable the government to do so.
Despite all of that, I wanna say Senator Obama has my support, but his conservative views are quite troubling. I’m always hoping for a candidate that sees the beauty in the Bill of Rights.
Obama has always said his Iraq withdrawal plan was contingent on conditions on the ground in Iraq, but he’s also been quite adamant about getting out of a war he has always said was unnecessary.
The question is, will the Republicans be able to tag him with the “flip-flop” label? If the Democrats had any sense … jeez, I’m a dreamer … they would have already started tagging McCain with that label, but instead, they’re relying on … what? Obama’s charisma? It worked with the Democratic base — and quite frankly more than just the base — but in the general election campaign if Obama expects to win, he’s gotta take the fight to the Republicans. McCain has yet another giant flip-flop going on; for over 25 years McCain has opposed increased drilling for oil off the coastline of the U.S. Now, of course, he thinks it’s the best idea for his energy policy. Well, that should appeal to the Republican base.
General Wesley Clark has the right idea. “… Riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down” is not “a qualification to be president.” Ain’t that the truth! Makes him heroic, however, considering while a prisoner of war in Hanoi he declined getting out of the Hanoi Hilton before his fellow prisoners were released. He did the full nickel. That makes him pretty effin’ heroic.But it doesn’t mean he’s the best man to be president. One of McCain’s campaign stalwarts has been his military record. He’s got a stellar record from the military, unlike the current clown in the White House and McCain should mention it for people to consider when they’re making their choice. But that alone, his military record, isn’t a qualification for being president.
Using a military record as the prime qualification for being president was tried before in my lifetime. During the 1996 presidential race Senator Bob Dole’s military record was the central theme of his campaign. Much was made of his injuries that left one arm useless. That didn’t play with voters then; President Clinton was riding some of his highest approval ratings and voters were of the opinion serving in the military wasn’t the most important qualification for being president.
As I recall, Dole had to spend some effort back-pedaling his military record in an effort to put his policies front and center in the campaign.
The real topics for consideration though have to be the issues and John McCain wants to continue the policies of the current administration. For those policies his military record has no bearing. In fact, focusing on his military record distracts voters from his policies so the Wesley Clark remarks give the McCain campaign something different to focus on besides McCain’s rehashing of the Bush policies.What bothered me about Obama was that he “rejected” Clark’s remarks. For months Clark has been saying that same thing; a military record isn’t the primary qualification for being president. Nothing was said about it until six days ago. So, it’s pretty much a non-issue — unless someone wants to get voters distracted from the real issues.
The reason Obama rejected Clark’s comments though had little to do with the remarks, but with the McCain campaign’s insinuation that Obama isn’t patriotic enough. That’s been the main theme of the anti-Obama crowd now for several months since it became clear Obama would be the nominee for the Democrats. He doesn’t always wear a flag pin in his lapel, he didn’t put his hand over his heart when saying the Pledge of Allegiance, his wife said this was the first time she was proud of her country and one of the funniest of course was that Obama changed the presidential seal.
Wesley Clark is just pushing back against all the “Obama isn’t patriotic” rhetoric being said and circulated by the McCain crowd. Obama said it best though as the Clark remarks were being widely denounced (and what a coincidence that was); “I have found, for the first time, my patriotism challenged — at times as a result of my own carelessness, more often as a result of the desire by some to score political points and raise fears about who I am and what I stand for. I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign. And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine.”
Once again a presidential campaign is about distraction rather than the issues. Hope Obama keeps campaigning on that theme. Keep reminding voters McCain wants to continue down the course Bush and company have charted, as if the status quo is working well for all Americans. That’s the real issue.
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