Sunday, July 27, 2008

Wisdom trumps experience

John McCain markets himself as experienced in war and thus more qualified to be president of the U.S. than his opponent Barak Obama who never served in the military. What’s important is, did McCain learn anything from his military experience? He was suckered easily into supporting another senseless, baseless war of aggression just like Vietnam. Obviously he didn’t learn anything from his Vietnam experience.

Neither candidate of the two major parties meets my minimum criteria for the presidency. Obama voted on the FISA Act gutting the Fourth Amendment, and his saber rattling toward Iran and Pakistan indicates that he also lacks the moral, political and diplomatic sophistication necessary for a third millennium leader.

With the U.S. facing a crisis that could equal the Great Depression or the Civil War, a Franklin Delano Roosevelt is needed, and the Democrats are offering us another Jimmy Carter. An Abraham Lincoln is needed, and the Republicans are offering us another George W. Bush.

We have 21st Century weapons in the hands of 1st Century men. The world can’t survive leaders and rulers who are unwise and uncivilized. The U.S. needs leaders whose top priority is to care for the people, not scare the people. Those leaders are rare, but they are there. Unfortunately, few can be found in our government today.

John McCain sees the world through a rearview mirror. His solutions exist only in the trash heap of history. We are in this predicament because Ronald Reagan, another rearview mirror politician, resurrected the failed trickle-down economics of the 1920s and claimed he could make them work this time. He couldn’t. They didn’t.

McCain, like Bush, is a single-talent man. Bush is willing to strike out mercilessly and violently with no remorse against enemies and perceived enemies and their innocent families, friends and neighbors. This type of person sees the president’s role as dictator, not mediator.

Barak Obama wouldn’t be where he is today if he had innovative ideas. He got where he is by playing the game better than his corrupt and incompetent competitors. He has more potential to be a Lincoln or Roosevelt than McCain does, but has yet to show any sign of exceptional wisdom.