President Hothead? - No Thanks
Stag, a Canadian gentleman who sometimes comments on this blog, wonders what I think of Mr. McCain. For the sake of international diplomacy I will offer a cleaned-up, sanitized version of my thoughts. For starters I will paraphrase a statement by Senator Pete Domenici: I don’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.
Why? Because in the halls of congress they call him Senator Hothead. That pretty much sums up this foul-mouthed geezer. His act of a level-headed, pleasant guy displayed on television is just that, an act. By coincidence, shortly before reading Stag’s remarks I read a story about McCain by reporter Caitriona Palmer in a Dublin newspaper, the Irish Independent. The things the man has said and done are appalling even to an old guy like me who is not easily appalled. The names he shouts at his fellow senators would make a sailor blush and his admitted adulteries would be considered juicy reading.
In elementary school McCain's nicknames were "McNasty" and "Punk." He graduated in the bottom fifth of his class at the Naval Academy, where he was known as a troublemaker, a bully and a man who disobeyed orders.
I’ve never quite understood why having been a prisoner of war under very unpleasant conditions helps qualify a man as an expert on military and foreign affairs. I don’t understand why a man who has fed at the public trough his entire life should be in charge of domestic policies that affect people who actually work for a living.
Then there is the matter of age. Being 82 myself, I feel a bit more qualified to comment on the subject than those who have been around for a lesser number of years. McCain, if elected, will be 72, the oldest man to ever begin a term as president. Even for those who don’t work too hard at it, being president is a tough job. Doubters should compare photos of men when they are sworn in and when their term ends. One analyst said it ages a person in dog years, not human years. It seems reasonable and looking at it that way McCain would be a hundred after four years in the White House.
No one should kid themselves into believing 72 is much the same as 62 or 52 any more than 72 is the same as 82. Speaking from experience, thinking a man of 72 isn’t an old man is dead wrong. That’s the age when health issues move to the forefront. I was 72 when a nurse asked what prescriptions I take. She was surprised when I said none. Four years later I was taking 15 pills a day just to stay alive. At 72 the energy level begins a rapid decline. For many people – myself excluded, of course – it also marks the beginning of a rapid decline in mental facilities. For many, both the physical and mental slide begin at a much younger age. For proof, check out a few nursing homes.
So no, I don’t think a gray-haired, hotheaded old geezer should have his finger on the nuclear trigger. Nor do I believe the disastrous two terms of George W. Bush deserve a third shot at destroying the country. That’s what a McCain presidency would be, Bush III.
In elementary school McCain's nicknames were "McNasty" and "Punk." He graduated in the bottom fifth of his class at the Naval Academy, where he was known as a troublemaker, a bully and a man who disobeyed orders.
I’ve never quite understood why having been a prisoner of war under very unpleasant conditions helps qualify a man as an expert on military and foreign affairs. I don’t understand why a man who has fed at the public trough his entire life should be in charge of domestic policies that affect people who actually work for a living.
Then there is the matter of age. Being 82 myself, I feel a bit more qualified to comment on the subject than those who have been around for a lesser number of years. McCain, if elected, will be 72, the oldest man to ever begin a term as president. Even for those who don’t work too hard at it, being president is a tough job. Doubters should compare photos of men when they are sworn in and when their term ends. One analyst said it ages a person in dog years, not human years. It seems reasonable and looking at it that way McCain would be a hundred after four years in the White House.
No one should kid themselves into believing 72 is much the same as 62 or 52 any more than 72 is the same as 82. Speaking from experience, thinking a man of 72 isn’t an old man is dead wrong. That’s the age when health issues move to the forefront. I was 72 when a nurse asked what prescriptions I take. She was surprised when I said none. Four years later I was taking 15 pills a day just to stay alive. At 72 the energy level begins a rapid decline. For many people – myself excluded, of course – it also marks the beginning of a rapid decline in mental facilities. For many, both the physical and mental slide begin at a much younger age. For proof, check out a few nursing homes.
So no, I don’t think a gray-haired, hotheaded old geezer should have his finger on the nuclear trigger. Nor do I believe the disastrous two terms of George W. Bush deserve a third shot at destroying the country. That’s what a McCain presidency would be, Bush III.
posted by Dick Stodghill | 3/08/2008 03:10:00 PM
1 Comments:
Dick,
your insight about McCain is exceptional. It is something more people need to know. We can't afford another Bush in the Whitehouse and especially a hothead on the nuclear trigger. I hope you can get this message out to more people.
Abe
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