Democrats are not the anti-war option

For those who think that the Democrats are the anti-war option, please refer to page 33 of the Democrat Party platform.

"We believe we must also be willing to consider using military force in circumstances beyond self-defense in order to provide for the common security that underpins global stability–to support friends, participate in stability and reconstruction operations, or confront mass atrocities."

When it comes to war and peace, the Republicans and Democrats are two sides of the same coin.

She'd make a great VP, but...

McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate will certainly make the presidential race more interesting. From what I have heard and read about her she sounds like an actual conservative (as opposed to McCain). She is for drilling in ANWR (as opposed to McCain). And she is definitely not a Beltway insider or an elitist (as opposed to McCain). And she is pretty (as opposed to McCain). All of these are good things. Although, I would like to know more about where she stands on certain issues such as immigration and the Iraq War (since McCain is abysmal on both). But if she were running for Governor of Texas, she would likely have my vote.

Considering that the traditional role of the Vice President is largely symbolic, Palin would probably make a great VP. The only problem is that sometimes the Vice President becomes the President. Based on history, there is a 20% chance that she will become President prior to the 2012 election. Nine VPs have assumed the office of President; four as the result of natural death of the President, four by assassination, and one by resignation.

Three years removed from being the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 6,715); there is no way that Palin is prepared to be one breath away from being the leader of free world. According to McCain, "we live in a very dangerous world." He says, "And there are situations which can arise which are not readily foreseen, ...that in my view require experience, knowledge, and judgment." Palin is definitely lacking in experience and her knowledge and judgment are still unproven. If McCain is serious about the world being a dangerous place, then his selection of a running mate is very unserious. If Palin were a man with the same resume, she/he would never have even been considered.

John McCain doesn't speak for this American

John McCain recounted to a town hall meeting audience last week the conversation that he had with Georgian President Saakashvili, when he told the president that "...I know I speak for every American when I say...today, we are all Georgians." I'm confident that 9 out of 10 Americans (at a minimum) can't locate Georgia on a map, don't know the names of the Georgian capital or president, and can't pronounce the names of either if they were to see them written on a page. And it is not that Americans are just ignorant (although we mostly are), but that Georgia is just inconsequential to the everyday life of the average American.

McCain's arrogant claim to speak for every American would be amusing if McCain wasn't ready to pledge American blood and money to defend this country that no one knows about. If McCain had his way, Georgia would be a member of NATO and the US would be obligated to defend her against attack. If McCain had his way, American soldiers and marines would be dying in Georgia. What exactly is the vital US interest in Georgia that would justify the loss of a single American life?

Personally, I prefer the foreign policy of our Founding Fathers to the interventionist foreign policy of McCain and his neocon advisers. As Washington said in his farewell address, "The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. ...Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.

Our detached and distant situation invites and enables us to pursue a different course. ...Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor or caprice?"

If only today's politicians (both Republican and Democrat) would abide by Washington's "great rule of conduct."