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Story Archives: McCain would serve the country well


McCain would serve the country well
posted Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 @ 1:46 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
In less than a month, voters in America will go to the polls to choose a new president.

The decision voters make on Election Day, Nov. 4, could be the most important decision they have ever made in a presidential election. It also could be the most important decision they will ever make in picking a new leader of what still is the most powerful and most successful industrialized country on the planet.

There are a number of reasons the 2008 presidential race is more important than any presidential campaign we have witnessed in recent memory.

First and foremost, our country—the United States of America—is at war. More specific, we are embroiled in a bloody conflict in the Middle East in which American interests are pitted against the interests of Muslim extremists who harbor hatred for America.

It is that simple.

In spite of claims by some opponents to the war in Iraq, there is no easy solution to end the conflict there. There also is no easy solution to curtail American involvement in Middle Eastern affairs.

While we do not argue the point that our nation's influence, or standing on the world stage, has been diminished by our involvement in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, it is irresponsible to suggest the United States should abandon its interests in a region of the world that possesses the key to a raw material that fuels the U.S. economy. That, of course, is oil.

And until the American people demand that our government insist on the development of alternative energy resources—other than oil—we will forever be dependent upon the actions of a few, which determine whether the U.S. economy chugs along or grinds to a halt.

It is that simple.

In recent weeks, the American people were informed the state of the U.S. economy is not strong. In fact, the U.S. economy, as a whole, is in the midst of a recession, a recession that's here for the long-term.

While opinions vary on why the U.S. economy teeters on the brink of an outright Depression, we believe there is no denying the fact that Congress' penchant for spending too much money, prompting record deficits, played a major role in driving the economic paralysis that plagues our nation today. Yes, costs associated with fighting the war in Iraq are responsible—to some degree—for deficits the government has accrued in recent years.

But can we place a price tag on the cost of freedom?

The answer to that question is a resounding "no."

Though deficit spending created much of the economic problems our nation faces today, we must acknowledge the crisis situation that exists credit-wise in the U.S. economy, a crisis caused, in part, by a host of Wall Street firms that rolled the dice in buying "bundles" of sub-prime loans, or home loans granted to people who, by and large, had no business borrowing the money in the first place.

The easy route, or the route of least resistance, in placing blame where blame belongs in light of the problems America is dealing with today would entail pointing a finger at one political party, or leaders of that party, over the other one. That would be irresponsible, too.

Instead, we must ask ourselves which presidential candidate—Republican Sen. John Sidney McCain or Democratic Sen. Barack Hussein Obama—is most qualified to lead America during these turbulent times.

We believe the answer to that question is a simple one.

Sen. McCain is far more qualified and better prepared to serve as president of the United States.

Hands down.

A graduate of the Naval Academy, McCain hails from a military family. His father and his grandfather were Navy admirals, who served our nation with honor.

Sen. McCain himself was a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, who was shot down in battle and subsequently spent more than five years as a prisoner of war. Injuries he incurred as a POW afflict him to this day.

Following McCain's retirement from the Navy in 1981, he was elected one year later to the U.S. House of Representatives. Four years later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, succeeding an outstanding senator from Arizona, Barry Goldwater, whose presidential campaign in 1964 raised an important question: Is it the government's responsibility to provide for scores of Americans who lack the initiative to better their own lives.

Throughout his years as a member of the Congress, McCain has distinguished himself as a watchdog, if you will, of the people's money. His persistent questioning, or criticism, of wasteful government spending earned him few friends. He is the only member of the Senate who refuses to request "earmarks," or special line-item appropriations, for his home state.

McCain recognizes, as we do, that high taxes serve as a deterrent to economic growth. He recognizes, too, as we do, that some taxes are necessary to pay for the basic services that government was intended to provide for the people.

Those positions are a stark contrast to McCain's opponent, Sen. Obama.

In the brief period of time that Obama has served in the Senate—less than four years—he has garnered almost $1 billion in pork barrel spending for the state of Illinois, much of it directed to wasteful government programs in Chicago, a city known far and wide for its corrupt politics.

And it was in Chicago in which Obama cut his teeth in the political arena, launching his first bid for public office in the presence of his friend and political ally, Bill Ayers, a domestic terrorist who applauded the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. That's the same Bill Ayers who is on record encouraging children to murder their parents as a means to achieve equality in America.

Ayers is not the only radical from Chicago who Obama befriended.

Another one is the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was Obama's pastor for some 20 years. That's the same Jeremiah Wright who has a track record of denouncing the white race. He also blames white America for the problems the African-American community encounters today. And that's the same Jeremiah Wright who said God "damned" America.

While we believe it is unconscionable that a member of the U.S. Senate and would-be president of the United States would align himself with bigoted individuals like Ayers and Wright, it is Obama's political beliefs, or positions, that concern us most.

An advocate of class warfare, Obama wants to raise taxes. He wants to raise taxes on corporations, upper-income Americans, and he also is on record in support of higher taxes for what we would describe as middle-class Americans. That's a fact, though Obama tries in vain to play it down, or distance himself from those positions while peddling his "plan" for America on the campaign trail.

We don't buy it.

We don't buy it either that Obama is an expert on foreign affairs. If he was, he would abandon any pretense of engaging heads of states that sponsor terrorist activities such as Iran.

However, that is exactly what Obama says he would do if he is elected president. And that's a dangerously irresponsible position to take.

While it is a forgone conclusion Obama knows little about foreign policy, he does not possess any military experience either. Furthermore, it is obvious Obama does not possess any credible knowledge of the military history of the United States. If he did, he would recognize setting a time line for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq would entail a dangerous course of action, which certainly would result in the deaths of American servicemen and women.

It is worth noting as well that Obama possesses one of the most liberal voting records of any member of the U.S. Senate. Something tells us the American people—blinded to some degree by emotions—have overlooked that fact.

Yet, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge Obama is a talented man. After all, less than four years ago he was a member of the state Senate in Illinois. He has come a long way.

While we admire Obama's abilities politically speaking, he has no business serving as president of the United States of America.

That job belongs to Sen. John McCain.
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