Dear Senator McCain

Dear Senator McCain:

In 2000, I was part of the Republican party and voted for you in the GOP primary. I mourned your loss to George W. Bush, and for the next eight years fairly wept every time I saw you on The Daily Show or Meet the Press. During the same time frame, I felt that the party lurched into a murky and militant direction and away from it's traditional roots. Ultimately, I decided to change my party due to the awesome (and not in the good way) power the Christian Right held over the current administration and the rampant pandering to corporate interests. I no longer recognized the party of Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt and "jumped shipped." As a Navy man, you know what I mean. Needless to say, I was very excited about your re-emergence in the arena again earlier this year and was slightly disappointed that I would have to watch from the sidelines (instead, I got mired in the Hillary vs. Barrack turmoil. As your good friend Joe Lieberman would say, "oy!").

But, John -- may I call you John? -- I was bit confused by your strategy to gain the nomination. I always considered you a pretty honorable guy and approved of your no-nonsense ways. Now, I know politics is not a pretty game, and I surmised back in March that in order to secure the GOP ticket, you were playing to the proven base who was guaranteed to vote in the primaries and not to the moderates who only feel it's necessary to vote in the general elections, but have to admit to some bemusement at the features of John McCain 2.008, prefering the easier-to-understand John McCain 2.000. However, as primary season forged on, I forgave you some of the more obvious postering you did to "prove" that you were a "real" Republican. I didn't like it, but I understood it. I just figured that once you clinched it, you would move back to your more centrist ways. Umm, John? You're not moving. In fact, everyday past Super Tuesday, you've become harder to read. Case in point, Sarah Palin.

I've read everything I could about the woman, and I've been completely baffled by your choice. Obviously, you're not trying to lure the Hillary supporters because you are a smart enough man to know that you can't just replace one vagina with another vagina and think that women are dumb enough not to notice the difference. And you're obviously not trying to gain the middle ground because -- in case you haven't noticed -- there's a huge bruhaha over her obvious Christian Coalition value system. I kept looking for something that made instinctive sense to me as a fan of your Country First governing philosphy, but found nothing. That is, until I read this Op Ed by David Brooks in yesterday's New York Times. Now, obviously, this is just Mr. Brooks's opinion, and he could be wrong. But at least, this seems to be a more considered response to the choice in regards to John McCain, Smart and Well Respected Senator versus everyone else's response to John McCain, Stupid and Reckless Presidential Candidate. Personally, I just don't believe that a politician as savvy as you would be stupid or reckless this far into the game. If anything, I think you've been way too considerate of the Republican base much to the exclusion of the general populace at large. But that's just me. After I read the Op Ed, I finally realized exactly what it is that turns me off about Sarah Palin. And it's not her bizarro Amazon-meets-the-Madonna facade. It's that Sarah Palin does not have a national governing philsophy. As far as I can tell, she was quite content being the mayor of her little town and now the governor of Alaska. I don't think she's thought much past the governorship at this point. When asked whether she would accept the Vice Presidency, she said (to paraphrase) that she didn't know what the vice president does and she would accept it only if she knew she was going to be productive and if it would help Alaska. (I'm trying hard here not to wince at her obviously un-rehersed reply.) This woman was very content to be her in neck of the woods (literally) and hadn't really thought about the national stage until you came along. Now, I'll admit to being a sucker for a good Cinderella story, but when it comes to my politics, I don't want a fairy tale. I need someone who's aggressive and egocentric enough to think, "If I was President, I would..." That's not to say that Sarah -- if I can call her Sarah; afterall, she's only 9 years older than me -- wouldn't make an excellent president...8 years from now. After being under your wing and being mentored extensively by you on national and international policy. Maybe start her in the Department of the Interior. But the Vice Presidency? Now? That's a steep learning curve! And, quite frankly, John, I hadn't thought about your age or medical problems this entire time, thinking it a non-issue, until your left-field announcement. God forbide you get into the White House and one year from now the unthinkable happens! It might have been a good premise for a television show starring Geena Davis, but as we're in the midst of two wars and steep econimical decline, I'm highly uncomfortable with a president that is as unprepared for the agency as Sarah is. And I will admit that for the first time ever, I'm not looking at the Vice Presidency as a superfluous second choice. I'm actually taking into account not only your age, but the possible assassination of the first black president by psychos like those meth-heads in Colorado.

I realize its too late for you to reconsider, but I felt that it was duty to explain to you my reservations and why I might not be voting for you come November. I always believed that you would make a good president, but I highly disagree with you about Sarah...oh, and pro-choice. But that's for another letter.

My best regards to you and your family,

ME