"Like a flamethrower in a fireworks factory"
By Cernig Sunday Aug 24, 2008 7:00pm
The Glasgow Herald's veteran political correspondent Iain McWhirter wonders wtf is wrong with America, that John McCain is actually level with Obama in the polls. A lot of Europeans are wondering the same thing.
It seems incredible, but as the Democrats gather in Denver to anoint Barack Obama, America could be on course to re-elect a Republican as their President. Not just any Republican either, but a belligerent 71-year-old who can't remember how many houses he owns, would happily nuke Iran and whose answer to global warming is to drill for oil in environmentally sensitive areas off the coast of America which don't even have much oil. But according to the polls, John McCain is drawing level with Barack Obama, and even pulling ahead.
Really, America is a strange, strange country. After a disastrous and illegal war, in which 4000 American soldiers have died, in the middle of an economic crisis largely caused by the investment houses that finance the Republican party, you would have thought it almost inconceivable that the Republicans could be re-elected. Could any political brand be more toxic? Has any party in history deserved to be thrown out at an election more than the Republicans in 2008?
... Yet enough American voters believe that John McCain might have the answers for him to become a serious contender. Which is scary. McCain is not an unknown quantity - he is a highly excitable politician with a notoriously short temper, who would bring his impetuous and confrontational style into American foreign policy. With the world entering a global economic slump, and old enmities raging in Europe, John McCain as President would be like a flamethrower in a fireworks factory.
It is scary - and Obama has to take a fair chunk of the blame. He's seemed flat since the exhausting primary race (here's hoping he does better at the convention) and although his campaign actually has a decent set of detailed policies, he's been awful at articulating them. Good on the inspirational rhetoric, crap on getting down in the weeds and it's left him looking like, as the right likes to put it, an "empty suit". Maybe Biden will help there - even when I've disagreed with him on policy, Joe's been adept at putting detailed policies into easy to swallow forms that don't obscure that there is detail there.
But McWhirter points to the major reason a McCain presidency is scary:
I got an insight into the McCain worldview last week at the Edinburgh Book Festival in a session I did with Robert Kagan, McCain's leading foreign affairs adviser, and author of The Return of History and the End of Dreams. The good news is that the war against terror is past tense, it seems, because he didn't mention al Qaeda once. The bad news is that America might be about to revisit, not the cold war, but the era of nineteenth-century great power rivalry, which is how Kagan characterised the current state of international affairs.
He believes the great faultline is between America and an axis of authoritarianism represented by China and Russia. There is a new era of geopolitical confrontation, according to Kagan, as Russia re-arms and China builds the biggest army in the world. America has to step up."The future international order will be shaped," he says, "by those who have the power and the collective will to shape it." No prizes for guessing whether John McCain is up to the military challenge. Europe, which Kagan dismissed as an irrelevant entity in the new world of hard power, would get trampled in the rush.
That's basically an admission from Kagan that a McCain foreign policy would consist entirely of looking for reasons to fight with Russia and China.
The neocons finally have their wet dream. No longer do they have to hype up a bunch of ragtag misfits hanging out in Pakistan's wilds or an "existential threat" from Iran that is anything but. They've got an enemy worthy of their ideology, their notion that America shows itself best when in a war for its very existence. They want to take on the two largest rival military powers in the world, both at once. And they don't want to do it by diplomacy, containment or any of that other pantywaist stuff. Oh no - they're want to use "hard power' - that's a euphemism for war, folks - and they believe McCain is just the angry old duffer they can lead by the nose into providing it.
"Scary" doesn't even begin to describe it. Completely batshit insane would be better. In case anyone doesn't remember, the era of nineteenth-century great power rivalry led directly to the Great War and WW2, the first of which began over a tiny incident that lit the fuse on the powderkeg. How comforting is it to know that, under a McCain presidency, the neocons would actively go looking for a new spark?
(Crossposted from Newshoggers)
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Robert Kagan is Mr. PNAC incarnate, him plus Cheney are or were the power houses behind the 'Project for the New American Century'
Kagan anywhere near the seat of power will bring on WW3.
C&L has always been Hilliary country [No it hasn't, and it never was C&L has always said it would support the Democratic nominee, whoever it would be, without throwing either candidate under the bus. Lie like that one more time, and youi'll find posting here difficult-Sitemonitor] and by your comments regarding Obama's ability to get the message out, you reinforce this for me. Study after study shows the MSM's favoritism towards McCain and the plethora of meaningless push polls out there to give the appearance of McCain doing better then Obama. I cannot believe you put the blame on Obama. Obama has an extremely effective defense and offense in play, it's just the mainstream media will not give him or his issues fair coverage. It's a shame I now have to lump C&L into that same mix as the MSM.
Its nuts...
There is the Lobbyist owned McCain then,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cvRggMVXu0
and now,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24qGYdlEb4
how can this man possibly fix what he helped break ?
American is not a strange county, but a really stupid country. It's the S (stupid) factor which overwhelms.
The average American is stupid. That's why it's a tight race.
Something or somebody is screwing with access to C&L, its been either missing or page not found.
What the fuck is wrong with these neocon fascists? Do they want to destroy the planet? Do they want to shit where they eat? Are they secretly building a spaceship to leave on when the going gets tough? WTF?
If you travel outside the U.S. as I do, you get this reaction a lot. People all over the world think we're nuts.
They couldn't believe we'd give a dumbshit like W. a second term. And they REALLY don't want to believe we'd elect McBush. But they've become understandably cynical about our seeming lack of judgement in this area.
blueone @ 2:
I'll have to disagree on this. I don't feel O has done nearly enough with his offense or defense. C&L continually posts items that O could hammer McCain with, but we hardly hear a word. For example, I bet this whole "how many houses thing" will die down in a few days, when in fact the dems should RUN with this like the repugs did with Kerry's famous "I voted before blah blah" gaffe. They didn't shut up about it and it helped. Also, O should NOT have gone on vacation. I don't care that he went to Hawaii, I care that he gave up the high ground. Bad move.
The polls could be being manipulated?
Don't trust the polls people. They are conducted on LIKELY voters. They don't include new voters. And the MSM is ignoring one important segment, young voters. Once again MSM is treating young people with comtempt.
Agree with #4, Americans are really stupid. Electing Bush after the first 4 years??? Because the other guy could wind surf and his wife was rich??
I blame stupid Americans. Not Obama. Not the media. Voters.
John Doheny @ 8:
People just have to realize that the selfish 25% aka the Republicans dont care for anybody but themselves and their profits.
Its 'the weak to wall" and steal everything thats not nailed down or hidden from them.
They are conmen, thieves, killers, rapists, they will do anything to anybody to make their world nice and enrich themselves.
They have a feudal religious mindset which allows for poor people to starve and die as long as they work for minimum wage cutting their lawns, looking after their kids, or servicing their sexual needs, working in their factories/ stores, when somebody gets ill or injured, then its bye bye time and go die somewhere out of their sight, then order in a replacement.
blueone @ 2:
As a Hillary Supporter and now Obama (100%) I dont think thats fair. The majority of the article hardly deals with Obama. I do have concerns that the Obama campaign will take the right wing to the mat as most of us feel they HAVE to. The last week and a half have been encouraging in that respect and while i think it will be harder to pull off, in the long run I think it will be worth it.
It's mostly the MSM.
'McCain has experience on foreign affairs and national defense.
Not ONE DAMN BOBBLEHEAD ever questions that. They take that as the gospel truth, but when Obama lays out what he will do, it is completely ignored and translated into 'NOBODY KNOWS ANYTHING about Obama.
Nobody comments on that either.
so the cure for the democrats is to attack Obama. pathetic. when will progressive cannabalism stop? I like to get some idea. even on his own side, barack can't get a fucking break.
His new name is McSongbird after all the singing he did.
I Spent Years as a POW with John McCain, and His Finger Should Not Be Near the Red Button.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/95825/
http://unfitmccain.com./Donations.html
Was this ever in question, most of the MSM is owned by MIC companies, the same companies that profit from endless war and misery.
So as with a dog with a bone, the Democratic party should always attack attack attack, twenty four seven, being nice will only lose the election.
'nice people finish last, and end up in concentration camps'
As Iraq was a war about oil... so is a confrontation with Russia. McCain and his PNAC buddies with big oil interests never got over Russia nationalizing their oil sector and throwing Exxon Mobil the hell out!
What McCain and his corpratist buds want is to continue to fight wars for them that are not really in the interest of the American people.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
John Doheny @ 8:
Too true.
Ain't nothing to do with 40-45% of this country thinking the old wrinkly faced guy has the right ideas. He's the right color. If Charles Manson was running against Obama, he would still have problems getting elected with these people.
im an american in the midwest and i have to say that i'm surrounded by morons.
i'm not saying i'm the brightest bulb. but come on. it's like the fu**in twilight zone.
i work in engineering and most of the dipshits i work with care more about their harley davidsons
and trucks then they do about humanity. they don't read and the discussions about golf and lawns never ends.
they are workaholics who don't mind or even realize that the people in finance and upper management are riding on their backs
and riding high.
oh and wait...football season is coming. it's time to wear you team shirt on friday.
it's like grade school for adults.
Obama has to 'take a fair chunk of the blame' for what? Being BLACK? The Republicans have all but ruined the country, and McCain and Obama are in rough parity because of one thing and one thing only: RACISM. If you factor in that roughly 20% of Americans will not bring themselves to vote for a young African American male, regardless of his party, the numbers make perfect sense. If the Republicans had fielded another young African American to run against Obama, the polls would be showing Obama ahead by 30 points right now. If the Dems had chosen a 'safe' middle aged white man, and nominated Biden or Dodd, he'd be up 30 points on McCain right now.
However, that's no reason to back away from our DUTY as progressives. The glass ceiling for African American males must be shattered, and this is the only chance we'll ever have to do it. Racism is going to make this election an uphill battle. It would be an impossible battle to win if not for the Republican brand being so badly damaged, but it IS winnable. Just don't expect it to be easy, or as easy as it otherwise would be.
As for Kagan...F@#K YOU! You wrote a good book about the Peloponnesian Wars, why don't you just leave it at that, and f-ing STOP trying to convince every bubble-headed wingnut Republican that The United States vs. (Insert Current 'Bad Guys' Country) is Athens vs. Sparta revisited! Sheesh... We're really living in a ridiculous age! Never before has some half-assed history professor been given the use of a government, and allowed to start a war just to prove the thesis of his book! Talk about an ego!
Loose Cannon McCain, a danger to himself, America and the world.
obama lost the enthusiasm when he broke his word and capitulated on fisa, how on EARTH does he give "immunity" to corporations when he has NO clue what crimes they committed
I was an energetic supporter of this man till he showed to me he is another corporate tool
I will still vote for him but I no longer go out of my way defending him, I see another "triangulator" and when the democrats "compromise" that means the republicans get everything they are asking for
for instance, the fisa bill
not happy with obama one bit
Gotta love Scotland:)
blueone @ 2:
I don't agree with your view of C&L at all. I can't recall any favoritism during the primaries toward Hillary. With all of the voices around here between the contributors and posters there was plenty of support and enthusiasm for everyone. Since Obama wrapped up the party nomination I have seen little to no bitterness on the part of the contributors and the calls for unity in the comment threads have drowned out most of the anti-Obama voices. While there is a bit of criticism for Obama in the article, I much prefer that to being incapable of criticizing a candidate one supports. I am fully behind Obama now, but if there's an area where he can improve, that needs to be addressed instead of ignored. If you think this article was in any way pro-McCain, I suggest reading it over a few more times.
I wish someone would write about how in this day and age of cell phones polling really works. I mean people polled are polled on their home land lines (Right) it would seem to me most progressives have a cell phone and only a cell phone(are people polled on a cell phone?). The majority of land line owners are over the age of 40 and keep the thing cause they have had it for years.
A McCain Whitehouse would make the current debacle in Iraq look like a minor error in judgment, its 4,000 dead merely a very a trifling sum. Adding an IQ test to qualify to vote won't solve things since the problem appears to be mixture of intentional ignorance and gullibility. Still, I think—desperately hope—that once people start paying attention again that McCain's mirage of support will vanish leaving all to wonder why we were ever worried. But, this is the country where juries found Slasher Simpson and the Rodney King cops innocent.
America can handle a black president.
America doesn't want or need a Marxist con man.
McCain in another Republican landslide, Reagan style.
Get used to it.
The reason McCain is even is because Obama is not believable. He talks about change and chooses Biden. He panders on offshore oil drilling. He wants to commit more troops to Afghanistan -- a lost war. He has given us no timetable for complete withdrawal from Iraq.
He has not denounced the banksters on Wall Street and called for reregulation. He actually receives more money from banksters than McCain.
In other words, he does not speak to the concerns of Americans. He pandered on "change" and "hope", but does not tell us how this will happen. Like the failed Reid and Pelosi, he doesn't understand that you have to fight for change. Singing kumbaya with the banksters and generals won't make it.
This country is broke and we need to cut military by 50 percent to begin to address this.
In other words, Obama is not serious and people feel it. The lack of seriousness means he can not distinguish himself from that clown McCain.
blueone @ 2:
Are you for real? That kind of denial of political reality is what killed both Kerry's and Gore's campaigns.
Just about every left-wing commentator I've heard recently, across the board, is begging the Obama campaign to step up and take the fight to McCain, because he absolutely has not done so. I'm sorry, but call a spade a spade. He has let McCain define Obama almost without real answer, and even worse, he has let McCain define McCain without introducing a compelling alternative narrative. He's totally fumbling the ball.
Be real about what's going on, so you can actually do something about it. Don't blame it on the MSM - yes, they're biased, but Obama is not doing enough of the talking; if he launches an aggressive string of attacks, they'll talk about it. And don't blame polls either - they may overrepresent older voters, but those older voters can be counted on to turn out and vote, so it would be idiotic to ignore what the polls are saying.
Col. Nathan Jessup @ 30:
I'm really going to enjoy watching ya'll eat crow.
Jo @ 7:
Maybe that's why Bush was pimping sending a man to mars.
Rasputin @ 19:
xenophobe or not, buchanan knows mcKeating as well as anyone.
Col. Nathan Jessup @ 30:
did the civil war end for you, yet?
John Doheny @ 8:
Yes we do. I watch with absolute horror how an election gets manipulated and twisted and taken away from the american ppl.
Then I realize oh yah...american idol, america's got talet, america's top dog, nascar,nfl....etc
Then I realize that the population has been dumbed down to the point that most ppl seem to vote and not really care.
Your country needs to look at a parlimentary democracy.
These morons gotta know the next big war with a super power type country will not leave the American mainland and population untouched - as it has for every other war we got our rocks off in fighting.
carefulwiththatAXEeugene @ 22:
I wish you the best man. Go.....team.
Obly @ 32:
I gotta go with blue on this one. here, huffpo and a few others. somehow 1/3 to 1/2 of the posts are attacking Obama for not being Hillary or for the sins of Gore and Kerry.
mudshark @ 33:
I second that!!
This is one of the reasons that 200,000 people turned up in Germany to hear Obama. When you realise that the other guy is a Neo-con wet dream you have to hope or pray (whatever your beliefs) that the other guy is better.
Ever since Obama clinched the nomination there haven't been very many political commercials from Obama. At least that's the way it is where I live. Hardly anything. In the meantime, there were plenty from McCain. And while Obama and his people sat on their butts, the lead he had in the polls has shrunk to nothing. While Obama and his people were twiddling their thumbs, going to Europe, going to Hawaii, McCain has actually been campaigning. It makes no sense. None at all.
Spin the fantasy of a 50/50% race, in spite of what the reality is, convince Dumbfuck USA that it's a close race, and they only have to steal a few votes to push it in their favour.
If the poles say it is at 75/25 for Obama, the neocons have to steal 25% and convince people after the fact that some miracle happened in McCainus's favour .
Wake up America, and turn the neocons into neoconvicts.
Could the polls be wrong because young people and tech savy people, who are more apt to vote for Obama in droves, do not answer blocked calls/unknown or land-line callers that pollsters rely on?
Well, from my prespective, there are only two reasons why this race for the Prez.
is close: (1) Really, really, really, stupid and dumb American voters or (2) the polls
are not accurate. My fear is that an explanation is number (1). YOU, who vote
for McLame, will perhaps get what you deserve...a destruction of our Republic and
our democratic system as it has thus far existed.
'Good on the inspirational rhetoric, crap on getting down in the weeds'
Um, duh. Some of us figured that out before the primaries. And I am no troll..my parents were registered Dems ( Dad: Vote a straight ticket!) and me too for 27 years. But from the beginning, Obama has seemed to me to be what alot of women out there would recognize: that handsome, great guy who talks so sweet and promises you everything you ever wanted. Until you find out he's married with 3 kids-or something like that. I think that is why Hillary had a little edge with older women, to be truthful. Quite a few of us have been burned by guys like this in the past.
STILL, against my better sense, I trusted. Until the FISA vote. Then I knew I was right all along. Pretty talk. Same ol same ol
candidate :-(
sceptical @ 31:
I'm sorry, but I don't think this is it at all, your own personal dissatisfaction though it may be.
Do you know how easy it is to be blissfully ignorant of politics in this country? 75% of Americans can't even name the Secretary of State - they sure the f*&k don't know what FISA is, or the real causes of the housing crash, or any of the things you think they're judging Obama on.
I just recently went to the convention of the American Psychological Association, and attended a talk on political messaging with about 300 other mostly doctoral-level psychologists in the bluest of blue states of Massachusetts. And guess what? By show of hands, I was one of only about four people in the room who knew what S-CHIP is. Even highly intelligent people just don't pay enough attention to know what all the issues are.
There's a pretty simple rule in modern American politics. He who controls the stories being told about the candidates, wins. He who thinks "the American people won't fall for attack-style politics", loses. Obama is not in control of the story that is being told about him or the story being told about McCain. McCain is currently in control of both stories. That's why he's caught up.
Our media is what is wrong with America.
That - and the IQ of the average American voter. This is a consequence of the deliberate dumbing-down of Americans by political entities with the intention to produce endless cannon fodder and stupid voters.
*
Skoalbandit @ 12:
Bush was NOT elected.
But the fact that such a large portion of the voting electorate didn't know about the Bush family history is unforgivable. THAT'S a stupid voter. And the corporate owned media is responsible for that to a very large degree.
*
Obly @ 48:
Trittydi @ 49:
+2
Correct on both counts, stupid sheep + a corporate media = Amerika
Trittydi @ 50:
I see a lot of us agree as to the stupidity of many voters...and Albert Einstein also
would seem to agree when he said: "Only two things are infinite; the Universe and
human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the former. "
With the number of stolen elections inflicted on the American people recently, it's no wonder that polls are equally suspect. It is to provide cover for yet another stolen election with the MSM remaining dutifully disinterested.
Blueone and others - do your research before you attack me. Here's I'll make it easy for you.
No-one asked me whether I favored Obama or Clinton when I was asked to join C&L, and if they had I wouldn't have agreed to join - but I've been far more favorable to Obama in all my writing since the primaries began even though I'm further left than either.[*] I worry he's a bit of a Tony Blair but he's still the best of the two. However, I'll continue to call things as I see them and if I think he could do better I'll say so. He could. He could actually start talking about all that detail in his policy planning, to which I gave an approving link.
Regards, C
* I'm a Scottish ex-pat and a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. At home, I vote SNP because Labour have moved too far right. About the only US politician I could vote for without misgivings is Bernie Sanders.
carefulwiththatAXEeugene @ 22:
never a truer word said.
McCain for president? This guy is hot only purposely dividing the democratic party, he is playing his own party as stupid also. His ads are obvious lies. The world is watching how gullible this country is. We have people who claim to be religious but vote along racial lines, knowing who the best candidate is. I'm not saying that everyone who votes for Obama is evil but some of you are going to bust hell wide open. I think and this is just my opinion, depending on what this country does it will be punished accordingly, look whats happening around the world right now and even in this country.
May GOD BLESS ALL
You should rename that wonderful image to johnmcstrangelove.jpg. And then you should make a t-shirt out of it, or let me.
American Militarism and Imperialism. Scary? Oh yes. Be very afraid Americans who are far too content in not knowing about it,not asking questions about it,not learning about it and not trying to stop it dead and bury it unmarked and unknown.
At some point a new American Revolution becomes the only force that can take on this WashingtonDC that embraces this madness of new world wars in this century against Russia or China or both.
Seeing the New York Times giving one of the worse and most wrong most often neo-con warmonger prophets,William Kristol,a stand out example of something having gone very very wrong.
American Militarism and Imperialism of this far off course WashingtonDC needs to be curbed and ruled out.
Sooner. Better. Don't Tread On Me.Throw off and out the scoundrels.
[Deleted. Double-posted. Site Monitor]
Cernig @ 55:
hey Cernig, English ex pat here, now a five year veteran of surviving MN winters.
Remember when smiler boy Tont Blair resigned and was said to be going off to be the special peace envoy for the near east.
Well smiler boy did a million dollar speech at some posh do in Asia then went underground to avoid embarrassment and prob war crime charges.
Its like the hon Tony Blair never existed, hes dropped off the face of the Earth.
Chris @ 57:
Chris, what exactly are you saying? Are you saying Obama is the anti Christ and that anyone who votes for him is doomed to hell?
Dale @ 58:
The republican homers would actually like the shirt. That's the sad thing. They think missles, bombs, war and "kickin ass" is cool.
StirFry @ 63:
How is it that Republicans can't see the contradiction of praising St. Ronnie for ending the cold war on one hand while supporting all these neocons who want to restart it on the other?
Bewildering, that is.
Hell know, I'm just stating my own opinion about what I believe is happening. Obama is by no means the Anti Christ. I just think that we as a nation are in serious trouble. We have to get this one right. We have to put all are differences aside. I am a white male that feels that we as a nation are really one, we all need each other to survive.
I agree with blueone@2 about blaming Obama. Cernig's rant is "I don’t feel O has done nearly enough with his offense or defense." I don't care what you feel; what the hell do you know, except armchair quarterbacking. You probably never in your miserable life ran for anything except a bus or a taxi, and now you want to be seen as an expert. You need to shut your arrogant, pompous mouth. Blogging doesn't make you smart, experienced or knowledgable. [Deleted. Abusive. That's the kind of wish you should keep to yourself, JoAnne. Site Monitor]
Hell know, I’m just stating my own opinion about what I believe is happening. Obama is by no means the Anti Christ. I just think that we as a nation are in serious trouble. We have to get this one right. We have to put all are differences aside. I am a white male that feels that we as a nation are really one, we all need each other to survive. I believe that Obama is the best candidate but I will also respect your vote.
Chris @ 65:
Thanks for the response Chris. After all the GOP has done in the last 8 years, I couldn't agree more.
McCain is not the answer.
Sitemonitor for VP.
[Sweet talker. :D Site Monitor]
And how is what Kagan said any different than what I have been warning about for the last several years.
...the above female commenter is correct...fems see qualities in Obama that everyone glosses over. He remind me of Pierce Brosnan of 007 fame...looks good, but NO BOND. Alas, he will have to do...you get the leader you deserve, right?
JoAnne @66. Thank you for your kind wishes.
Regards, C
Patrick @ 28:
Right. We would also think that young people tend to not have land lines and that they will vote in droves for BHO. I don't think the polls nearly reflect how lopsided this election will be.
WTF? is wrong with America?
1) Not all our poll takers contact people who only have cell phones.
2) Our "News" sources like any race to be neck and neck so more people will watch.
3) Not everyone in America's left has the guts to do what it will take to keep McCain out of the White House.
Couldn't agree more with McWhirter. And no one has yet explained to my satisfaction why half the country thinks John McCain is a swell guy and would be a great leader for the next 4 years. Bonus points for not blaming the media.
WTF is wrong with us?
I knew McCain was scary, but he is insane. Americans are just ignorant. They want to be number one at everything, but don't understand that their leaders are taking back to the dark ages.
Consider that polls are hacked just like the last two presidential elections. Oregon is supposed to be close but all I see are Obama stickers and signs. The networks are going along for the ride, makes for better ratings and wil explain the fixed votes.
brian @ 76:
Hell even the conservatives are scared of McCain and his Neocon advisers:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/buchanan/buchanan95.html
Actually, that should be JohnD.Ripper... Stranglove was the guy in the wheelchair - my cousin, Peter Sellers