McCain is Whining - Not a Pretty Picture

Good grief. I am having a hard enough time determining who I will vote for in November. I admit to waffling (but I am not a politician, so I am allowed), but I can't stand what looks like juvenile behavior in Senator McCain. Mr. Obama has returned from his trip and begins talking about issues, mainly the economy. McCain keeps talking about Obama's trip and really sinks low talking about Obama going to the gym instead of visiting our military heroes. Come on, John. That sounds desperate and it's only July.

That comes on the heels of McCain saying that Obama would rather lose the war than lose the presidency. That kind of rhetoric I did not expect from the straight-talking senator. He has moved down a notch or two with this kind of campaigning. In a previous post I noted that while others in his campaign may revert to cheap, political theatre, I said that John McCain would not do so himself. Apparently I was wrong.

So, Mr. McCain, there is plenty to talk about in this campaign. We'd like to hear what you are going to do (in detail) about the wars, the economy, the crumbling infrastructure, the taxes, and on and on. Attacking Obama for looking good (and maybe even Presidential) in the Middle East and Europe sounds like sour grapes.

Only the fanatics will latch on to the kind of mud slinging going on now. The e-mails and spam will fly across the Internet. I have not yet made up my mind, but I wanted to do it myself. Now Mr. McCain, at least for today, is trying to make up my mind for me.

Political Pet Peeves

I am one of "those" persons who has a few pet peeves for the world in general. I am usually a nice person so I don't blast people too often, but those who write or say "Me and her went shopping", or "irregardless" grate on me nevertheless.

For today, I will pick on the three current presidential candidates. Nothing big, just irritants that their handlers should have brought up and corrected.

For Hillary the list is long. The woman just rubs me the wrong way. It is more my issue, I guess, than hers. Of course, she would be totally unaware of what I thought, and would care even less. So to be fair, I will only list E pluribus unum (likely only my brother will get the reference).

I don't know if she can help it but the poor lady's voice was not meant to be used above 65 decibels. When she hits 80 dB it is more of a screech and is not becoming of a lady. She should just wait to speak until the roar of the crowd subsides. Or talk at 65 dB so everyone can wonder what she is saying. Remember the Howard Dean shreik didn't win him many votes.

Senator Obama, the great speaker du jour, has this very annoying habit of injecting "you know", when he is stretching for the right words. Actually it is more like "a no" but then most of us slur some of our words. His people should certainly have coached that out of him by now. To me it is like the word "like" in the current teen vernacular. Unnecessary and, like, distracting. I also happen to think he should let his waffle get cold to answer questions in a public setting, but that is just me.

John McCain, as far as I can tell, took my advice and quit using "trancendent" in every other sentence. Dr. M.L. King was a "transcendent figure in American history...", and our need to "confront the transcendent challenge of our time...", and so on, are just a few of Mac's lines. My freshman English teacher, Miss Zirian Blish, always told us, "Use a word three times and its yours". OK, Mr. McCain, I will cede the word to you, just quit letting it trip off your tongue so frequently.

My real peeve about Mr. McCain, great gentleman that he is, is that someone doesn't get him to the dentist to file his offending teeth to stop that shrill whistle when he talks. It wouldn't take but a quick flick of the emery and he would stop alerting the neighborhood dogs. Listen to him next time and it will begin to irritate you as well. And then you can thank me for pointing it out.

When Will It All End?

During our trip back to Wisconsin, I took a break from the news cycle for four days. Although I glanced at the headlines of the U.S. Today in the rack, I did not read much during our hurried trip from Arizona. That is a considerable sacrifice for a newshound like me.

Now I have resumed my daily multiple doses of the news: reading the paper, watching at least two networks new shows, and leafing through news magazines when one appears. I found I didn't miss too much.

Sort of like the soap operas where you can miss a day or two, or heck a week or two, the national news is about the same. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama are still fighting it out, much to the dismay of Howard Dean and other Dems, and much to the glee of Sen. McCain and other Republicans. Of course, it will only intensify and get worse until one of the two yells "Uncle!" and then comes out smiling in support of the other. Wot a country!

I actually enjoy this kind of news, switching with abandon between CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. I listen to the pundits and wanna-be commentators who offer their opinions, for what they are worth. In my opinion, humbly, I am sticking with my statement that Mrs. Clinton will not prevail. That is unless Mr. Obama's "friends" continue to implode his campaign. As of today he can withstand the scrutiny of his pastor's vitriol, his Chicago contributor's felonies, and his colorful background. However, a few more revelations coming out in dribs and drabs might begin to erode support from an already cynical populace.

The same is true for Hillary, of course, and because she already has such a high negative rating, another faux pas, especially if it pins the Truth Meter needle again, will be enough to settle the battle.

Yet today's news is really not just the "same old, same old". It is nuanced just enough to keep us interested. I am not looking forward to the day when there is only one candidate per party to deal with.