McCain The Fighter

In his acceptance speech, John McCain uttered the word "fight" 25 times. 25!

His history and temperament is that of a pugilist. His high school nickname was "McNasty". Do we want this kind of person to lead America, to lead the world? McCain even said that when he was young, and I paraphrase, "that I picked a couple of fights... for fun."

Fun?

The issue is temperament, it is as important as intelligence and McCain should not be given power to unleash his bad temper.

Senator McCain made many very appealing arguments for: a balanced budget, ethics reform, lower taxes, free trade, choice among public schools and an end to pork barrell "earmarks". However, a commitment to those goals does not outweigh the danger that his short fuse will lead us into yet another conflict... with Iran or even Russia -- confrontations we can't afford and that should be diffused.

And it's not just McCain. Sarah Palin made several references to fights and as a "hockey mom" she compared herself to a pit bull. It's been reported that her hockey playing son spends an inordinate amount of time in the penalty box, meaning he plays dirty. The chanting convention faithful sounded more like fired-up football fans than a group of civic minded leaders.

It seems to me that the Republican party not only represents but actively courts defensive, angry, narrow-minded people, overwhelmingly white and immature spiritually. The party of Lincoln now revels in division and battle. McCain is a candidate and the Republicans are a party that relish war even with all of its casualties and risks. Convention producers wallowed in military pageantry. Pugnacity is confused with courage. Party planners ceaselessly strut their patriotism by recognizing those wounded in war. Which is rich from a group that has sent tens of thousands of loyal fighting men and women to death and disability. And don't forget, the Iraq war was launched for two non-existent reasons - WMD and ties to Al Qaeda.

It reminds me of when Republican ad producer and now Fox News Chief Roger Ailes, said that an election is not about a debate but a "fight", where voters want to see two opponents, "kick each other's teeth in."

Sadly this is now the right wing's way. It is a full-throated appeal to our fear, our anger, our hatreds. It is a call to our lower, reactive nature, to the most primitive part of our brains, the powerful portion that we share with reptiles. This is behavior against which thinking, good willed people must beware, must... fight!

Those moderates among us (in temperament as much as policy) may have to get far more involved in this election.

As one who believes profoundly in preparation, as an admirer of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, I'm no dove. As a moderate, I believe we need a calm and deliberative leader who seeks alliances and directs a smart and subtle foreign policy. We don't need a quarrelsome, go-it-alone fighter who believes in "America, right or wrong!"