Warning:
This is a post about politics, so please ignore it if you don't care about, or are annoyed by, this subject or just my writing, in general (Jaime and Jenni).Suni and I watched the debates last night and came away thinking that John McCain had performed better but still did not take Obama to task on several of his most glaring weaknesses. Obama's eloquence is obvious, and he is quite charismatic. McCain had the right idea by pointing out that eloquence, but he needed to follow that up with concrete reasons Obama's rhetoric was empty. He did not do that.
I'm voting for John McCain. So is Suni. I won's say a whole lot about this, lest I alienate the few of you who actually read our blog. When all is said and done, what concerns me most (and is, thus, the issue on which I vote, all else being equal) is foreign policy. I tend to vote for the candidate who will fight wars that need fought, avoid wars that don't, and who has enough sense to know the difference. In an ever-complicated atmosphere of global politics, the latter is quite a challenge.
It may seem oversimplistic (and is in a way) but the economy, abortion, etc. is hardly important if we lose our way of life due to terrorism or outright war with Russia or Iran. I simply don't trust Barack Obama to handle these matters. He just doesn't have enough experience in foreign policy. That certainly isn't his only weakness, but it is his decisive weakness, at least in my mind. I like what "
Joe the Plumber" had to say in this short video after the debate and
this one before it. I love this guy.
It may be a futile vote, but I am voting for Democrat Bob Tuke for the U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee. Well, really, I am voting
against Lamar Alexander, who apparently didn't care that an overwhelming majority of his constituents did not want the latest mind-boggling federal government joke masquerading as a "rescue plan." I have always admired Alexander, who grew up right here in Maryville and who was an excellent governor of this state. But when a politician willfully ignores the will of his constituents, it is time to bid him farewell. It won't happen this election, but I will do my part. And If I were Bob Tuke, I would run a campaign ad with this very message.
I look forward to imparting in our kids the importance of exercising their civil privilege and responsibility of voting. I also hope we can foster an environment where our kids think for themselves and can express their views rather than parrot what Suni and I think and say. I think this will be one of the great challenges of parenting.