The Wrath of John McCain

There is no doubt that what John McCain went through on behalf of and for the love of this country during the war in Vietnam was horrendous. How many of us could have endured it--even a day? He is to be honored forever for this, and appreciated. He was a prisoner of war for more than five years, tortured, given inadequate care, confined to solitude for more than two years. He suffered physical wounds and humiliation. His hair turned white from the stress. When he returned home he faced months of physical therapy and his own self-torture from having finally given in to the waves of beatings by making an "anti-American confession." He is left physically marred, with limited movement of his arms.

What lasting effect could this have on a man's psyche? Could it be the reason for John McCain's self-avowed rage? We've observed it--sometimes very thinly disguised through clenched teeth, dark glares, pointed slurs. Rage in restraint. And regardless of the reason for it, even if it is indeed the result of his allegiance and devotion to his country, untempered rage can be a very dangerous thing.

Do we want a president who himself admits:

"I have a temper, to state the obvious, which I have tried to control with varying degrees of success because it does not always serve my interest or the public's."
- John McCain

* Watch this video, John McCain's Rage.
* And read Make Believe Maverick from Rolling Stone.

crossroads

We're at a crossroads. It will be Obama, or it will be McCain. Both claim to be the right choice, the only choice for America. We've lost our footing in the world. As a child I saw an America that led the world, that liberated the country my mother lived in and that my father fought in. America was right, always right. Or so it seemed. When I grew older, I saw America could be wrong. Vietnam.

We're at a crossroads. But of course we always are--not just in things as large as an election, but in the little things we encounter everyday. Decisions we make. Buying this or that. Saying yes to an invitation, no to another. But some things we recognize as important crossroads. Stepping into one life, while stepping out of another. A job, a relationship, a lifestyle.

Who will it be? Obama or McCain? Who will bring the change most of us agree is so necessary to this country? Global warming, healthcare, foreign policy, foreign diplomacy, education, hope, freedom, equality--black/white, male/female. War. Peace.

Who will it be? One hundred years from now, will they turn back to applaud us. Or will they wonder whatever were we thinking?

We're at a crossroads. The sign tells us we can go right or left. One thing we know. We cannot stay where we are. We must choose.