Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.—Gustav Mahler

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Can't We All Just Get Along? [apparently not Some of Us, even with Each Other]

I remember saying about a year ago I'd be happy with John McCain as president, even tho he often departs from conservative philosophy, if it would get America---left and right [the folks I work with lean left and they're always jawing at me]---off each other's throats.

I'm sick of all this, too.

A lefty pal o'mine writes:

[T]he most exciting development for me so far in the primaries has been McCain's victory in New Hampshire and possible resurgence. I've long thought that the key to bringing sanity back to American politics lies with the GOP...


Well, of course he would say that, since Ann Coulter's indiscretions are headline news, whereas Bill Maher's and Al Franken's and Michael Moore's and even Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean's are so par for the course that we on the right don't even raise an eyebrow anymore.

But without getting into strict disagreement with him, a look at the GOP field shows McCain and Rudy Giuliani with established maverick credentials, Mitt Romney managing to get hisself elected governor of the only state that George McGovern carried, and Christianist Mike Huckabee more a believer in government as the solution to people's problems than any Republican in recent memory.

[I, of course, support Fred Thompson, who, altho a down-the-line conservative, is at least mellow, and undoubtedly to my lefty pal's delight, also stands not even a snowball's chance.]

So, the GOP has already de facto done its part in Our National Healing. On the other side, only HRC could possibly be construed as center-left rather than simply left, and that takes a ton of mental creativity.

And from what I see in the headlines, Herself and Sen. Barack Obama are getting ready to take the gloves off. Not mellow, atall, atall.

But if Obama prevails as the Dem nominee, there's a chilling possibility that any legitimate criticism of his candidacy might be seen as racially insensitive or offensive or divisive or whatever. Al Gore's 2000 campaign manager Donna Brazile made that charge against Bill Clinton His Ownself today.

For him to go after Obama using "fairy tale," calling him a "kid," as he did last week, it's an insult. And I tell you, as an African-American, I find his words and his tone to be very depressing.


America's First Black President disses his own. Very depressing indeed. All that healing he did, circling the bowl.

This all might get a helluva lot uglier before it get prettier, folks, but it has zilch to do with the Party of Lincoln.


[Me, if Obama slapped Ms. Brazile down in a Sista Soulja moment and gave ex-President Clinton's remarks a pass as histrionic but legitimate campaign fare, he might even win my vote, his Senate voting record being identical to Teddy Kennedy's notwithstanding. Did I mention I'm sick of all this?]

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