Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Every day that we are closer to the end of the George Bush era seems to signal a new reason to be a little more on edge. Certainly it isn't the fear of the unknown. It couldn't be any worse than the known we've been experiencing for the past 7+ years.



Shall I name it? It's the fear that these folks will never leave.



I am not one of the conspiracy theorist who think Bush and Company will find a pretext to establish martial law, cancel the election and just keep on keepin' on. No, I fear worse than that.

I fear that they have so beaten down the American psyche that frightened citizens throughout this land will go to the polls to elect someone who will protect them from Al-Quaida, aka the Middle Eastern Boogey Men. They will elect another one just like the other one. That someone? A rather confused, rather senior senator who has decided to sell his soul to become president during his few remaining years.



And John McCain is playing along with the scheme. The Bush Administration would love to see McCain become president since he has become a toothless old lion who will continue the failed policies that have this country in its worst disarray in half a century, perhaps ever.



What is it about the vanity of a politician like McCain that allows him to believe that he is anointed to become the next president regardless of his lack of knowledge in so many fields?

He has admitted that he knows and understands little about the economy, especially the economic problems that have come to full fruition in the past few months. A sane person with no such expertise would be looking for an exit strategy from this race so as not to be linked with the financial mess that may take years to repair. Instead he blusters on, agreeing with plans to bail out Wall Street Financial entities, but having little interest in bailing out individuals who are losing homes. Since he admittedly knows little about economic policy, it's kind of hard to feel that this is the best course.

Let's look at his stand on the war in Iraq. George should love it. It's an echo of his policy, or lack thereof. STAY THE COURSE. Be loyal to the Iraqis, don't leave the job undone. Not very original, but certainly very jingoistic. John's message is that our allies will never be able to rely on our word if we don't stick out this unending mess. There's also the undercurrent of his feeling that the dark forces will have won if we pack up our troops and leave. In other words, his foreign policy is about the same as his domestic plan...weak.

This is where I get the feeling that John will just be the same old same old. When we start invoking loyalties that don't exist to a people who wish we would get out of their country, I can't tell where the Bush Administration ends and the John McCain candidacy begins. Does this man believe this claptrap? All this flagwaving, gut-testing claptrap?

According to their scenario, the world's opinion of us will diminish if we stop interfering in the internal affairs of another country, get our financials in order, clean our house, move forward as a nation and meet the challenges of the 21st century. No mention of our worldwide fall from a position of leadership to one of derision because we have chosen to ignore the urgings of good friends and not such ones to do these things.

Well, they've certainly succeeded in making most of us afraid. Unfortunately, we're afraid of them.