John McCain, the Republican candidate for the presidency, is by no means an electrifying speaker. He isn’t as personable as Bill Clinton. He lacks that special warmth that Clinton brought to the table. And he lacks the power of a Hillary Clinton. Her speechs usually weren’t beautiful, but she certainly knows how to get her opinions across. And he doesn’t speak with the cadences of a Barack Obama. He doesn’t have Obama’s ability to lift up hearts and spirits. But, all the same, as he accepted the nomination and spoke, I realized that he truly does come across as a good man. He conveys wisdom and confidence. All in all, he might not overwhelm you, but he probably does leave listeners with positive impressions.
His speech was far more than a policy address. It seemed as if he was a hero telling an eager crowd modestly but proudly of his life’s travails. He spoke about prior selfishness and stubbornness in his life. He talked about when the changes he had gone through. He spoke about when he finally learned that there was something more important than doing things his way. When he finally learned that serving his nation was the best thing he could do with his life. His speech wasn’t larger than life, and that was the beauty of it. He was equal to life, but at the same time someone who seemed to have a remarkably strong handle on life. He talked about doing good in the world, and told us all the good he would do if elected. And that’s what came across to me. A good man who wants to chase the evil out of Washington D.C., and has the life experience that will equip him to do so.
But policy wise, there are a lot of holes for Barack Obama to attack. And he can begin his attack by simply asking questions.
For example, last night, John McCain mentioned that Sarah Palin had balanced the budget as the governor of Alaska. Great, but now Obama ought to ask: How do you plan on enforcing fiscal conservatism when elected president? How will you balance the budget even as you keep spending trillions of dollars in Iraq? And how will you balance it while maintaining a strong militart? And even as you decrease taxes, lowering tax revenue?
Ah, but of course, McCain promises he will cut spending. Wasteful spending. A politician’s favorite line. “I will cut waste in Washington.” Every politicians acts if they have a magic wand, and that if elected, they will take it out, and suddenly swoosh, government will work with 100% efficiency and the budget will be balanced. But, it’s time to get real. Obama, at least, has concrete ways of cutting spending, such as withdrawing from Iraq. The question is, what will McCain do to cut spending?
On Iraq, both candidates claim the surge has worked. But, rather than let the country celebrate McCain’s bold and successful stand on the surge, it is time for Obama to focus the public eye on what happens next. And he must ask John McCain: How long can we afford to keep our troops in Iraq? How long will it take to “win” this war? Would our leaving really be such a bad thing?
And speaking of Iraq, Obama ought to start asking McCain questions about the run-up to the war. Was it right to invade Iraq with no international support and at such a tremendous cost?
Obama ought to bring the entire Bush foreign policy into the national conversation. The National Intelligence Estimate says that the terrorist threat has increased since 9/11, despite seven years of our ferocious War on Terror. We are less popular in the world than we were eight years ago. We are perhaps hated more than at any other time in our history. So, what does McCain think about the Bush foreign policy? Obama promises a changed foreign policy, which will help win global support and perhaps even aid us in our War on Terror? So, the onlt question remaining is, what would a John McCain foreign policy? In what ways would it represent a change from the failed Bush foreign policy?
Obama needs to take McCain and the Republicans on. Say that the Republicans have failed us in this War on Terror. Put the pressure on McCain!
And on taxes, Obama needs to focus in on those Bush tax cuts. He needs to ask tough questions: Was it really necessary to cut taxes on the wealthy in this country? Is it really responsible to keep taxes low on the rich, at a time when our defecit is soaring and our middle class is suffering?
Simply put, John McCain gave a good speech last night. But it wasn’t enough to erase the failures of the last 7 years, and the questions about the next 8. Obama needs to ask them. And answer them.
