McCain Accuses Obama of Everything

In the absence of a substantive campaign Senator McCain has been playing the accusation game. Each week, or every other day, McCain accuses Obama of something or other. It really doesn't matter what McCain accuses Obama of; one can almost fill in the blank. Examples of some of the accusations are listed below.

McCain accuses Obama of playing the race card.
McCain accuses Obama of pandering on Iraq.
McCain accuses Obama of ducking out on visit to wounded troops.
McCain accuses Obama of being willing to lose the war in order to win the election.
McCain accuses Obama of flip-flopping on the Holocaust.
McCain accuses Obama of just being a celebrity. (Aren't all politician celebrities?)
McCain accuses Obama of being soft on Cuba.
McCain accuses Obama of "doublespeak.
McCain accuses Obama of "pandering" to 65% of the voters. (What about the other 35%?)
Etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc


The main problem with this approach is that it doesn't tell us what McCain will do for the country if elected president. He doesn't even tell us why we should vote for him. In fact, the constant array of accusations may tell people why they shouldn't vote for McCain. This is a carefully planned strategy designed to wear away at the image of Senator Obama. Unfortunately for McCain it's a poorly planned strategy that will ultimately wear away his own image. There is one ultimate accusation that McCain can make that will assure his election.

McCain Accuses Obama of Being Better Presidential Candidate.

Separation between Church and State: Still a Good Idea

Politics and religion have always been intermeshed in this country, but in recent years this enmeshment has accelerated greatly. Two factors contributing to this have been the conservative Republicans building a base that was dependent upon significant participation by the Christian evangelical movement in America, and the struggle regarding a woman's right, or lack thereof, to have an abortion.

The issue in the 2008 presidential election year couldn't be clearer. In a recent article in the New York Times, Timothy Egan pointed out that, "Romney who declared this year that ‘freedom requires religion,’ and Mike Huckabee, who called himself a "Christian leader" advocated the amending of the Constitution to follow Biblical principles. Both men are being touted as running mates for McCain." Huckabee's proposal to amend the Constitution to follow Biblical principles is the precise reason what the First Amendment was written to prevent. Surely Huckabee is aware that there are Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and many others of different faiths that do not adhere to "Biblical principles." Jefferson and Madison would have been appalled by the notion that freedom requires religion and a proposal to amend the Constitution to follow Biblical principles.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The precise meaning of this statement has been argued over for the last 200 years. At issue, is the attempt to discern what was in the minds of the founding fathers when this amendment was included. In his letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, Thomas Jefferson stated, "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" thus building a wall of eternal separation between Church and State.”

In 1980 Ronald Reagan stated that "Government was the problem not the solution," and became president because the people bought into his notion of less government rather than more. Present-day conservatives have strayed far from Reagan's conservative notions of government and are proposing government intervention into areas of our lives long held private.

Karl Rove: Santa's Favorite Elf

For sometime I have been aware that a number of Americans hate Karl Rove. I have been mystified by these hostile feelings because it is well known that he cares about each and every American, regardless of their race, nationality, religion, or political affiliation. This has earned him the nickname of "Santa's Favorite Elf," among many, many people. I have even been told that each night before he goes to bed, he says a special prayer for the well-being of liberal Democrats throughout this country. Isn't that sweet.

He has been blamed for spreading disinformation about the clause and purpose of the war in Iraq. To the best of my knowledge he has consistently stated that we were invited in by the Iraqis to help them overthrow Saddam Hussein. He certainly wasn't responsible for the fact that the CIA and other intelligence sources gave the president and his advisers faulty information regarding the status of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. My inside source within inner conservative Republican circles, Stanislaw Lemsky, a former Soviet school teacher and member of the KGB, told me that Karl cautioned the president about making sure the intelligence information was absolutely correct.

A number of people have also accused him of preventing significant numbers of Americans from being able to vote. To substantiate such absurd claims recently inappropriately intercepted e-mail messages with voter names have been used as purported evidence to support this assertion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Karl and his staff have been working late into the night to make sure these people who have been targeted by unknown sources are actually assured of their ability to vote in the presidential election.

Lastly, allegations have been made about Karl's involvement in the prosecution of former Governor Don Siegelman of Alabama. I'm sure Jill Simpson means well, but she probably misunderstood Karl Rove when he allegedly asked her to photograph then Governor Siegelman in compromising sexual activities. Karl probably told her that he wanted some personal pictures of the governor and his wife so that he could hang them. To have said what Ms. Simpson accuses him of saying what have constituted dishonorable and illegal activities, both totally abhorrent to Karl's altruistic nature.

Come on Americans, let's get the truth straight.