Anyway, Musings of a Scattered Mind:
- Never Say ... : Diet. Yes, I'm going back on one. I have been eating very poorly lately, and it has pretty much zapped all of my energy, which has steamrolled into not going to the gym, which just makes me grumpy and fat. It seems to have accelerated in the past couple of weeks, so today, I am back on the eating every few hours with lots and lots of protein diet. This also means limiting my alcohol consumption, which will probably be more difficult than anything else because I seem to be around it more. We'll see how that goes.
- Only in America does 9,000 votes equal more than 18 million: Before I start my rant, I would like to say that I'll be voting for Obama-Biden in November. However, once again, I have to admit that I am less than excited with the Democratic ticket. This marks three elections of dumbfuckery where I had to hold my nose and vote for my party's candidates. Of the candidates that had a serious chance at being VP, I have to say that Biden is the best choice (since Hillary wasn't even on the table). However, it is just amazing to me that someone who could barely muster more than 9,000 votes in the primary would be considered a stronger choice than someone who won MORE than our nominee. Plus, how does someone who has been in the Senate for 36 years (more than McCain) equate any sort of the "Change We Can Believe In?" Indeed, while I generally liked Biden's speech on Saturday, I found it incredibly disingenuous that he is attacking Washington for doing nothing. Isn't he attacking himself, Mr. Chairman of the Armed Services Committee? Isn't he attacking his own party, which, by the way, is in POWER and has continually bent over and taken it like a champ (I'm looking at you Nancy Pelosi)? This is the first time in history we have had two Senators running against each other for President, and it just seems pretty asinine to attack yourself for doing nothing. Anyway... The trouble with all this is the bunker mentality surrounding the Obama campaign. They really do think that if they build it, people will come into their giant tent. They just assume that all the PUMA's (Party Unity My Ass) out there will just unite under the banner of Obama-Biden once they see the light and wisdom of the choice. Well, um, wrong! The first poll taken completely after the Biden announcement shows a dead heat, which is a down tick, when an announcement like this usually produces a bounce. Way to go Barack...Way...to...go! Finally, I was thinking this morning that if, by chance, Obama wins and goes for two terms, Biden will be 73 years old in 2016, one year older than John McCain is now. So, this is not a pick to extend Democratic Party dominance. How long until we have Biden put his foot in his mouth, too? I hope things get back on track with the Convention this week, though in this time of dwindling ratings, I have to wonder how many people who are truly undecided will watch this dog and pony show? Time will tell, I guess.
- Shout out to Matthew Mitcham - I was sitting in Olly's on Saturday night, hanging out, eating dinner, and working on the Indy Pride website (collecting my thoughts on a place mat, no less), and in between the caterwauling of karaoke and chatting with some folks, I was watching the 10 meter diving championships on the TV across the room. There were two Indiana boys in the finals, but they weren't doing all that well, which left Mitcham as the only one going toe to toe with the Chinese powerhouses. I didn't know it was him at the time, because I could barely see the TV, let a lone read names or see flags, but I was aware there was an out diver in this years Olympics, and frankly, the thing that was most pleasing for me was that he was the only diver that didn't make me feel like a pedophile. Leave it to the one gay diver to actually have pecs and not look like a 12 year old. Anyway, after I got home, I was thrilled to see it was indeed him who had won the gold, even though NBC never mentioned once that he was gay. The fact that he was out and proud with his mother and partner in the stands, well, it shows how far we've come. Congrats, Matthew!
6 comments:
I too will be holding my nose when I vote in November. I'm so disappointed. I'm not evening watching the convention right now...I'm watching George Lopez.
About reducing the alcohol intake...have you notified Olly's? They'll probably have to do a reduction in the workforce. :-)
I have re-started my diet today as well. Went low carb last fall and did great. Summer screwed me. So keep us posted so I can stay motivated.
Timmy> Yeah, I couldn't being myself to watch tonight. I'd deal with Barack as President, but oh man, I can do without Michelle.
BcOhio> Will Do! This diet worked for me pretty well a few years back, but I was under 30 then. So, who knows. In my diet, it is pretty much all protein, but it becomes lower in carbs because you don't have room to eat them. We'll see :-)
Good luck with that whole alcohol cut-back thing.
Note the following essay by a die-hard Hillary supporter. If you still hold back from a wholehearted endorsement of Obama and feel that you can't believe in hims candidacy, I think you are either terminally stubborn or are just not paying attention.
Signed: Anon
by Taylor Marsh
I cast an early and enthusiastic vote for Obama-Biden. As a die hard Hillary support, I didn't start out feeling that way about the top of the ticket. But that's how it ended up, proud to vote for Obama. When I saw the crowds in my home state of Missouri over the weekend it only added to the pride.
Let me start by borrowing some words from the Chicago Tribune endorsement, personalizing them just a bit: Many Americans say they're uneasy about Obama. He's pretty new to them. I can provide some assurance. I have come to know Obama since he entered the presidential primary season. I have watched him, investigated everything about him, fought him, argued against him on the web, tv and radio, even as he rose from nowhere to win the Democratic nomination. I now have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready. That he has Joe Biden beside him makes me even more sure of the foreign policy vote I cast.
That's how I vote, on foreign policy, national security and military matters. These are the issues that matter most to me, what I've studied for over three decades. I can't lay out every foreign policy point in this post, China and Russia for instance, but there is simply no doubt in my mind that Barack Obama, along with Joe Biden, who is the most brilliant foreign policy thinker in the Congress, his presence sending a strong signal to our allies, is the team that can turn the U.S. towards an engaged, significantly strengthened position in the world.
Pakistan and Central Asia
Barack Obama had the courage and strength of purpose to announce that he would strike inside Pakistan to get bin Laden if actionable intelligence presented itself. It alarmed many and took some time for the purpose of this position to be understood, but what he was sending was a signal that no one should doubt his force of will to protect the United States and seek out enemies on foreign soil, while sending an unmistakable message to then President Musharaff and the Pakistanis, particularly the ISI. The piece Joe Biden posted here on Huffington Post on Pakistan he cross-posted on my blog, a piece that elevated him beyond any other on the subject. These two men together are simply unmatched in their thinking on this region, which is the most difficult challenge in the world we face today. That Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili sent for Joe Biden when things got rough with Russian and Putin ends the debate. Biden understands the strings Putin is pulling, as he flexes muscles that, no doubt, a new president will have to match.
As for John McCain, he didn't mention Pakistan or Central Asia until Obama was well on his way to discussing the challenges we face there, which was prefaced with the difficulties unraveling in Afghanistan. But McCain saying "We are all Georgians" is one of the most alarming statements made as we move to a post-Bush era. This type of thinking is what led to the invasion of Iraq. Not only can our military not afford such implied allegiance, but neither can our treasury, of which there can no longer be any doubt. Our foreign policy simply cannot withstand another administration that believes America can save the world in lieu of allies working in cooperation.
Unfortunately, Obama-Biden will take over when Pakistan is at a tipping point. The Federally Administered Tribal Area bordering Afghanistan is now dangerously infiltrated with Islamic extremists, which are threatening the Karzai government. Zardari's position is also perilous, not only politically, but because anti American sentiment has grown, but also because of widespread poverty, food shortages and the currency collapse. Pakistan is close to coming unglued. We haven't begun to talk about India, with the balance of power in this entire region teetering on collapse.
Afghanistan
Barack Obama has been calling for a more concentrated military strategy in Afghanistan for a very long time. John McCain was virtually silent on the issue until well into the election season, prompted, I believe, by Obama's strong statements. McCain's strong support for Musharraf for so long exactly mirrored Bush's, which Joe Biden rightly deemed the Administration's "Mushraff policy," instead of a policy towards Pakistan and the entire region. However, very careful strategy must be considered before engaging a large number of American troops inside Afghanistan, because we could end up in another quagmire just as easily, as Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski has warned, as have others like Juan Cole. A recent NIE leaked to McClatchy states that even then stability is no longer guaranteed. The fact is that Bush has let the situation deteriorate so deeply, because of his single minded foreign policy focus on Iraq, that some increase of force strength is absolutely necessary, I believe, to get us back to where we were before we invaded Iraq. We've lost ground in Afghanistan, with the Taliban gaining control, corruption rampant, so we're left with little choice. Obama understands this all too well, as does Biden, who has been calling for the same types of action. How We Lost the War We Won, by Nir Rosen, will give you an idea of what the next president will inherent from Bush.
Iraq
The differences between McCain and Obama on Iraq are obvious. One of the biggest challenges we face right now is the new draft agreement on U.S. force presence, which Sadr is now pushing the Iraqi parliament to reject. But the biggest concern about McCain is that his talk of "victory" resembles a Vietnam warrior wanting to settle old scores that cannot be settled, while taking that strategy and utilizing it beyond Iraq, perhaps another "surge" in Afghanistan. McCain thinks in 20th century terms about battle. Obama does not. However, unlike many, I never was that impressed with Obama's anti war speech on Iraq, which was given in a very friendly district of Chicago, without facing any political heat at all for his stance. But he did stand up against the war, which cannot be denied. I did as well, on a.m. radio, ranting at Democrats in Congress for their spinelessness. If in the Senate, however, I still believe Obama would have cast a vote for the war, but he didn't have that burden, which benefited him greatly, as we all know. But even in being against the war, Obama is a cautious and deliberate man, having vision to look further than the next mile, which means whatever his withdrawal plans are in Iraq he will do it after getting counsel from many, including military leaders, and make a decision that will be less likely to haunt Democrats. I don't think he will withdraw all troops in a specified timeline from Iraq, as some liberal activists believe, but I've also never thought that was a good idea either. There is no way we can judge what we're going to inherit in Iraq, because there is absolutely no proof that the Bush administration has been forthright with the actual truth of what's unfolding in Iraq right now. But make to mistake about it, Barack Obama will begin to get us untangled from Iraq, handing back to the Iraqi's their country.
Israel - Iran
Obama is a strong supporter of Israel, as is any politician at this level of American politics. He is also strong enough to understand that the "special relationship" we have with Israel has morphed into a heavy handed Middle East policy that had Bush pushing for elections that resulted in Hamas gaining a strong foothold because the people weren't ready. Interfering in the domestic policies of other nations can lead to trouble, especially in the Middle East.
No other single act has harmed our relationships in this region more than the Republican phobia against diplomacy. Obama believes you need to talk to your adversaries as much as you do your allies. John McCain, unfortunately, is stuck in the 20th century mind set about the Middle East, which is further driven home by the presence of Joe Lieberman at his side. This partnership reveals a dangerously blinded approach to Iran, one that has led to an impossible relationship that is hurting us in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, where the Iranians were of great help right after 9/11. The Iraq war and the subsequent Iraqi government is now also linked closely to Tehran, while Iranian influence throughout the region continues to grow, which is doing nothing good for Israel. But still, McCain and Lieberman ignore what their bellicose rhetoric towards Tehran engenders for a country and a people they so long to aid, at a time when great possibility for change in Israel is unfolding. Along with Joe Biden, who is known and trusted in the Middle East, Barack Obama has the opportunity to revitalize our relationships, something that would not have a chance if McCain became president.
Conclusion
In the midst of a financial crisis, we need steady leadership from people who know the modern world challenges we face. "Experience" is a valued asset, which Biden offers, but a new look at a world that no longer resembles the 20th century from a person who is educated, curious, modern, worldly, bringing a wholly new way of looking at our challenges offers great possibility, especially as deep a thinker as Obama has proved himself to be.
The fact that John McCain is 72 years old is also a factor; to say otherwise would be a lie. Looking at his running mate, while balancing the dangerous foreign policy challenges we face, I cannot in good conscience remotely consider voting for John McCain. I will forever believe that the choice of Palin was simply political, which proved correct in igniting the base, but leaves the seriousness of Palin taking over as president from a man of McCain's maturity out of the equation entirely. It's a dangerous chance to take when the world is changing so rapidly, with more dangers today, including economic, than we've faced in a generation. As prepared as McCain is to be president, his running mate is simply not.
Having started out the primary season neutral, then moved to a very strong Hillary Clinton supporter, which I remain, also having been among her strongest advocates anywhere, I knew I'd vote Democratic, for the foreign policy reasons given above. But many times in the last 24 years I've held my nose to vote Democratic, when the candidates just didn't get it done. After the primary season I thought this might be another one of those years. I am proud to say it is not. Barack Obama has convinced me that he's the right person for the presidency at this particular time in history. The addition of Joe Biden, whom I've followed in the Senate for years, began my partisan pilgrimage, which evolved into a proud vote for Obama-Biden. If you vote on foreign policy, the team that offers the strongest change from the Bush-Cheney years, with the gravitas to make the world sit up and remember America as we once were, before the last years ruined our reputation, is Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They earned my vote.
anon,
You sir/madam really need to get a hobby. Last time I checked, this is America, and I have the right to wholeheartedly support whom I want. Barack has my vote, what more do you want from me? It is supporters like you, the ones who feel that anyone who disagrees with you in any way is somehow invalid, you are the ones soiling the public discourse.
I will not walk in lockstep with ANYONE! Just as Hillary was not perfect, neither is Barack. He will fail at something. Hope your fragile psyche can handle it.
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