unastronaut*

Something I probably say less on this blog and more in daily conversation is that I truly do like John McCain as a theoretical presidential candidate, a senator and as a human being. In 2000 I told a lot of people if he ever ran again he’d have my vote, but I really had to rethink that as the race shaped up. I just cannot look at this election and think there’s any way he’s the best choice. Gaffes like this one exposed recently by the Army Times, are just too much for me to believe this man is capable of holding the highest office in the land. He would really be ideal as a VP choice had one of the other Republicans won the nomination.

It’s just ridiculous that he would be that confused as a military man. He wouldn’t own up to the decision to shift our focus to the person we know to be directly responsible for 9/11. As president, he should be able to make those decisions, or at the very least know who to defer to – now who is this Commander-in-Chief, guy?

Gaffes include-

• repeatedly confusing al-Qaida in Iraq with Shias and associated with Iran.

• not remembering his own stance on using tax money for contraception.

• calling medical marijuana a state’s right, later saying he supports federal raids on the seriously ill.

• trying to woo the black vote in South Philly.

• saying he’ll cut deficits like Reagan, when Reagan tripled our deficit.

• the confusion over General Petraeus’ battlefield, mentioned above.

• voting against the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, it was 1983 but that’s hardly an excuse.

• rightly speaking out against the bias toward the wealthy in the Bush tax cuts, then flip-flopping completely on the issue.

• making a tasteless joke about the daughter of one of his opponents, and another about bombing civilians.

• offering a tax plan that costs $2 trillion. $2,000,000,000,000.

• finally, I consider it a gaffe to make a decision only women should make.

As a former debater, I’d love for someone to go line-by-line with that and make sense of it all. The more I warm back up to Senator McCain, the better my overall mood for the election. I would only ask that you cite sources and explain reasoning. This is my biggest issue with Senator McCain and his approach to the presidency: