The Day After

Last night was a first for me and my spouse. We both have tended toward apathy with respect to voting. I generally vote in the presidential elections, but it is rare that I cast a ballot for someone from the two major parties. He dismisses the entire system and won't vote at all. Nevertheless, we were both glued to the debate last night. It's not because there's a brother poised to reach our country's highest office. It's that the current president has driven the country into to such a morass that everyone is curious about the person (black, white, male, female) who might be able to get us out of it.

Some thoughts on who emerged victorious. I thought it a draw with a nod toward Obama. He's been demonized by the Republicans as being inexperienced and clueless. He certainly didn't sound or look clueless last night. What I took from the debate was a complete mistrust of McCain's ability to be president. Obama was careful to talk about the normal folks, about how we're struggling and how we need some assistance. Did McCain even speak to this issue? My take is that McCain is all about war. He came to life when talking about Iraq and Afghanistan, and probably could have spent hours talking about it. Hey, I don't live in those places! I do acknowledge that they deserve our attention as potential terrorist breeding grounds. I want to know what my president plans to do for me, my neighbors, the poor, our military vets. Tell me what you think is wrong with our economy, our education system and health care. If military skirmishes and wars are the only things that you love to discuss, you're not fit to be president. (Was it me or did talks about Iraq, Afganistan and Pakistan give McCain a stiffy? He seemed to snap to attention when those were the topics being discussed. If that's what Cindy's dealing with after he pops some Viagra, I've finally found a reason to feel for her.)

I don't want to live in a country that believes we must always be at war. I think McCain is a war monger. It's what he knows best. It's what he likes. But there's got to be more to being the president than that. McCain would keep us on a path that leads to our young men and women being sent off to fight battles that may not be worth the loss of their lives. I'm the mother of a son. He will register with the Selective Service when he reaches the age of majority. I'll be damned if I'll let some punk ass guy or gal in the White House send him off to war for his or her own pleasure.

I'm voting for Obama.