It is obvious from my last post that I am in the tank, so to speak, for McCain. However, I would like to take the time to explain why, morally, I will vote for Senator McCain.
Let's start with Mr. Obama's policies with which I struggle. First and foremost, he is pro-abortion. I subscribe to the philosophy that if you're not against it, you're for it. He says on his website that he is pro-choice and has voted for a bill that allows babies of botched abortions who survive the procedure to die, rather than to intervene medically. I just cannot get behind that.
Second, I fully admit, previous to marrying a military man, I never cared one way or the other about the military. I guess I had no reason to care. Now, I do. After learning more about the military, what it does, and more about the two major military operations (Iraq and Afghanistan), I am convinced that leaving on any specified timeline from Iraq and/or decreasing military programs as Senator Obama would like to do is a terrible idea. Obama would like to decrease missile defense, "An Obama-Biden administration will support missile defense, but ensure that it is developed in a way that is pragmatic and cost-effective; and, most importantly, does not divert resources from other national security priorities until we are positive the technology will protect the American public." (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/defense) I see this as a thinly veiled disguise to get rid of the missile defense program, carefully and vaguely worded so that Mr. Obama can do whatever he likes and justify it.
Thirdly, equality as a major value, drives me crazy. We do not have a class system any longer, and we never had the terrible class abuse that the French endured (they value equality, fraternity and liberty as a result), so I cannot justify such an obsession. Nor, by the way, do I think it did anyone any good in France to value that, much past the early 1800s, after the three estates were abolished. I digress, the point is, everyone in America has the capability to either be great or not. There are so many success stories of people who have overcome their pasts to become great in this great country. I do not buy into whining about being a woman and making less than a man, or someone of a certain ethnicity not being able to make it like a white person would. Everyone has obsticles, get over it. To insist that the government intervene on some minority's behalf is absurd and frankly, makes that person or group of persons seem weak. I don't want any crutch or leg up. I can do it myself, thank you.
Fourth, and I almost hate to bring this up, but I think it is too valuable to ignore. Senator Obama has some rather unsavory relations. He cannot claim ignorance to Jeremiah Wright, a hate inducing pastor, Tony Rezko, a convicted felon, and William Hiers, an ex-terrorist whose only regret is that he didn't do more to stop the Vietnam War. Okay, so he went to a church for 20 years where he had no idea what the pastor believes? He had an acquaintence who started his political campaign in his living room (Hiers), but had no qualms about the guy's past actions or his idea that he didn't do enough? And, then Tony Rezko, what is his excuse for his relationship with him? I have no idea. Frankly, I could dismiss one of those acquaintences easily, but three terribly unsavory characters? I have a hard time looking past that. If one can be judged fairly by those whom he knows, then why can't Barack Obama be judged for these relationships? I frankly would not be caught dead in a room with these three people, or anyone else with terrible reputations, for that matter. One's reputation matters, especially when running for a public office.
Just an aside: someone called into the radio the other day and brought up the point that Obama could never get a job with the CIA or FBI due to his Hiers relationship alone. Hmmm...
On to John McCain, who is not perfect, he cheated on his first wife and had some Karl Keating problem (for which he was exonerated) in the early 90s. He graduated nearly at the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. However, he's also been married to Cindy McCain for 28 years, and has adopted 3 kids, if I understand correctly (his first wife's 2 kids and a little girl from Bangladesh).
John McCain is pro-life, anti-stem cell research (from embroyos) and pro-adoption. Since I have heard many physicians say that there is never a MEDICAL reason to abort a baby, I have no qualms with women going to term with their pregnancy and then giving their babies up for adoption. A baby has its own unique genetic code, from the time of conception, and starts to look like a baby (alien baby maybe) very quickly. There is no justification for killing someone who cannot even defend him or herself. If a woman is pregnant with a baby who is wanted, and is murdered, the murderer can be tried for a double homocide. Double standard?
John McCain also has over 20 years of military experience and was a prisoner of war for six years at the Hanoi Hilton. With this experience, he understands tactics, strategies, and the importance of winning. I do not necessarily think it is crucial for someone to have military experience to be president, but I do think it is a darn good idea, especially in this wild world we live in. He knows about sacrifice, and honor and is just the person I would want to be leading my husband. I also have more faith that he will take care of the servicemen and their families better than Obama, that might just be opinion, but as a member of the elite, I doubt that Senator Obama understands the needs, stresses and concerns of those involved in the military.
Lastly, Senator McCain believes in retaining the traditional view of marriage. I know a few gay people, and my heart goes out to them, but I am Catholic, and agree with the judgement that marriage is between one man and one woman. I do not believe that people should not be allowed to make their own choices, but I can't get behind it. Also, never in any major religion (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hinduism) has ever defined marriage as anything other one man and one woman. Lame justification, maybe, but sometimes I will defer my judgement to the Church and the past.
Those are my reasons for supporting McCain morally. Agree or disagree, McCain agrees with the majority of my beliefs.
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3 comments:
Jenny,
The Ayres thing is just rediculous. McCain's relationship with Keiting was much more involved and intimate than Obama's was with Ayres....and McCain was involved with those people at the time of their wrong-doing. Obama was eight when Ayres was doing the things he did wrong, and Omaba has publically reputiated them.
For Pete's sake, David Duke was considered by the Republicans to be a valid choice for public office and he was a Grand Dragon of the KKK. He reputiated the KKK stuff, but still is constantly writing and publishing racist things...
...and he has endorsed John McCain and McCain has not rejected or reputiated the endorcement...nor addressed his connections to a known racist.
Plus, McCain and Palin have pumped the Ayres thing so hard (well beyond what it merits that they now have people yelling "kill him" about Obama at their rallies.
Palin has publically praised (it is on public record, both her appearing on stage with him for a laying on of hands, and later her praising him and giving him partial credit for her becoming governor)a man who incited a violent religious mob to harrass and threaten a woman, accuse her of witchcraft, storm her house, threaten to stone her to death, and ran her out of town. Nobody cares about that.
The lies and hatefulness of this race will go on for quite some time.
I really fear that if Obama is elected some religious nut will kill him because they believe he is evil.
At this point, I almost feel that to vote for Obama is to be partly responsible for his death.
That he continues to take the high road and talk mostly about issues makes me respect him even more.
As for McCain being exhonorated, he doesn't seem to think so:
"The Keating business was much worse than my five and a half years in Hanoi, because I at least walked away from that with my honor.”
--John McCain as recently quoted by Christopher Buckley in his endorsement of Obama.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-10/the-conservative-case-for-obama
To both of your comments...You prove my point exactly. When John McCain screws up, he hangs his head in shame, repents and doesn't ever go there again. It seems to me that whenever Senator Obama screws up, he denies until he can't anymore, then downplays it, then denounces those who bring it up and insists that every comment made against him is just an invalid racist comment. I would rather have someone in power who makes mistakes and learns from them, and is accountable for them. It doesn't seem to me that Mr. Obama is willing to do anything of the sort. I find that unfortunate.
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