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McCain and the Meaning of Memorial Day
In a powerful speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, the GOP presidential nominee described his transformation from a hard-partying midshipman into a military hero.
On this Memorial Day, I can think of few if any tributes to the enduring military values of this republic more significant than that offered by Senator John McCain when he spoke at the U.S. Naval Academy on April 2nd.
McCain’s speech to his alma mater — the alma mater of the four-star Navy admiral who was his father and the four-star Navy admiral who was his grandfather — came in the midst of the Western senator’s so-called “biography” tour. He undertook it because research showed that, while he is quite famous, most voters don’t know that much about him in depth aside from his having run for president in 2000 and 2008, being a Vietnam War hero, and having a reputation as a maverick. And he undertook it because values are important to John McCain, as anyone who’s read his classic memoir, “Faith Of My Fathers,” is aware.
Ironically, McCain’s Annapolis speech didn’t get much coverage at the time. Of the cable news nets, only MSNBC, the most liberal of the three, carried any of it live, and then just a snippet. Even Fox News did not carry the Annapolis speech live, choosing instead to carry on with its usual morning chatfest.
It’s unfortunate, because the speech captures much of the humor of the man and, more importantly, a sense of the American martial tradition.
If the usual hit squad tactics of our recent politics don’t come to dominate the general election campaign, we’re in for a fascinating clash between two candidates who represent what are frankly rather exotic strains in American life.
In Barack Obama, the representative of an exotic multi-racial, multi-cultural future that repels and frightens many Americans even as it attracts many others.
In John McCain, the representative of a military tradition which for most Americans, who increasingly never serve in the military and have no direct experience with it, is exotic in its coming out of a storied past.
There is probably no more traditional educational institution at the core of America’s military heritage than Annapolis. Merely allowing women to receive appointments as midshipmen was a lengthy cause celebre that led many — including possible Obama running mate Jim Webb, the Annapolis grad and Vietnam War hero who was Ronald Reagan’s secretary of the Navy and opposed women in combat — to no end of protest.
McCain, an old friend of Webb’s, as it happens (he calls Webb “a legendary fighting man”), talked about the taut Annapolis discipline with amusement.
“Witnesses to my behavior here,” he noted, “a few of whom are present today, as well as a nagging conscience, have a tendency to interrupt my reverie for a misspent youth, and urge a more honest appraisal of my record and character here. In truth, my four years at the Naval Academy were not notable for exemplary virtue or academic achievement but, rather, for the impressive catalogue of demerits I managed to accumulate. By my reckoning, at the end of my second class year, I had marched enough extra duty to take me to Baltimore and back seventeen times – which, if not a record, certainly ranks somewhere very near the top.”
But, he says, while he ignored some of the Academy’s conventions, he was “careful not to defame its more compelling traditions: The veneration of courage and resilience; the honor code that simply assumed your fidelity to its principles; the homage paid to Americans who had sacrificed greatly for our country; the expectation that you, too, would prove worthy of your country’s trust.”
Few if any universities have such an emphasis on the history and valor referenced by McCain, much less an honor code which stipulates that midshipmen will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate among them those who do. Most Americans are ignorant of military history, which merely makes up much of our engagement with the wider world, in some ways shaping it into what it is today.
McCain spoke of the tough Annapolis discipline that over the course of plebe summer (the Academy’s version of basic training in which “plebes,” freshmen, have their civilian airs stripped away and are remade into a rudimentary semblance of a naval officer-in-training) and beyond constantly tests midshipmen even as they engage in academic and athletic pursuits much more familiar to civilians.
“The Naval Academy was not interested in degrading my dignity. On the contrary, it had a more expansive conception of human dignity than I possessed when I arrived at its gates. The most important lesson I learned here was that to sustain my self-respect for a lifetime it would be necessary for me to have the honor of serving something greater than my self-interest.”
The discipline, says McCain, stood him in good stead when he needed it later, in combat and his famous captivity in the Hanoi Hilton. Earlier, ironically, the retired Navy captain, with a rather oblique remark about the “perpetual springtime of youth” had referred to his famous days as perhaps the hardest-partying officer in the Navy prior to his shipping out for the Vietnam War.
“When I left the Academy, I was not even aware I had learned that lesson,” said McCain, referring the discipline which enabled him to gain a greater sense of both of himself and of his part in a greater whole. “In a later crisis, I would suffer a genuine attack on my dignity, an attack, unlike the affronts I had exaggerated as a boy, that left me desperate and uncertain. It was then I would recall, awakened by the example of men who shared my circumstances, the lesson that the Academy in its venerable and enduring way had labored to impress upon me. It changed my life forever. I had found my cause: Citizenship in the greatest nation on earth.”
McCain went on to discuss a pervasive cynicism that afflicts America.
“In part, it is attributable to the dislocations economic change causes; to the experience of Americans who have, through no fault of their own, been left behind as others profit as they never have before. In part, it is in reaction to government’s mistakes and incompetence, and to the selfishness of some public figures who seek to shine the luster of their public reputations at the expense of the public good. But for others, cynicism about our country, government, social and religious institutions seems not a reaction to occasions when they have been let down by these institutions, but because the ease which wealth and opportunity have given their lives led them to the mistaken conclusion that America, and the liberties its system of government is intended to protect, just aren’t important to the quality of their lives.
“I’m a conservative, and I believe it is a very healthy thing for Americans to be skeptical about the purposes and practices of public officials. We shouldn’t expect too much from government – nor should it expect too much from us. Self-reliance – not foisting our responsibilities off on others – is the ethic that made America great.
“But when healthy skepticism sours into corrosive cynicism our expectations of our government become reduced to the delivery of services. And to some people the expectations of liberty are reduced to the right to choose among competing brands of designer coffee.”
Then McCain discussed patriotism.
“Love of country, my friends, is another way of saying love of your fellow countrymen-a truth I learned a long time ago in a country very different from ours.
“That is the good cause that summons every American to service. If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you are disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. I hope more Americans would consider enlisting in our Armed Forces. I hope more would consider running for public office or working in federal, state and local governments. But there are many public causes where your service can make our country a stronger, better one than we inherited. Wherever there is a hungry child, a great cause exists. Where there is an illiterate adult, a great cause exists. Wherever there are people who are denied the basic rights of Man, a great cause exists. Wherever there is suffering, a great cause exists.”
John McCain represents two great traditions in American life. The career military tradition, in which he and his forebears have served America as professionals for more than a century. And the Scots-Irish tradition, the history and meaning of which is laid out in Webb’s “Born Fighting: How The Scots-Irish Shaped America.”
Both traditions overlap. Without them, we wouldn’t be celebrating our ease on this fine Memorial Day.
Bill Bradley is a Pajamas Media correspondent. His PajamasXpress blog is New West Notes.
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26 Comments
1. Ciscokid:Great article Bill. Memorial day is not only for remembering our hero’s but also what they were fighting for. McCain’s continued service to our “great” country exemplifies both. God bless America and our soldiers, past and present.
May 26, 2008 - 4:28 am 2. McCain and the Meaning of Memorial Day….May 26, 2008 - by Bill Bradley « Tizona’s Weblog:[...] read the rest at Pajamas Media [...]
May 26, 2008 - 8:03 am 3. McCain and the Meaning of Memorial Day:[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe American martial tradition shaped John McCain’s life and his character. In a powerful speech at Annapolis Naval Academy he described his transformation from a hard-partying cadet into a military hero. [...]
May 26, 2008 - 8:11 am 4. New West Notes » Memorial Day 2008: McCain’s Annapolis Speech:[...] You can see it all on PJ Media. [...]
May 26, 2008 - 8:47 am 5. gs:This was a serious speech, well-suited to the audience at a military academy. For the election, I’d like to hear a wider vision of service than government (or nonprofit, for that matter) work, and more emphasis on the inalienable rights that governments are constituted to secure.
In that vein, I express Memorial Day tribute to draftees who did not volunteer to fight, but died while obeying the nation’s summons to the best of their ability.
*********
BB, one quibble with your worthwhile post:
…an exotic multi-racial, multi-cultural future that repels and frightens many Americans even as it attracts many others.
IMO PC multiculturalism discards fundamental and exceptional aspects of America. I’m very worried that those essential principles may not be transmitted to future generations. If the principles are transmitted, I’m not overly concerned with the racial particulars of Americans who embody them. On the other hand, if the principles are discarded, the country’s ethnic makeup is irrelevant to me except insofar as it affects my narrowest personal convenience.
May 26, 2008 - 8:51 am 6. GM Roper:Bill, as the son, grandson and great grandson of career army officers, I want you to know how much I appreciate this post. Although none of my forebears attended any of the Academies, all exemplified the spirit and honor of said schools.
As a vet, the son of a vet etc., etc. I thank you!
May 26, 2008 - 9:21 am 7. ithejury:That’s cute Bill, but mccain publicly admitting he was a bit of a ‘wild&crazy’ young rascal at Annapolis is like bill clinton confessing to a craving for cigars – that ain’t the half of it for either of them, is it?
the reason mccain – the son AND grandson of US Navy 4-star Admirals – was told that he had no career left in the US Navy a few years after he returned from years as a POW in Hanoi was not because he was a ‘rascal’ at Annapolis.
Turns out mccain was playing Tailhook partyboy and boffing every blond bimbo (including some subordinates — female at least) within 100 miles of Pensacola [aside: do you realize how many blond bimbos there ARE in south florida?] while still married to his by-then disfigured ex-model wife.
When informed he was finished in the Navy — despite his father, grandfather and ex-POW status — mccain quickly married one of his current blond bimbos (for past year) whose mega-bucks daddy had big beer distributorship in Arizona, and offered to give mccain a free seat in safe republican congressional district.
mccain ‘confession’ to schoolboy indiscretion is a lame attempt to draw red herring across his trail — like bush and cheney ‘confessing’ they ‘drank a bit’ back in the old days, when in fact they accumulated at least 4 ‘Driving Under The Influence’ convictions between the two of them [aside: do you realize just how drunk you had to be to get DUI citation back in the day?]
fergawdsakes bill, don’t be such an easy mark; the oldest cover story trick in the world is to confess to some small fault in the hopes of hiding something else much larger.
wake up and open your eyes.
[btw, we care less that mccain liked to play Top Gun with the girlies when his wife and children weren't looking than we do that he is now playing cute trying to blow smoke around this -- it makes us think maybe he is not to be taken as over-trustworthy about things he is willing to say or profess to get elected]
May 26, 2008 - 1:45 pm 8. ithejury:ho ho – i read that my prior post is “awaiting moderation” though there is not a nasty word (nor untrue allegation) in it; won’t be a bit surprised to see my prior post ‘moderated’ out of existence. All the news that print to fit etc etc as Pajamasmedia ’sending the msm down the river’ puts out more By Jingo flags, eh?
May 26, 2008 - 1:57 pm 9. Swede:ithejury
Has it dawned on you that you’re something of a jerk?
Because it’s dawned on the rest of us.
May 26, 2008 - 4:53 pm 10. Swede:OMG!
You’re right, ithejury!
My comments are awaiting moderation, too!!
Help! Help!
Oppressor! Oppressor!!
May 26, 2008 - 4:56 pm 11. Bill45:One suspects that ithejury and his ilk were among the most vocal in proclaiming that Bill Clinton’s private sex was not related to his ability to govern (notwithstanding the perjury). But now he and they have no hesitation in reaching back 20, 30, 40 or 50 years to make John McCain’s social life as a sailor relevant to this election.
May 27, 2008 - 5:34 am 12. Jen:Wonderful post. I love this particular line:
May 27, 2008 - 9:44 am 13. Bill Bradley:“I had found my cause: Citizenship in the greatest nation on earth”. There is no truer statement than that, and I highly encourage people to live in another country for even a few months and I am quite sure they’ll come to the same conclusion. Despite its flaws, America is still a land of opportunity and dreams are recognized every day here. Just open your eyes to see that.
As for ithejury- what has filled you with such apparent hatred? It comes across glaringly ugly in your words.
Thanks, Cisco. I thought it would be good to step above the usual ping pong of partisan politics on Memorial Day.
>Ciscokid:
Great article Bill. Memorial day is not only for remembering our hero’s but also what they were fighting for. McCain’s continued service to our “great” country exemplifies both. God bless America and our soldiers, past and present.
May 27, 2008 - 12:20 pm 14. Bill Bradley:May 26, 2008 – 4:28 am
Thanks.
With regard to multi-culturalism/multi-racialism. I agree that the core culture of America must be preserved.
But we are already a multi-cultural society. It’s a matter of demographics.
The trick will be retaining fundamental American values — which, after all, lie at the core of why so many people have come here from so many nations over many years — as the society continues to evolve.
>gs:
This was a serious speech, well-suited to the audience at a military academy. For the election, I’d like to hear a wider vision of service than government (or nonprofit, for that matter) work, and more emphasis on the inalienable rights that governments are constituted to secure.
In that vein, I express Memorial Day tribute to draftees who did not volunteer to fight, but died while obeying the nation’s summons to the best of their ability.
*********
BB, one quibble with your worthwhile post:
…an exotic multi-racial, multi-cultural future that repels and frightens many Americans even as it attracts many others.
IMO PC multiculturalism discards fundamental and exceptional aspects of America. I’m very worried that those essential principles may not be transmitted to future generations. If the principles are transmitted, I’m not overly concerned with the racial particulars of Americans who embody them. On the other hand, if the principles are discarded, the country’s ethnic makeup is irrelevant to me except insofar as it affects my narrowest personal convenience.
May 27, 2008 - 12:23 pm 15. Bill Bradley:Thank you.
>GM Roper:
Bill, as the son, grandson and great grandson of career army officers, I want you to know how much I appreciate this post. Although none of my forebears attended any of the Academies, all exemplified the spirit and honor of said schools.
As a vet, the son of a vet etc., etc. I thank you!
May 27, 2008 - 12:24 pm 16. Steve:May 26, 2008 – 9:21 am
I might differ about McCain on certain issues but I believe that he is a man who does what he believes is the right the thing. The speech was very good. I think this should be said more. Somethings are worth fighting for and it doesn’t matter that your not the prefect person but you step up when the time comes.
ithejury-McCain shouldn’t be immune from criticism but your post is is just a cheap shot. He admitted to doing stupid things in his past but that’s not enough for you. You want a laundry list. Well as soon as Obama admits to ever having made any mistakes then maybe.
May 27, 2008 - 12:26 pm 17. Bill Bradley:For starters, Memorial Day isn’t really the day for hyperpartisanship on either side.
McCain is not a “Tailhook” guy, not in the infamous sense, and no serious person has ever claimed he was.
The rest of your innuendoes about the guy’s private life are not worthy of much comment.
In my view, private lives are basically off limits when it comes to politics. It’s not a road that either side should go down.
>ithejury:
That’s cute Bill, but mccain publicly admitting he was a bit of a ‘wild&crazy’ young rascal at Annapolis is like bill clinton confessing to a craving for cigars – that ain’t the half of it for either of them, is it?
the reason mccain – the son AND grandson of US Navy 4-star Admirals – was told that he had no career left in the US Navy a few years after he returned from years as a POW in Hanoi was not because he was a ‘rascal’ at Annapolis.
Turns out mccain was playing Tailhook partyboy and boffing every blond bimbo (including some subordinates — female at least) within 100 miles of Pensacola [aside: do you realize how many blond bimbos there ARE in south florida?] while still married to his by-then disfigured ex-model wife.
May 27, 2008 - 12:27 pm 18. Bill Bradley:On my own site, comments are unmoderated.
Here, they are all moderated.
>ithejury:
ho ho – i read that my prior post is “awaiting moderation” though there is not a nasty word (nor untrue allegation) in it; won’t be a bit surprised to see my prior post ‘moderated’ out of existence. All the news that print to fit etc etc as Pajamasmedia ’sending the msm down the river’ puts out more By Jingo flags, eh?
May 27, 2008 - 12:28 pm 19. Bill Bradley:May 26, 2008 – 1:57 pm
Yep.
>Swede:
OMG!
You’re right, ithejury!
My comments are awaiting moderation, too!!
Help! Help!
Oppressor! Oppressor!!
May 27, 2008 - 12:28 pm 20. Bill Bradley:May 26, 2008 – 4:56 pm
That’s my point. Unless someone makes a complete ass of him or herself — driving into the Tidal Basin would do it — it’s a bad road to go down.
Oh, and by the way, who hasn’t lied about his or her sex life?
>Bill45:
One suspects that ithejury and his ilk were among the most vocal in proclaiming that Bill Clinton’s private sex was not related to his ability to govern (notwithstanding the perjury). But now he and they have no hesitation in reaching back 20, 30, 40 or 50 years to make John McCain’s social life as a sailor relevant to this election.
May 27, 2008 - 12:30 pm 21. Bill Bradley:May 27, 2008 – 5:34 am
That’s at the essence of what McCain learned at Annapolis.
With all of its faults, America is still a pretty great country.
There’s no other country I’d rather live in.
Well, maybe New Zealand …
>Jen:
Wonderful post. I love this particular line:
May 27, 2008 - 12:32 pm 22. Geoff:“I had found my cause: Citizenship in the greatest nation on earth”. There is no truer statement than that, and I highly encourage people to live in another country for even a few months and I am quite sure they’ll come to the same conclusion. Despite its flaws, America is still a land of opportunity and dreams are recognized every day here. Just open your eyes to see that.
As for ithejury- what has filled you with such apparent hatred? It comes across glaringly ugly in your words.
May 27, 2008 – 9:44 am
Hi Bill, enjoyed this article… I resonate with McCain’s comments on cynicism, but… I guess that leads me to my comment/question:
How can we (the cynics) avoid being cynical, given the choice we face between two major political parties, both of which seem to focus primarily on their own target demographic, and not on the majority of Americans who are fed up with all the posturing? (Ok, I’m assuming that the majority are fed up… maybe I’m wrong!)
The politicians I see, on both the “right” and “left”, pay lip service to self-reliance, while ignoring their own positions of privilege (and the irony of any presidential candidate claiming to be a “common person”). I see those who decry government incompetence but continue to support the status quo wherever possible. I see many who conflate liberty and freedom into the opportunity for personal expression and the accumulation of “stuff”, but seem unable to grasp why that view of liberty might be disturbing to those who recognize the dangers of consumerism and selfishness. I see those who respond to unfriendly nations with whatever tactics suit their particular agenda, including the tactics of fear and hypocrisy. I see those who are forced to “play the game”, even if they don’t want to, because the only way anything gets done is if you play the game.
Not that politicians are entirely to blame. Without a doubt, part of the reason we are cynical is because we, the people, have become dull in the face of our own affluence and media-driven superficiality. We have forgotten that America is a land of great potential and immense opportunity for all, both as citizens and as individuals. But I wonder if it’s any surprise that the “American people” has learned so well the lesson preached at us for the last 50+ years by the leading political, economic, cultural, and media voices, which often amounts to basically “take care of yourself, and then, if you have to, worry about the other guy.”
When I look at the political system today, this is what I see: millions of people, on both sides, thinking, “which candidate will take care of me first?” (either by giving me a handout, or leaving me alone so I can do my own thing) And it’s awfully hard not to be cynical about that, because no matter how much I don’t want to, I know that I, as an American citizen, am a part of both the problem and the solution.
Part of me wants to applaud McCain’s comment: “If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you are disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them.”
But part of me thinks, “People don’t want to correct the faults of our country. They just want to make their own lives comfortable and worry-free, no matter the cost. And that attitude certainly can’t be fixed by government.” So, I’m cynical.
To modify McCain’s final statement, with a nod to the Democrats on one side, and Republicans on the other:
Dem. version: “Wherever there is a hungry child… Where there is an illiterate adult… Wherever there are people who are denied the basic rights of Man… Wherever there is suffering, a great cause exists. If we provide governmental programs for them and throw money at the problem, that will solve it.”
Rep. version: “Wherever there is a hungry child… Where there is an illiterate adult… Wherever there are people who are denied the basic rights of Man… Wherever there is suffering, a great cause exists. If we show them how to succeed, they will. If they don’t, too bad for them.”
I know that’s probably a crude oversimplification, but on the national level, that’s how it looks to me most of the time. And I don’t see that changing any time soon… and I have a suspicion that the majority of Americans feel the same way.
May 27, 2008 - 1:47 pm 23. Kathy:Clinton has taken Kentucky and Obama is right there in Oregon.
The Democratic race for nomination is still very much alive – and most likely to be decided by superdelegates – as CNN points out clearly
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/20/primary.wrap/index.html
If you’re tired of waiting around for those super delegates to make a decision already, go to LobbyDelegates.com and push them to support Clinton or Obama
If you haven’t done so yet, please write a message to each of your state’s superdelegates at http://www.lobbydelegates.com
Obama Supporters:
Sending a note to current Obama supporters lets them know it’s appreciated, sending a note to current Clinton supporters can hopefully sway them to change their vote to Obama, and sending a note to the uncommitted folks will hopefully sway them to vote for Obama. It’s that easy…
Clinton Supporters too …. !
It takes a moment, but what’s a few minutes now worth to get Clinton in office?! Those are really worth !
Sending a note to current Clinton supporters lets them know it’s appreciated, sending a note to current Obama supporters can hopefully sway them to change their vote to Clinton, and sending a note to the uncommitted folks will hopefully sway them to vote for Clinton. It’s that easy…
May 28, 2008 - 4:44 am 24. Bill Bradley:Considering that the superdelegates are breaking for Obama, who has more of their Senate colleagues than his much more well-known rival Hillary, that’s nice.
Because there are 800 superdelegates, it’s not possible to win the nomination without their support.
Otherwise, Obama would already have formally locked up the nomination with his victory in Oregon.
May 28, 2008 - 9:23 am 25. Bill Bradley:Terrific, thoughtful post! Which … I need to think about.
>Geoff:
Hi Bill, enjoyed this article… I resonate with McCain’s comments on cynicism, but… I guess that leads me to my comment/question:
How can we (the cynics) avoid being cynical, given the choice we face between two major political parties, both of which seem to focus primarily on their own target demographic, and not on the majority of Americans who are fed up with all the posturing? (Ok, I’m assuming that the majority are fed up… maybe I’m wrong!)
The politicians I see, on both the “right” and “left”, pay lip service to self-reliance, while ignoring their own positions of privilege (and the irony of any presidential candidate claiming to be a “common person”). I see those who decry government incompetence but continue to support the status quo wherever possible. I see many who conflate liberty and freedom into the opportunity for personal expression and the accumulation of “stuff”, but seem unable to grasp why that view of liberty might be disturbing to those who recognize the dangers of consumerism and selfishness. I see those who respond to unfriendly nations with whatever tactics suit their particular agenda, including the tactics of fear and hypocrisy. I see those who are forced to “play the game”, even if they don’t want to, because the only way anything gets done is if you play the game.
Not that politicians are entirely to blame. Without a doubt, part of the reason we are cynical is because we, the people, have become dull in the face of our own affluence and media-driven superficiality. We have forgotten that America is a land of great potential and immense opportunity for all, both as citizens and as individuals. But I wonder if it’s any surprise that the “American people” has learned so well the lesson preached at us for the last 50+ years by the leading political, economic, cultural, and media voices, which often amounts to basically “take care of yourself, and then, if you have to, worry about the other guy.”
When I look at the political system today, this is what I see: millions of people, on both sides, thinking, “which candidate will take care of me first?” (either by giving me a handout, or leaving me alone so I can do my own thing) And it’s awfully hard not to be cynical about that, because no matter how much I don’t want to, I know that I, as an American citizen, am a part of both the problem and the solution.
Part of me wants to applaud McCain’s comment: “If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you are disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them.”
But part of me thinks, “People don’t want to correct the faults of our country. They just want to make their own lives comfortable and worry-free, no matter the cost. And that attitude certainly can’t be fixed by government.” So, I’m cynical.
To modify McCain’s final statement, with a nod to the Democrats on one side, and Republicans on the other:
Dem. version: “Wherever there is a hungry child… Where there is an illiterate adult… Wherever there are people who are denied the basic rights of Man… Wherever there is suffering, a great cause exists. If we provide governmental programs for them and throw money at the problem, that will solve it.”
Rep. version: “Wherever there is a hungry child… Where there is an illiterate adult… Wherever there are people who are denied the basic rights of Man… Wherever there is suffering, a great cause exists. If we show them how to succeed, they will. If they don’t, too bad for them.”
I know that’s probably a crude oversimplification, but on the national level, that’s how it looks to me most of the time. And I don’t see that changing any time soon… and I have a suspicion that the majority of Americans feel the same way.
May 29, 2008 - 1:19 pm 26. Night Owl:May 27, 2008 – 1:47 pm
Geoff;
I agree with Mr. Bradley. It was a thoughtful post. I thought about it and if I may be so bold I’ll offer you my perspective:
To me cynicism is healthy. It means you’re paying attention. Idealism could get you killed; or at least eternally disappointed, until the cynicism sets in.
For the sake of your sanity, don’t expect too much from our leaders. They are as flawed as everyone else. The only real difference is they have a bigger ego, and often a “better” (ie. Ivy League) education. But that doesn’t make them any wiser, or less prone to act in their own self-interest, than the average person.
When it comes to choosing a new leader, my advice is to pick the one you think will do the least harm to our way of life. As flawed as this country is, it works very well, and better than most (if not all?) other countries, at providing a decent way of life for the majority of its people.
That is why I would pick a McCain over Obama, because McCain appears to “get it” about the need to preserve our way of life. Obama and his crowd seem to think they can somehow improve our society by getting rid of the evil in man’s soul (his wife told me so). Scary hubris.
In summary: Don’t expect perfection from imperfect people. There has never been a perfect society, and there probably never will be. What there has been, is much misery created by those who had the conceit to believe they could create one.
May 30, 2008 - 7:57 am