That's The Way to Deal With Communists!!

Did you catch the story in the Sun-Herald about Sen. McCain visiting the Sandinistas? (Disclosure: I raised money for the Contras in 1988 and 1989) The thing to remember, and the story doesn't say it, is that McCain's arms are crippled because of what the Communists did to him in Vietnam. So the fact that he was able to do what he is reported to have done is very impressive.

"McCain was down at the end of the table and we were talking to the head of the guerilla group here at this end of the table and I don't know what attracted my attention," [Sen.]Cochran said. "But I saw some kind of quick movement at the bottom of the table and I looked down there and John had reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and had snatched him up like he was throwing him up out of the chair to tell him what he thought about him or whatever. I don't know what he was telling him but I thought, good grief, everybody around here has got guns and we were there on a diplomatic mission [to the Sandinistas]. I don't know what had happened to provoke John but he obviously got mad at the guy and he just reached over there and snatched him." (You can read the whole story here.)

YEAH, Baby!!! That's some John Wayne action for you. If the President's first job is, as I think it is, to convince our enemies that attacking us in not in their interest, and failing that to hunt them down and kill them, then McCain seems to have what the job needs.

So, that's 55% of the job of being President. We already know he can't do the public speaking part. Thankfully, that is only 10% of the job. On abortion I guess he gets 8% out of a possible 10%. But that is definitely better that Sen. "babies are punishment" Obama. (Obama has 100% ratings from NARAL the last three years. I wouldn't leave him alone in a room with a pregnant woman.) On Economics, which I think makes up 10% of the President's job, I don't know. He says he isn't as conversant in the field as he should be. But he has a reputation for being a deficit hawk. We'll have to look at who he chooses for advisers. Finally, he was baptized as an Episcopalian but attends a Baptist church. I'm not sure what to think of that either. The Baptists do not accept his Episcopalian Baptism yet he has not been re-baptized. That is puzzling.

All in all, McCain isn't perfect. (I wish Ron Paul had not dropped out of the race.) But he is dramatically better than the Democratic Party's candidate.