Dear Friend and Reader,
After intense deliberation and waffling, John McCain has finally agreed to get on the plane and do what every Republican presidential nominee has done for the last 44 years: he will participate in the first of three presidential debates, going head-to-head on foreign policy issues against Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi tonight. That is, unless McCain acts like a “maverick” again and changes the topic. Either way, the debate will air at 9 pm EST.
This debate will surely go down as the biggest pre-stage diva move in history. It’s not the first time the lead-up has been tumultuous, however.
The 1980 debates were planned to be a three-way between President Jimmy Carter, former California Governor Ronald Reagan and John Anderson, an Illinois Congressman who was also running. Carter flat-out refused to participate in the first debates if Anderson was involved, and Reagan took the opposite stance, saying the debates couldn’t go on without Anderson.
Carter lost out: the first debates went on with him sitting in the dugout, and Reagan debated Anderson. After that, all hell broke loose, and both the second presidential and the vice presidential debates were cancelled. Finally, Reagan relented, and the final debate took place between Reagan and Carter, sans Anderson.
Maybe McCain thought pulling a Carter would work out in his favor, and that there’d be a slight chance that Palin wouldn’t have to debate — I know I’d be nervous if I were him, watching her fumble around her three recent interviews, especially this week’s two-parter with Katie Couric. Here’s how she explained her foreign policy experience:
COURIC: You’ve cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?
PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land– boundary that we have with– Canada. It– it’s funny that a comment like that was– kind of made to– cari– I don’t know, you know? Reporters–
COURIC: Mock?
PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that’s the word, yeah.
COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.
PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our– our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They’re in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia–
COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?
PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We– we do– it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where– where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is– from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to– to our state.
After a couple of interviews like this (the first major fumble aired a few weeks ago, when she couldn’t describe the Bush Doctrine), I’d try anything to get rid of the vp debates too. Ah well, can’t win them all.
One thing’s for sure though: after all this build-up, it’s sure to be an interesting show tonight.
Yours & truly,
From the NY Times, quoting a speech given yesterday in the rain:
“The storm hasn’t quite passed yet. Sometimes the skies look cloudy. And it’s dark,” Mr. Obama said. “You think the rains will never pass, but here’s what I understand: As long as all of us are together, as long as we are all committed, then there’s nothing we can’t do.”
This is why I love Barack Obama. I need this kind of energy, this kind of hope, this kind of insight, this kind of belief to be out there, all around me: I am wearied from and battered down by the hate- and fear-mongering of the past 8 years. It strikes me now, as I’ve been reading Alan Oken, that McCain embodies the age of Pisces and Obama the Age of Aquarius. He writes that we are in “cuspal limbo” – I’m wondering if this explains to some degree why the race is so close. As a people, we are caught between the all but martyrdom of McCain (which is not to belittle his tremendous sacrifice) and the transpersonal consciousness offered by Obama. To me it’s a choice between the dark and the light, and I’m not talking about skin color. And I would bet that those in the McCain camp see it just the other way…
J.
Hey Eric, there’s also this to consider…
🙂
~j
This is the lede paragrpah from a piece by Rosa Brooks in today’s LA Times:
“Once upon a time, a politician took campaign contributions and favors from a friendly constituent who happened to run a savings and loan association. The contributions were generous: They came to about $200,000 in today’s dollars, and on top of that there were several free vacations for the politician and his family, along with private jet trips and other perks. The politician voted repeatedly against congressional efforts to tighten regulation of S&Ls, and in 1987, when he learned that his constituent’s S&L was the target of a federal investigation, he met with regulators in an effort to get them to back off.
That politician was John McCain, and his generous friend was Charles Keating, head of Lincoln Savings & Loan.”
Anyone who thinks we’re an “astrology website” has only been visiting for five minutes. Though it tends to drive consultants crazy, Planet Waves is an open forum for the discussion of politics, astrology, art, sex, environmental issues and anything that is deeply personal and germane to others. Were we not a forum for integrating these seemingly diverse subjects, we would not have a need to exist. As for whether we support Obama, here is what I have to say, speaking for myself. McCain is not a candidate for president. He is a ghoul. The very sight of his face disgusts me; his voice makes me feel sick inside. His eyes betray a vacuous person whose life story should be filed under the general heading, “The Banality of Evil.”
Oh wait–forgot to put in that its actually a no-show then a show.
Smilema:
Thank you, but no. I will comment on what I’d like to, and since this thread is about McCain’s no-show, I want to comment on that, and will.
Fe: I got it. You are a Obama supporter. Give it up already. let talk astrology.
Rachel:
The question for me is: What campaign disaster of the week spurred McCain to make such a diva-show of not attending/then attending the debates?
Is it really the economy crisis? Or was it to distract from his campaign’s manager’s most recent tie to Freddie Mac? Or was it Katie Couric’s interview with the potential future Vice-President of the US?
All of the above?