Fighting McCain

Saw a McCain rally on TV today and it struck me that every third word was “fight!” “I will fight for you … we must fight … this is a fight … fight for this … fight for that …” It became a mantra for McCain. He clearly enjoyed using that word and seeing the reaction it had on the crowd. It resonated with the crowd, all right. They cheered whenever McCain said that word. I started thinking, Is this what he believes? Is it all a fight? A fight implies hostility, people getting hurt, anger, seriously injuring the other party, viewing it as a two-sided bout with our guys on one side and theirs on another, you know the drill. And under the invective I also caught a whiff of Big Daddy, in effect saying, I will fight for you; I will protect you; I will be the one you can trust to take your side and not let them hurt you. There was nothing about advocacy, about planning, not a word about working with those who opposed us, nothing about organizing or even about a team that works together to get things accomplished. I began to think that McCain is, indeed, a military man; but not a subtle intelligent one like Petreus or Powell; no, a blunt, warrior-type, spoiling for the confrontation. He would also like you to believe that he will protect you, and take care of you, and for that you have to trust him. Frankly, his performance (and these are strong words) sickened me.