McCain and his surrogates rely on the story of his imprisonment to stir emotions but it is forty years later and we are in a war that most Americans believe was ill conceived and as inglorious as the war in Viet Nam.   McCain is helped in his victimhood by every Democrat who prefaces every statement about him by praising his courage during his imprisonment.  Get over it!  Move on!

I have thought more about Sarah Palin's address to the Republican National Convention.  Apparently Republicans found the lies she told, the snideness, the negativity and lack of specificity on policy uplifting.  The Republicans are known for trash talking but Palin, as a nominee for vice president, took it to a deeply low  level and she is getting praise for it on the right.  Palin's address contained a libertarian streak hidden within populist rhetoric that has nothing to do with being from Alaska and more to do with a singular hatred of government hidden in the guise of being a "reformer."  Palin's husband was a member of an Alaska secessionist movement and we can only imagine the talks they had about that over the dinner table.  The anti-government rhetoric coming from Palin and other speakers combined with nationalisim wrapped in the flag of patriotism should worry anyone who prizes democracy, or what is left of it.   I think Palin is dangerous precisely because she will attract, is attracting, extremists to her side.  Some of her rhetoric will also attract libertarians although they may not like her views on privacy.

McCain and Palin believe that government gets in the way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness while Obama and Biden believe that government should help us pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness if we need that level of  help.  Obama has always called for change and reform in Washington.  Obama wants to make government work more efficiently and honorably for citizens.  Now that McCain has adopted change and reform as part of his platform he and Palin  will seek to make make government go away.  Both parties will tell us that their reform will diminish the power of lobbyists in Washington, end pork barrel projects, and end corruption.  McCain has benefitted greatly from lobbyists, pork barrel projects and corruption in his 26 years inside Washington so it is hard for me to believe he is going to turn against his benefactors anytime soon.  Obama hasn't been around long enough to be enticed and that makes him a fresh and true outsider.

Neither of the candidates have delineated what reform really means.  Republicans have wanted to get rid of the Department of Education and HUD for quite some time.  Obama would probably strengthen those departments to make them work better.  McCain doesn't care much for domestic agendas.  Obama does.  If McCain is elected he could hand Palin a domestic portfolio.  If so, this is where we should be very, very concerned.  This woman of small government experience could inherit a vast federal bureaucracy and with the help of the equally vast right wing at her elbow Palin could "reform" government by "starving the beast" and dismantling it.  We don't think John McCain, in his waning years,  will be watching or much caring what Palin does since his focus will be strengthening the neo-imperialism that has taken over the Republican Party .  The victim wants to vanguish his tormentors.

There are stark differences between the candidates and nobody can predict where the voters will place their bets in November.  Through years of Republican rule the US has turned from a country of  "we the people" to me first.  McCain and Palin appeal to the me first voter and will mine them and could strike gold in November.  Obama has a much more diverse coalition of potential voters than McCain.  That coalition must vote and if they do Obama will win.