I may be wrong but nothing rankled me as much as Obama’s repeated references to McCain as “John.” It was not an informal setting. Everybody else called each other by their honorific but not Obama. He repeatedly called McCain John. What a cheek! How tasteless.
I suspect he wanted to show he is on the same level as John McCain. Sorry. There was no escaping the difference between the civility shown by John McCain and Jim Lehrer on one side and the lack of civility shown by Barack Obama. The first “John” was excusable. The continued use showed the kind of stubborness which has been George Bush’s pitfall. As John McCain noted Obama has been unprepared to admit mistakes. He insists he was right on the surge and agreeing to meet personally with a host of dictators during his first year in the presidency. It seems he is too insecure to admit mistakes.
Yes, youth and inexperience include that pitfall too as anyone who has ever dealt with a teenager knows all too well. And to be honest, during much of the debate, Barack Obama reminded me of an over eager student much more than of a presidential candidate. As I am fond of such students, most of the time his posture brought an indulgent smile to my face but whenever he called McCain “John” a look of dusgust took it’s place. Barack Obama proved yet again that his audacity is based not on merit but his inability to understand just how short he falls of being a worthy man not to mention president.
Yes, I know I wrote nothing about the substance of the debate. I may do so later. I will say only one thing. Al Qaeda is NOT stronger than it has ever been. Even in the Muslim world it has lost support and is viewed as an obstacle for progress. In other words, the war on terror is being won. Second, anyone who wishes to locate the central battlefield against the war on terror in the most difficult battlefield in the world, which is Afghanistan/Pakistan is a bloody fool, as the British would say and as John McCain hinted.
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