I really wish John McCain would have won…….8 years ago. I really bought into that straight talk express. Even back then he was an older guy with a lot of political experience, but Washington hadn't really seemed to get to him. He thought he would be able to cut through the politics, not play the dumb games, and be able to win. If he would have won 8 years ago, I think he would have been an excellent president. But he didn't win. And, he didn't win mainly because of dirty politics, and I think that changed him. He thought voters would support him taking actual stances on issues, that voters would understand that he was not a regular politician, that he wouldn't play stupid political games. Well, the voters are idiots, and they elected George W. Bush.
8 years later McCain ran for the highest office again, but he wasn't the same guy. He turned into somebody that would say and do anything for votes. Hillary Clinton was the same way. The main thing that jumps to my mind was that stupid gas tax holiday. Both of them supported it, while Obama laughed at them. Throughout the whole campaign, Clinton and McCain both acted like they had already earned the presidency. Almost like it was their right and they were indignant that somebody else had the gall to challenge them.
"Fortunately",* Obama decided to run for president. His campaign consisted mostly of him looking handsome, acting cool, speaking extraordinarily eloquently, and making broad promises of hope and change. The perfect campaign.
So how will Obama do as president? I have no idea. I predict football games (poorly) not politics. However, there is one thing I'm confident Obama will do, that I haven't really heard mentioned anywhere. I really think that Obama will restore support in the United States of people from foreign countries. Or at least no longer make us a laughing stock.
My wife and I have traveled overseas twice in the last 3 years. Both times she tried to convince me that we should wear Canadian flag pins on our backpacks so that people wouldn't be mean to us because we were Americans. I talked her out of it both times and we were never treated poorly, but just having the conversation about it sucked. The majority of the world does not like the United States, and I think it is primarily because of George W Bush.
But now. Now we have a black guy named Barack Hussein Obama as our president. That's nuts. Ask the average American his opinion on India and thier Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Then ask the average American his opinion on India and tell him India's Prime Minister is a white guy named Fred Johnson. I think they will have a slightly higher regard in the second scenario.
What I'm basically trying to say is, remember the guy that threw his shoe at Bush?
I don't think anyone is going to throw a shoe at Obama. Mr. President, feel free to use that quote in any future campaigns.
*I say "fortunately" because I didn't support Obama. I do think he will be better than McCain, and MUCH better than Clinton. I was one of those crazy people that supported Ron Paul.
