Posted by
Conservative USA on Sunday, November 02, 2008 8:50:15 PM
America is at a defining moment. Not only are we facing risks to our economic and national security, but also to the most fundamental component of a strong and healthy society: its unity. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, we saw the best of America, as everybody united under the stars and stripes. However, during the last seven years, we have seen an increasingly divided country, with two polarized factions fighting against each other in a dangerous and self-destructive way, while the mainstream of America finds itself in between.
While we have been supportive of President George W. Bush in most of his policy proposals (with some important exceptions, like the lack of fiscal restraint and the runaway deficit), we lament the fact that the way the administration pursued many of its policy proposals was carried in a divisive and uncompromising way. We applauded the President for his courage and determination after 9/11, and we still believe that he made the right decisions concerning the War on Terrorism (reason why we haven’t had another terror attack on American soil), but, at the same time, we would have liked to see more bipartisanship and moderation in the administration’s approach to politics. However, it would be a childish and populist thing to do to pretend that only one man, or his administration for that matter, is responsible for the division and polarization in American society today. Americans shouldn’t forget that a new, Democratic-controlled Congress took over in January of 2007, promising a new era of unity and bipartisanship. Yet, the last thing they have done is to bring the country together. Democratic leaders in Congress Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have only deepen the division in our society, following the same approach the Bush administration had been following, with the only difference being the ideological content of their proposals.
In these times of unprecedented challenges, America cannot afford more division and polarization in its political class and its citizenry. In order to successfully resolve the big tests we are facing as a nation (an economic recession, a global War on Terror, oil dependency, environmental degradation, failing schools, a ballooning deficit, and a health care crisis, among others), we desperately need to bring the country together again, pursuing common sense solutions to the nation’s problems. Therefore, the question voters should ask themselves on Tuesday is: Which candidate can bring America together again?
Fortunately, there is one man in the presidential race that, throughout his political career has been eager to work across the aisle, bringing together Republicans, Democrats and independents to get things done, and resisting the criticisms from his own party and, we have to admit, sometimes our own. We believe the answer to that question is very clear. That man is Arizona Senator John McCain.
It is difficult not to see McCain as someone that deserves to be president of the United States. This is a man that spent five years of his life in a Vietnamese prison camp, being tortured and mistreated. It is also difficult not to see the courage in the man who, when offered early release, preferred to stay before breaking a code of honor (although, it would have been completely understandable in such inhumane circumstances to accept such a proposal). But that was not McCain’s idea. For him, honor, the sense of duty and love of country were above everything else. This has not changed throughout the years. It is precisely because of these values and his experience in Vietnam that John McCain is who he is. It is precisely because of his understanding of what torture is that he has opposed torture as an interrogation method employed by the U.S. military. It is precisely because of his understanding of the dignity of human life that he has always fought for comprehensive immigration reform (although, we have many times opposed his most liberal components, such as instant amnesty for those who break the law). It is precisely because of this life-changing experience that he fought to restore the U.S. relationship with the country in which he was tortured during so many years, far away from home.
Now, does this experience qualify someone to be commander-in-chief of the United States? Well, it sure shows the moral character that a leader of a nation should have. Even if we don’t think this kind of experience instantly qualifies someone for the job, we don’t need to ask that question. We just need to look at McCain’s record in Congress. His is a record of a person concerned about the unity of his country. Whether fighting for ethics reform, immigration reform, or fiscal sanity, John McCain has always put the interests of mainstream America before any other interest. This sure shows us leadership, and the kind we desperately need right now.
We cannot write this endorsement without mentioning the historical characteristics of this presidential race and the impressive qualities of Illinois Senator Barack Obama. America should be proud of what she has achieved concerning equal opportunities for everyone. America should be proud of Barack Obama. His personal story is the best example of what the American dream is all about. His story shows us that anyone with ambition, hope and hard work can pursue his or her dream in America.
Nevertheless, while Senator Obama represents a new, intelligent and fresh voice in American politics, we cannot forget the nature of the challenges we face and the need for strong, conciliatory and decisive leadership. As we said before, we need someone that can bring the country together again. Unfortunately, we don’t see those qualities in Senator Obama’s record. During his four years in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Obama has never defied his party leadership in favor of common ground legislation. Moreover, his is a highly partisan voting record, far from the mainstream, center-right beliefs of the American people. Moreover, even if we believe the tone of Senator Obama’s speeches in the campaign (which we really want to), we cannot deny the fact that the Democratic Party, controlled by a far-leftist wing, will increase its majorities in both chambers of Congress, with even the possibility of getting a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Thus, even if a President Obama would be eager to compromise, his party leaders in Congress would not allow him to do so, generating more division and gridlock in Washington. We do believe that Senator Obama would be a formidable candidate in four or eight years, after having acquired leadership skills and showing more compromise in the legislative process.
We cannot forget, also, the historic nomination of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. We think it was time for the Republican Party to nominate a woman in such a position. We think Governor Palin has incredible political skills and personal charisma. Indeed, we cheered her nomination after Mr. McCain introduced her. However, we must recognize that her performances in many interviews and her political rhetoric, which we see as dangerously populist, have made us doubt about her qualifications to be commander-in-chief should something happen to Mr. McCain.
To choose the leader of the world’s only military and economic superpower is not an easy task (or at least it shouldn’t be), especially in these times of uncertainty and insecurity. However, we feel confident that the American people will make the best decision and, whoever the winner is, we hope he delivers his promise of unity and moderation.
We have no doubt that America can and will face all the challenges and finish stronger, united and more prosperous than she was before. After all, that’s what she has always done. The spirit of freedom provides the strength to face any challenge, no matter how difficult, and to be victorious in the end. We strongly believe that John McCain can and will keep that spirit strong and that’s why we proudly endorse him for president of the United States.