A New Low for the Left

I've been keeping this somewhat of a secret, but with events being what they are, I have to say it. Right now there is nothing John McCain himself can do to win my vote. Doesn't matter who he picks as Vice President, doesn't matter who he'll pick for the Supreme Court, doesn't even matter if my vote is the only thing that could propel McCain to the White House over Barack Obama. McCain has shown me that he cannot be trusted, and I cannot vote for a man I cannot trust with the keys to my country.

Having said that, the way Democrats and Obama's campaign have been working lately, I may vote for McCain to spite them. For a while now, I've seen Leftists attack McCain for being too old, for having a bad temper, for statements he didn't make but got distorted to make them sound like his, and other utterly meaningless distinctions. Then came Wesley Clark speaking on Obama's behalf. Clark took a shot at McCain's military record, saying on CBS's "Face the Nation," "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president."

This coming from the nozzlehead who almost bombed an oil pipeline that would have gotten Russia mad at us and would have clearly been an act of war?

Personal sniping against the messenger aside, the Left's attempt to undermine McCain's electability through his military record is not going to help them win voters. Americas by and large love our troops. We may not agree with their missions or their politics, but deep down we appreciate what our military does. To have someone like Wesley Clark, who achieved the rank of General, trot out and attack McCain on his military service is not going to sit well with people, even people like me who don't really like McCain all that much.

Of course, the Left is ready with an excuse that this is just payback for what the GOP did to John Kerry in 2004. On the surface, it's a fair comparison. But where the Kerry/McCain comparison ends is that Kerry was using his military service to make himself out to be a better leader than George W. Bush, who also served. In other words, Kerry's use of his military record was as a political weapon against his opponent. McCain, on the other hand, is not really using his military record to attack Obama. Instead, he's using it to elevate himself and to attract people to his message. If McCain were to say, "I'd be a better President than Barack Obama because I served my country while he didn't," then the Leftists would have a point. Unfortunately for them, the only point in this is on their heads.

I still have serious misgivings about John McCain, misgivings that prevent me from supporting him as much as some of you reading this. However, if the Left wants to continue to hammer McCain's military record, I will have no qualms about voting for him as a means to protest this slimy political tactic endorsed by the Left.

Congratulations, Leftist submorons. You may have made a McCain voter out of me.