Post debate thoughts

As an independent I don't subscribe to either party but I do have a preference for the goals and programs of one candidate vs. another. I think Obama missed a good chance last night. He ended up looking very defensive on foreign policy and McCain got some wonderful digs in on Obama's relative lack of experience in this area. But there were responses Mr. Obama could have made but didn't.

*Mr. Mccain stressed his long experience dealing with countries like Iraq, Pakistan, Israel...but it appears he has learnt nothing from it. The world he knew has changed drastically but he hasn't changed with it. If he had he would not have encouraged the War in Iraq, He would not now maintain such total and unquestioned support for Israel. Let's be clear, it is the US' uneven handling of the Arab and Israeli world that has got us into the Middle East mess we're in. The US' double standard means that we support Israel in flouting all the UN conventions it has previously signed, undermines the authority of the UN so it can no longer intervene in the Middle East credibly, left the neighboring Arab countries struggling to support an overwhelming refugee population. But McCain's advisers are so tied to the israeli PACs that he seems to think its weakness to show any justice for the Arab world. We really need a leader who can say to both sides--you are wrong on this, and you are wrong on that even if he understand he might sacrifice the next election. Our own intransigence means we ship US funds that are taxpayer funds to Israel--a modern state in no need of financial support--and to Egypt, a state that is so low on the Human Rights scale it shouldn't be recevieing any funds at all, to keep them both happy. But it's a payoff to Egypt from us to allow us to support Israel the way we want and allows Israel to build up its armaments while we pay their civil service costs Something's not right here. We've ceded power to the interests of others thinking it's in our own intrests when it's not. Bring that money back home and then you'll see that the two parties will HAVE to deal with each other seriously. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, US politics ahs made us total enemies of the people if not the State. These are tribal people, and while the machinery of Government seems to be modern, it's backed by 12th century cultures and values--you can't deal with them in the same way you deal with France or germany. And you can't make assumptions about their reactions to US politics unless you understand this.

* Mr. McCain says he is a maverick in the Senate but his very Maverick(ness) means he has been an ineffective leader of his own party within the Senate and within the Administration. If he could lead he would have got his peers (Republicans) in the Senate and Congress, to vote with him on all those contentious issues that he today feels the Bush regime shouldn't have done and which he's desperately trying to dissassociate himself from.

So if he's not an effective leader, even with people in his own party, why do we think he could lead a nation? Other people defected from their parties to show their integrity or to demonstrate their changed values--Lieberman did,--but McCain stayed and toed the line...no he's no maverick.