Last of Our Kind

Tonight, I eagerly sat down waiting for 9:11 central standard time, the time Senator John McCain was slated to accept the Republican Party’s nomination for President. When he came on stage and after the ovation subsided, I watched and listened, and watched and listened, and waited, and waited, and waited.

I waited for John McCain to offer up some ideas. Some sort of plan, some vision for the future that his running mate forgot to mention last night. I listened to McCain mention his great party’s leaders: Lincoln (would he be considered Republican today?), Roosevelt (Teddy, not FDR. The man who got us through the great depression and World War II was a Democrat), and Reagan (Always gotta mention The Gipper).

I listened to the crowd, like children, boo the Democrats (last night they chanted “Drill Baby Drill,” don’t get me started on that). I listened to McCain admonish the Republican administration for losing their way. I heard him pledge to get back to basics. I also listened to him somehow forget to mention that he is a part of that same party that he so wants to “change.”

But what I didn’t hear McCain say was “How.” How John McCain are you going to fix this country? What is the change you want to bring? You say you want to stop sending money overseas and you want to create jobs that will stay in this country, but how? You talk about drilling because your party wants it. Your running mate supports drilling in ANWR, but you miss the bigger issue that drilling and oil is not the answer.

You say you know how to secure the peace and protect this country. Does securing the peace include occupying a country when its democratically elected leaders are asking us to leave?

John McCain we all know you are a patriot who loves this country. We all know you suffered great atrocities during your time in the POW Camp. However, Senator you are not offering us anything new or anything different.

Tonight you gave a speech that sounded like the speech of a politician, not of a true leader. Tonight as I sat and listened I did not feel inspired. I felt depressed. Perhaps Obama was right. Perhaps you just don’t get it. This country needs a voice that won’t just stand up and talk to the rest of the world, but will actually listen. We need a leader who listens to Americans and understands our problems and has a plan to fix them.

Tonight Senator, you asked us to stand up and fight.

Tonight Senator, I will stand up. Tonight I will fight. Tonight I will not give up.

There is too much at stake.

-LoOK