Just blowing smoke

After the complete disgrace that was last night at the GOP convention, after the nasty speeches by Rudy! and the GOP's new queen, Sarah Palin, I was not planning to either watch John McCain's speech tonight or liveblog about it. I just didn't want to submit myself to that again. How morally bankrupt must a political movement be - particularly one that likes to pretend it is the guardian of all that is righteous - to seethe with comtempt whenever they mention "community organizer," as if helping the needy find a voice and improve their lives and social condition was worthy of derision rather than tremendous respect? Those aren't my values (they're not really "values" at all, are they?), and certainly not the values I want my children to see, so why would I possibly want to let that into my home again?

But my daughter had to watch part of the convention for her social studies class, so despite my best intentions I caved on the idea of going cold turkey tonight.

But I didn't break down completely. I still left the live-blogging to Josh. And he has summed McCain's speech all up in one of his live-blog comments that he just made: "It's astonishing that he's giving this whole speech from memory."

As a related side note, a few minutes ago McCain said that Sarah Palin has worked "with her hands and nose." McCain's handlers really need to do a more careful job of punctuating on McCain's teleprompter - John, the pause comes after "hands," not after "knows." Sheesh!

On the bright side, it's a good thing that John McCain is so reluctant to talk about his POW experience. He sure lays it on thick, doesn't he?

And now, even McCain cannot resist joining in the nasty sarcasm that marked last night and that is so indicative of classic Republican campaigning. Said McCain, with his characteristic scorn: "I'm not running for president because I think I'm blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need." Give it a rest already; there's one candidate who has made his campaign and convention all about his personal greatness, and that candidate is not Barack Obama. It is amazing how Republicans consistently project their own behavior onto their Democratic opponents, and then heap that behavior full with unrelenting scorn in Freudian dimensions. It's even more amazing that, so taken in by rhetoric, the media lets the Republican nonsense stick, without questioning or reason.

I have never bought into the whole nonsense about McCain being a moderate (and that has been, over the years, the source of many arguments that I've had with my Democratic friends, such as those who pushed the idea that McCain would have made a great VP choice for John Kerry), the delusion that so many convince themselves of, that John McCain really believes in the so-called moderate views that they personally believe in, despite McCain's specific words in opposition to those views. For instance, he opposes choice and pledges to put more Scalias and Alitos on the Supreme Court, but some still insist on believing that he wants to keep Roe v. Wade the law of the land. He changes his stated positions, or votes in complete contrast to his stated positions, on innumerable issues, from gay marriage to torture to environmental policy, yet he still enjoys a reputation as a "straight talker." It's remarkable what careful branding can do.

Nevertheless, at one time I too thought that, although I had policy differences with him, the man had a certain dignity.

But it's just not so. I'm sick and tired of hearing that he's a good man, willing to defy his party on issues of conscience and good sense. Let's be real already. John McCain is all about John McCain, and will do whatever he thinks is necessary to advance the cause of John McCain. Whether or not this is the man that John McCain used to be eight years ago, I just don't care. It doesn't matter. Those who lament that he has changed, whether because they truly believe it or instead resist the notion that they have in fact been duped by a duplicitous egoist, just need to get over it and recognize John McCain for who he is, now, today.

John McCain is not just wrong; he's dangerous. He either lacks the courage of convictions, or those convictions are not those that everyone likes to pretend he holds.

We need to make sure he's defeated.

I'll close the night with two points:

First, I just checked in with TPM again, and, to my point above, here's what Josh just said: "Nothing brings so much happiness as betraying all the ideals you said you believed in to try to take advantage of your last chance to be president."

Second, my summary of the speech in one sentence: We need to change everything that went on in the Bush years by behaving in the exact same way as in the Bush years.

I guess I've now also gone back on my decision not to blog about McCain's speech.