My response to the Wuzzadems

Wuzzadem is one of my favorite blogs. I have a blogging friendship with John and have met him personally (though he might not admit that unless he was waterboarded).

For the last time...I don't know Nigel!

The Wuzzadems are supporting John McCain. They did not "jump on the bandwagon"...they have been McCain supporters since the primary season began. They carefully laid out their case right here. And if you look at the comments section, you'll see I was the first to express my disappointment in their choice.

As the conservative blogosphere's attacks on McCain have increased (I plead guilty as well), John and especially Mrs. have stepped up their defenses of McCain and have even gone into attack mode.

But recently some in the blogosphere have begun to attack McCain's military record. And that is wrong. Mrs. R. exposed that for what it was (garbage), and even laid down this challenge which made tracks on Hot Air.

I am not a serious political analyst...actually I am not really a serious blogger at all. I am that snarky, pain-in-the-ass kid who sits in the back of the classroom and cracks stupid jokes. I know what I am...



Still, I thought I'd lay out my case against McCain without snark and circle-jerk jokes...and I did that in the comments section over at Wuzzadem:

There is an evangelical Christian saying about small differences in Christian doctrine:

I wouldn't split a church over it.

However, I think that just a casual analysis of McCain's positions will show a sharp departure from conservatism. This is why conservatives are up in arms right now...the candidate that is supposed to represent the conservative party seems to have way more in common with Democrats than Republicans.

I know that you are spending a lot of time gloating and chiding bloggers who are dissatisfied with McCain. I hope our differences don't split our conservative blogger "church".

Having said that, any critique of McCain's military service is out of bounds and tasteless. I heard Michael Savage questioning this today and I almost put my fist through the radio (I'm not a listener, but I dot around the dial during commercials and tripped over it).

I may not vote for McCain as President, but the guy is a true patriot who served his country valiantly. Criticize his ridiculous stand on immigration, criticize his global warming kool-aid drinking...but don't criticize the sacrifices he made for our country.

To which John replied:

I don't know where you get that anyone's "gloating" - that would suggest that someone had "won" something. Right now McCain's not the nominee, and even if he were, it looks like a lot of people are opting to either sit out the election or write in another candidate who - short of a miracle - will have no chance of winning. That means Hillary (or possibly Obama) wins, and no one in the WuzzaDem household will be happy about that.

I see two McCain-related posts on the front page of this blog - one challenging "anything-but-McCain" bloggers to support a candidate rather than just opposing one, which is what the primaries are about, and one calling attention to the ridiculous post from "Derb" at The Corner.

If you want to see "chiding", click over to HotAir and read the comments. Calling anyone who suggests supporting McCain "RINO", "idiot", "brain dead", and worse - that's chiding.

We are both conservatives, and neither of us have been McCain fans in the past, so we understand why people are upset, but if you really want to analyze McCain's positions, you should consider this:

The American Conservative Union gives a lifetime rating of 82.3, whereas Hillary gets 9, Obama 8. That's more than just a casual analysis. McCain may have "more in common with Democrats than Republicans", but some people are claiming there's no difference between McCain and Hillary.

That, if you'll pardon my French, is bullshit.

Now John makes a compelling case here. Fair is fair, and from the very beginning the Wuzzadems have maintained that in a perfect world McCain would not have been their first choice, but that he has the best chance of keeping America from the pain of Hillary Clinton. I don't agree with that, but John and Mrs. have held that position from the very beginning and I have to respect that.

Still...

I don't go with the "American Conservative Union's" ratings to determine which candidate has the views and values that mirror mine. It's easy to see why I won't vote for McCain:

1. Immigration. McCain is in bed with Juan Hernandez...and that is all I need to know about McCain's commitment to securing our border. That right there would probably disqualify ANY candidate from receiving my vote, but I shall go on...

2. Global Warming. McCain has chugged the Kool-Aid.

3. Anwar drilling...we could eliminate our foreign oil dependence (or greatly reduce it), but he has aligned with liberals who would rather protect a desolate environment for caribou who summer there. (And as the Alaskan pipeline construction has proven, drilling up there would not necessarily disrupt ANY wildlife or ecology)

4. Gitmo...I am not sure if he would close Gitmo or not, but he has come out against coerced interrogation. Considering he was the victim of REAL torture (not the fake kind like waterboarding), I have to give his view some creedence. However when the day is done, his position is closer to the ACLU's than mine.

5. Now the revelation that McCain almost Wuzzadem himself (like y'all and myself as well). I could go on, but you get the idea.

McCain's position on Iraq is the ONE reason I may go to the polls and vote for him if he wins the nomination. That's because kicking the Islamotards right in the balls is actually the number one priority for me in this upcoming election.

So there. I'd like to thank John and Mrs. for actually making me think and defend a position. I shall now return to my little world where my political analysis usually sounds more like this (with apologies to Linda at Something and Half of Something):