DEBATABLE?

I've shied away from the political scene for the last several weeks--after all, there have been so many willing to jump in to fill whatever possible void my opinion might have left!

But watching last night's debate, a summary of my thoughts crept in.

• When asked by moderator Tom Brokaw who might make a good Secretary of the Treasury to replace Paulson, John McCain mentioned Warren Buffett, whom he also identified as an Obama supporter. If one of the smartest investment and finance men in America, John, supports Obama, what does that say about you?


• When McCain tries to lump Obama in with the excesses of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while his own campaign is staffed by former lobbyists from those institutions, it tends to backfire.


• When John McCain repeatedly talks about his skill in "reaching across the aisle" while constantly failing to engage or look his rival in the eye, one tends to feel he is merely talking the talk.


• John McCain continually talks about Obama planning to increase taxes, when in point of fact his main thrust is providing tax cuts to the middle class, shows McCain does not have a firm grasp on his opponents' campaign. (Of course, with a humongous looming deficit, one has to wonder how McCain would pay for all those inferior mortgage buybacks he so valiantly put forth?)


• The only person I ever want to hear describe themselves as a Maverick again is James Garner.

This is not to say that Sen. Obama is flawless--I have been waiting for months and months to know more about his plans. While I know I DON'T like Sen. McCain's healthcare plane (which would tax you on any health insurance benefits given by your employer, along with sending you to another state and costing you more by limiting availability of specific services), I at least feel I really know what it is. Yet Obama is clearly concerned about education and the future of our young people, something McCain never seems to mention. And you can't have it both ways--either you have years and years of experience--which DOES make you an insider, John--or your an outsider reformer, which comes from a detachment that you really don't have, having voted your party's line on most crucial issues.

Finally, let's separate McCain from the Bush administration for a moment. While I agree that it is as foolish to bring up the Keating Five as it is to bring up Obama's association (at age 8?) with the Weatherman, one does have to look at McCain as someone who, all on his own, has screamed for deregulation repeatedly for generations. Now he's saying there needs to be accountability, even when he took away the watchdogs. If you take away the blame game from the Oval Office, the removal of proper oversight falls squarely on shoulders like those of Sen. McCain, making him directly culpable for the excesses that have brought about the current financial mess. (When he and Sarah Palin go on and on about cleaning up the town, I keep wanting to ask, "You and who else?" Is Sarah Palin going to have her little girl staying up all night going over corporate travel and expense accounts for homework? No one would argue that smaller government would be nice, but it doesn't happen by magic, and oversight requires people to do their jobs, preferably with some seriousness.)

John McCain does NOT mark a change, but more of the same--and we see where that's gotten us, don't we?