Dear Senator McCain,
Enter public life determined to tell the truth; to put problem-solving ahead of partisanship; to defend the public interest against the special interests; to risk your personal ambitions for the sake of the country and the ideals that make her great. Keep your promise to America, and you will keep your honor. You will know a happiness far more sublime than pleasure. source
It rains down on you like a cold shower, doesn’t it? These are your own words, Senator. In the rush of the past couple of weeks, have you stopped to take a look at what you are doing, what path you are taking?
We all understand that the truth gets stretched in a political campaign. Usually there is at least the facade of truth, a plausible link to the truth, that lets the practice be tolerated. But you’ve chosen to dispense with the facade of truth. You choose to lie.
Your ambition to be President is so great that you have completely sublimated your identity and personality to grasp that which you covet. Your ability to make decisions and stand for yourself is gone.
You’ve chosen a path that leads you to lie about your positions. It leads you to lie about the qualifications of your running mate. And it leads you to lie about your opponent.
You choose to put partisanship ahead of problem-solving. I thought the denigration of community organizers you allowed during your convention was spiteful and hypocritical. Especially since the previous night’s theme at your convention was ‘Service’, and it was your party that installed a whole new office at the White House dedicated to faith based and community organizations.
But to lie about your opponent and say that a bill meant to teach young children about inappropriate touching and how to identify pedophiles was instead some effort to ruin families by teaching explicit sex education to kindergardeners is just despicable. You choose to lie about a matter of public safety – about the safety of children! This is not ‘just politics’ to me, this is personal.
You choose to put special interests ahead of the public interest. Your positions on issue after issue – immigration reform, tax cuts, energy, campaign finances, even the agents of intolerance – have changed, not because of some philosophical maturity, but due to a craven abdication of your moral compass in pursuit of the Oval Office.
You choose to lie because the man you are is not the man you want to be. You lie because you know that Senator McCain can’t measure up to the man needed to be President McCain.
There was a time in your life where lying in service to your country was noble. But you are not in Hanoi anymore. You are home. You are not lying in service to your country now. You are simply lying to it. If your love for this country is greater than your lust for its power, then you know what you are doing is wrong.
You’ve written, “I make [decisions] as quickly as I can, quicker than the other fellow, if I can. Often my haste is a mistake, but I live with the consequences without complaint.” You may be willing to accept this in your personal life. But you know this is unacceptable in your public life. It is not just you who will have to live with the consequences. It is all off us – the American people – who will live with the consequences.
You would choose to put your country at risk for the sake of your personal ambition. Because I can only conclude that someone who chooses to lie in order to gain power, and continues to do so even when his lies have been exposed, will lie when he has power. Your country has lived through eight long years of lies, and we can’t afford to take the consequences of lying anymore.
There is a huge chasm between your words and your deeds. You choose to sacrifice your honor for power. In the end, you will end up with neither. In a just world, these are your consequences.
So tell me, Senator, is this what sublime happiness feels like?
May you find peace with whatever you choose do,
Derek
cross posted at Daily Kos
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And my obligatory addendum until November 4th:
Here are some actions you can take:
- Donate (myBO fundraising page – you can make one, too). And then email all your friends and family and ask them to donate too.
- Make sure you are registered to vote.
- Join MyBarackObama.com
- Make calls from home. (I’ve just recently started doing this, and it’s easier than I thought it would be.)
- Sign up to get information on campaign events.
- Attend an event near you.
- Join the Action Wire Team and fight the smears.
- Explain Obama’s policy stances and ideas to people.
- Buy some Obama gear. Wear it and display it proudly. It’s amazing how many people will just start talking to you because of it.