McCain looks demented

Hello progressive u users and readers --

I would like to take this time to write with much enthusiasm on what I feel is McCain's real problem in this election.

1960: The first ever televised Presidential debate between candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Milhouse Nixon was beamed into our living rooms in brilliant black and white. Many scholars have suspected the election may have been decided, in earnest, by the candidate's physical appearence during this watershed moment in our nation's history. Nixon was getting over an illness and had arrived to the debate itself late, supposedly. Kennedy was, at least by comparison, young, handsome, self-assurred and energetic. Some major areas of public perception on these candidates did a flip-flop soon after this debate. Kennedy was the pretty boy, the proactive forward thinker. Nixon was essentially recast as old, grumpy, and frumpy "Mr. Wilson," to steal a quote from Hardball's Chris Matthews.

Last night's debate, as have all of these presidential debates this season, was another watershed moment. We have the same dynamic at work here, at least on the very surface.

The difference? McCain didn't look ill, at least not PHYSICALLY. Yes, he's old and has seen better days in the grooming department. Yes Barack is young, progressive, and women like him. But, to be blunt, McCain appears untrustworthy.

When Barack speaks, he at LEAST SEEMS to be sincere. He may lie or overgeneralize (before I get flamed, let me say that I believe EVERY politician, even Carter, overgeneralizes at least once of the campaign trail, and that I've come to terms with this, so get over it). McCain, by contrast, very rarely gives off the impression of being genuine, and those awkward-looking smiles aren't helping you, John.

His smiles are forced and belie what appears top be a frothing desire to rip the Illinois Senator a new speak-hole for his "eloquence" to emanate from. They are at least mildly disturbing to me. His eyes look like they've been recast from silver dollars half the time as they spend half the debate with a sort of "deer in the headlights" sort of thing going on. The incessant blinking, too, is very worrisome as well, not because I want him to win, but because of the mere potential that this man may one day be our coun try's PRESIDENT.

The rapid-fire blinking: What have we heard about the body language of a liar? The wide-eyed stares: Dementia, anyone? The crooked, disengenuous smiles: Awkward and unpleasant to the eyes and heart . I get tense just watching them when realizing that it seems to be the only thing keeping Senator McCain from going from less-than-cordial to pounding his much-maligned competitor into the ground physically.

I remember listening to the Stephanie Miller show once on my way to school and hearing an admittedly volatile-sounding older woman call up and introduce herfself as a qualified mental health professional. She then proceeded to identify her experience watching George W. Bush's performance debating Senator John Kerry the night before as "akin to watching a caged animal." It was one of the only things she said that stuck with me for any length of time, as I agreed with her. Moderator's be damned, that man made his own rules in those debates, routinely interrupting, being rude to the "referee," and quickly assuming control, angrily, over the proceedings.

I watched John McCain during this last debate, and once again saw that caged animal pacing uncontrollably, the only thing holding his agression back being the bars on said cage, in this case the Senator's knowledge that the cameras were rolling, effectivelly tramsmitting his actions to the houses of millions of "Joe the Plumbers" across America.

My friends, this man scares me. He continually seems a hair's width away from losing control over his anger. He gives off the body language of a liar, and of a drowning man desperately clinging to anything to possibly keep himself afloat. He's not stupid though. He knows Palin was a mistake. He knows he can't out-debate the shrewd, prepared, consummate politician that is his competition. He knows he can't lose control on live television. So what does he do? He picks at Barack, or at the few scabs they can find, which rarely amount to anything other than minor associations with "terrorists" who engaged in their admittedly deplorable acts when the Barack was eight years old. He makes himself appear that much smaller in the opinions of people ready for a change everywhere by bringing up scare tactics that incapsulate his campaign's seemingly last paths of "recourse," if you can even call it that. He brings up petty old scare tactics then saying things like (paraphrasing) "I don't care about Barack's associations with old rebels, I just think Americans need to know more about them." John, that's not why you brought it up and you know it. You are fanning the dying flames of post-9/11 paranoia, trying to scare the public into voting for you (hmmm . . . . where have we seen this before?).

All in all, I increasingly see the quirky behaviors of an uncomfortable, angry, and unstable man. I'm voting for Barack Obama.