The Public Trust

We've been hearing, to the point of near violence, for the past week and some about Sen Obama's connections and how he doesn't see America the way we do. He's not truthful and you can't trust him has been the thrust of McCains and Palin. The criticism of the campaign has been deafening from those other than the spit flecked base the attacks were aimed to please. There was, in this, a basic violation of the public trust in our Presidential candidates and that message seemed to get to McCain himself this late afternoon.

Whatever your beliefs regarding McCain's previous behaviors, his campaign just ran into something rather nasty. The Alaskan legislature just released its report regarding Gov Sarah Palin's troubles with the firing of Walt Monegan and it hits a rude note. Gov. Palin violated the public trust by using her office for personal gain. The report does not allege that the personal agenda was the sole reason for Monegan's firing but that it was a significant element. This is after Palin agreed to cooperate, then refused to cooperate and told Alaskans and Americans that there was nothing there at all. This would qualify as a bald faced lie - right up there with the infamous Bridge she's been trying to sell us.

We've had almost eight years of the lies, secrecy, and personal agendas of the Bush administration and now we're to swallow this without a whimper? This is the Change We Can Believe In? We get a narrow window to control our leaders, primarily what we get to do is elect them and elect the Congress that acts as a counter. Once these windows are closed the there is no legal recourse. To make this clearer, there were not the votes in Congress to deal with President George W Bush's illegal activities, nor was there the will. Two elections failed us, the 04 Presidential and the 06 Congressional. The situation we are in today, domestically and internationally, is the outcome of those votes. That was the window.

This nation was founded on some pretty outrageous ideas, at the time. Today we have grown to take them for granted. Separation of powers and a restricted government are not archaic elitist principles, they are the bedrocks of our way of life. One of the pieces of that is the idea that a governmental official will not use their political office against one of us. In the very recent past Sen McCain and Gov Palin have used their positions to spread fear, hate, and distrust of a fellow named Barack Obama and Gov. Palin used her position to attempt the professional destruction of one Trooper Wooten. Both of these individuals were placed into such positions of trust by the public for what it perceived as good reason. There is no law against what Palin and McCains have done in regard to Obama, at least there is nothing beyond simple ethics that would forbid such behavior.

There is a complete difference between questioning someones ability to do a job or judgement to do it correctly and stoking fear and hatred of that someone. Whatever else it may say about a campaign, this brings its ethical standing into stark relief. No campaign should be able to survive such behavior, that this one is still standing is an unfortunate statement on our public conscience. This late afternoon the Base perception of Obama apparently became a bit much for McCain when a woman stated that she had read about him and that he was an Arab. McCain took the microphone back and said that Obama is an American citizen and a decent family man. This is exactly where the campaign has been attempting to lead people, but an out and out blathering of their point was too much. I have no sympathy for John McCain.

Let me be clear John, you loosed these dogs deliberately. You sowed these winds of hate and you can reap the whirlwinds of that destruction. You placed this in the public view and played at it and you are now available for the judgement of that public and I sincerely hope it is harsh. We can either have a debate around ideology and policy or we can have the politics of personality destruction. Senator McCain, you are not free and clear of that. Chuck Keating hangs like a specter over you, your wives and affairs, your wife and drugs and your role in it, your association with right wing associations and Cuban terrorists, the POW/MIA issue, and the unverifiable questions regarding your POW behavior. These could be thrown at you and made to stick enough to muddy you and it is not correct to do so. The mud that is now stuck to you is the mud you've thrown, it is your personal ambition and the win at any cost element of your ambition. You are what you've done and your campaign has done and you should be made to pay for it.