McCain: Stunt Man or Leading Man

Question: Is McCain pulling a political stunt to cast himself as a hero to help his poll numbers and present Obama as an All Talk No Action Jackson? Or is McCain risking political suicide for noble reasons because he believes the Paulsen plan is fatally flawed and will put Big Government's boot on the neck of the American taxpayer? Answer: Both.

John McCain recognized an opportunity to make a move that would put all eyes on him. Just like the Palin pick, McCain is shaking the political landscape up in such bold unorthodox ways that only a seasoned pro could pull off and do so for justified reasons. McCain finds himself with a perfectly timed gift few politicians are handed and even fewer are wise, brave and wiley enough to seize and make history with. McCain has a crisis laid at his feet, one that he legitimately is in the position of championing the people against the arrogant greed of big business and better, the bumbling, fumbling, insatiable greed of the Federal Government. It's all on record that Barney Frank waved off the concerns of Republicans over the unstable situation at Fannie and Freddie years ago, defeating the bill McCain himself crafted to put an end to the reckless practices in those two institutions. The history is all there and now McCain is owning this moment. In a clever ramping up of the situation, McCain suspends his campaign full-knowing the press generated by this will far exceed anything he would be getting by running ads. Political, absolutely but backed by a valid reason which neutralizes the tactics, a strike only a seasoned warrior could wield.

Obama could have beaten McCain to the punch and pulled the exact same move however, Obama, the agent of change, has no idea how to read the political tea leaves plus he was on the wrong side in voting the bills to limit Fannie and Freddie. Obama is now, for the fourth or fifth time, caught dumbfounded by how politics really work. Obama may be intelligent, good-looking and a hell of a teleprompter reader but Obama is no politician. No matter how much we all hate the unattractive ways of politicians, at the end of the day, the President of the United States must be a politician, a damn good politician, the best politician of all. Collectively, we despise lawyers too but when we find ourselves in legal trouble we want the meanest, smartest, most seasoned one we can find to be in our corner. Some young pup just out of law school will not suffice. The climate we find ourselves is not forgiving to a callow youth at the helm. Substance over surface is the call of the day.

This is exactly why McCain is going to be our next president. Obama claimed he was going to bring a new politics to Washington, that he would be the agent of change as the true, bold, Washington outsider. Ironically, that is one of the oldest, most tired claims used by every neophyte ever entertaining the grand notion of running for President. Nothing new, changed or bold about that. Even George W. Bush used the "Washington outsider" ploy. What Obama is learning slowly but surely is that an experience in Washington not only helps but is necessary in today's complicated world. There are climates, maneuvers, strategies and tools that only a person who has been in the trenches of Washington would know how to use. A pretty face and good speech delivery will never replace knowing the ropes. Like anything else in life, be it art, science, engineering, raising children, fixing toilets or politics, the only way one can truly be successful in a tough situation requires time logged, on the job experience. Phoning in advise does not equate to accomplishments.

Personally, I want our next president to have all the arrows of experience, intuition, boldness, restraint, vision, courage, steadfastness and craftiness in the quiver. Time and time and time again Obama has been caught flat-footed by the arrows shot by McCain. If a campaign for a political office throws Obama off, what the heck would happen if Obama is put in the ring with Ahmadinejad or Putin? Those two will run mental circles around Obama before he even knows the sparing has begun. McCain has not only been the target of mind games during his POW experience, but he's been one of the few people in history who has successfully maneuvered in and out, around and between the two major political parties and done so with verifiable effectiveness. Figuratively and literally speaking, Washington is a visible subject on the surface with a vast invisible underground system of catacombs leading to one's political dead end as well as paths to partisan and bi-partisan oases. John McCain knows these pathways blindfolded. Obama has yet to venture below the surface.

Whether John McCain goes to the debate or not, it really doesn't matter because at the end of the day we are all wondering what McCain will do, not Obama. We all know Obama's plans. His are the traditional political scenario. One can talk bold actions, new ideas and novel ways of accomplishing things but acting trumps talking every day of the week. We as Americans have to pick dessert or sustenance. Obama is like a cake taken out of the oven too soon. He may have all of the right ingredients but politically he is only half-baked. McCain is day-old bread but he's well-prepared and will provide the sustenance we need. Spread on a little Palin Butter and McCain doesn't even taste all that bad. Remember what happened when Marie was touting cake to the masses? No amount of icing will disguise what the people are beginning to realize and taste.