Barring assassination, heart failure, a sudden revelation that Barack Obama holds dual citizenship with France, or that John McCain is secretly married to Pat Buchanan, the next President of the United States has been chosen.
Now, the question is, will you afford the man - whichever one it is - the chance to prove himself loyal, trustworthy, brave, honest, sufficiently awake, boy-scouty and All-American enough to be President, or at the very least, competent?
I've been watching the Election 2008 Twitter stream for a week or so. Loving every minute of it, to be honest, because it's funny, informative, snarky, and occasionally maddening...
I can't think of anyplace else that I can meet so many different people from all over the world so quickly, all of whom are also interested in the same thing that fascinates me right now, the U.S. presidential election. If I like what they have to say, I can click on their links, or follow them to read more. If I think they're total boobs, I can talk back to them (so far, I've resisted the urge - it's not easy, but I've learned restraint after 10 years on Delphi,) ignore them, or just blow them off as wingnuts. And I never have to read more than 140 characters at a time from any of them.
I don't know if it's just me, or if you'll notice the same trend I see. Namely, the anti-Palin/McCain tweets are invariably funny, snarky, and dismissive. Ok, mostly funny and snarky.
"Yesterday's economic bailout talks were propelled by the need to act swiftly, before McCain wakes up from his nap..."
Just noticing neither John nor Cindy Mccain have lips. Physiognomy-wise this means they're either emotionally detatched or aliens.
Dear Sen. McCain: from here in Alaska i can see the moon. please put me in charge of N.A.S.A
McCain looking like the crazy-old-man neighbor who gives out pennies instead of candy on Halloween and is befuddled by all the costumes.
I think what McCain meant to say was that Obama was "the one" just like Neo in the Matrix movie...
Yes! Palin, Warrior Princess, will save us from the Giant Putin Head!
The pro-Obama comments are either embarrassingly fan-boyish, worshipful, or cloyingly earnest. The Michael Valentine syndrome has not diminished one bit.
The pro-Mc/Palin tweets and the anti-Obama tweets are one in the same. They have a viciousness that I wish I could say is pulled out only every four years, but it's become all too common in political discourse. The Mc/Palin supporters don't appear to be for Mc/Palin because of the duo's policies, they're apparently for them only because they're against Obama. Evil Obama. Terrorist Obama. Muslim Obama. Black Obama. (blah, blah, blah...)
Chicagoan Obama!
Hells bells, the man knows Oprah Winfrey fer godssake. That alone should disqualify him from the presidency, but I'm trying to be a little objective here.
McCain's worst sins seem to be his age, and his bad judgement - in choosing Sarah Palin. Pit bull in lipstick indeed. There's a reason pit bulls are illegal to own in most U.S. cities donchaknow.
Imagine for a moment if you will, that it's November 5th, 2008. It's the day after (not The Day After,) the ballots have all been marked, no chads have been left hanging, the final numbers are being tallied and though voter fraud lawsuits are being filed right and left and absentee and mail-in ballot possibilities still give you a small flutter in the pit of your stomach, you know. You know that the next President of the United States has been chosen...
And it's not the one you wanted.
Can you go back?
Can you afford your new president the respect and benefit of the doubt you would expect foreign countries to show him? Will you let him represent you to and in the world? Let him be innocent until proven guilty? Give him a chance to remember that we've chosen to be ruled by the Constitution, not by fear-mongering ala Bush-the-Younger?
Can you take back your words and still your uneasy thoughts long enough give a new president a chance? Or will you feel compelled to disavow him, to apologize for electing him, or to hope he fails, is impeached, or worse?
BTDT. Never want to have to do it again.
Et tu?
(Crossposted from Fortuna's Favor Rites)