War is all around us. The Taliban wreak havoc in Afghanistan, destroying French troops and girls schools with equal fervor. The Kurds and Turkmen are at each other's throats in northern Iraq, while suicide bombers blast markets and mosques to smithereens elsewhere. Algerian Islamists are back to their old tricks, blowing up themselves and whatever innocent bystanders happen to be around. Meanwhile Mr. Bush and his foreign policy experts have rekindled the Cold War in Georgia and seem to be doing their level best to spread it to Poland. Where's it all to end? If you're John McCain, it won't.
McCain the happy warrior is eager to showcase his bellicosity at every turn. Victory or bust in Iraq – even though we already won the war part of that engagement years ago. Defend our allies in Georgia to the last drop of blood (some other poor sap's blood). Support our boy Musharraf in Pakistan even if he did quit and before that supported Al Qaeda and the Taliban and spread nuclear know-how to our other enemies around the globe. Throw Russia out of the G8 and don't let them join the WTO. Bomb Iran -- and why not Syria as well while we're at it. Country First is the McCain campaign slogan but it ought more appropriately to be Bellum omnium contra omnes – war of all against all. A McCain presidency will shoot first and ask questions never. To hell with E Pluribus Unum – from now on it's might makes right.
From McCain's or any would-be despot's point of view the advantages of perpetual war are legion. You get fear, consolidation of wealth and power, and broad consensus all in one neat package. A permanently scared populace accepts the most outrageous invasions of privacy, miscarriages of justice, and infringements of fundamental liberties in the name of national security. Just look at how well that's worked for Bush. Meanwhile an ever expanding military-industrial complex enriches the despot's wealthy backers and diverts resources from activities that might accidentally create a less insecure, more informed, and hence critical electorate. That's worked nicely for Bush too, which is why you don't hear McCain say anything sensible about education and health care, housing and public transportation and energy.
Every media outlet in the country ought to be sounding the alarm about this maniac, all day, every day. If anything justifies forty-two point headlines it's the steady advance of the dire straits express. But of course that isn't happening because nothing makes better copy than war, except maybe several wars. McCain apparently likes to see himself as the second coming of Teddy Roosevelt. In fact he's the reincarnation of a far less salubrious Republican. Before Bush came along, not since Barry Goldwater ran on a platform of rolling back civil rights and nuking commies has such a dangerous imbecile been so close to leading us. Asked his likely state of mind on waking up to his first day as president, Goldwater replied he'd be "scared as hell." With a possible McCain presidency in our future, we know just how he felt.