Cross posted from The 10,000 Things
Really?
(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain on Monday told voters that they should elect him because "what America needs in this hour is a fighter."
"I will fight to take America in a new direction from my first day in office until my last. I'm not afraid of the fight, I'm ready for it," McCain said at a rally in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
A senior McCain aide said earlier Monday that he thought McCain's speech would "begin a turnaround for the campaign."
On the new tone, the aide said the campaign decided to go "back to basics" with McCain on what he can offer.
Do we really need a fighter? I mean, it sounds good. Tough guy image and all that macho rot. But, do we really need more violence? In rhetoric or actual action?
What America needs is a problem solver. What America needs is a team of people that can come in and undo all the damage the Conservatve Agenda has done to America the last 8-14 years.
We need an intelligent and experienced economic team to come in, analyze the situation, and begin corrective action to the markets, regulations, trade policies, and tax policies that the failed conservative agenda has foisted on us.
We need intelligent and wide-minded people to come in and fix the foreign policy blunders of the neo-conservatives. A team that understands a broader world view. One that goes beyond a shallow good-guy, bad-guy approach and actually bases policy on an honest and adult view of the world and its problems.
We need a team of people that bases energy policy on the obvious long-term goal of eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels, in particular foreign-based fossil fuels. The energy, economic, environmental, and foreign policy problems we face as a nation today will not go away until the problem of future, sustainable, renewable energy sources for America is solved. It's just a fact. It is the central feature of our world today and frankly, has been since the oil embargo of the 1970's. There is only one higher priority in America today and that is...
We need a Legislative/Executive cooperative team that will take a hard look at how to solve the intelligence, security, criminal issues we face in the modern age of non-state based terrorist activities within the context of the Founders views on Constitutional checks and balances.
In this case, primarily the balance between citizens guarenteed rights under the first ten amendments and the executive branches obligations to defend the nation.
It is an undeniable truth that the United States of America faces very real threats.
It is an undeniable truth that the government of the US has a primary duty to defend the citizens of this nation.
It is an undeniable truth that the government has a duty to do so within the strictures of the Constitution.
Democracy is an adult proposition. Citizenship in a free and open society such as ours is not a risk free proposition. Nothing worthwhile in life is. Our freedoms are most dear. Our citizenship and lives are of considerably less value without the freedoms guarenteed us in our Constitution. These things are well worth the risk.
Live free or die.
Don't tread on me.
These were sentiments of our forefathers in response to the abuses of the government they had then. Not a foreign invader. Not a criminal threat. Not against terrorists. They fought against their then legitimate government to stop it from treading on their rights. In order to live free.
Our government is required FIRST to respect and defend our rights and freedom. SECOND to defend our bodies and property.
America needs problem solvers. People that are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work of governing this country within the law. We need smart and capable people able and willing to think outside the narrow box of school yard violence to craft actual, long term, adult solutions.