We will run an honorable campaign.
- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
This morning, in the aftermath of this never-ending election that finally, mercifully has come to an end, I wanted to write an open letter to Sen. John McCain. It's not that I really have a lot to say to him, but...ah, Hell, what am I saying? Of course I have a lot to say...or I wouldn't be doing this. So, without further delay:
Sen. McCain:
This morning dawns with you licking your wounds, and while I'm generally not one to find joy in the disappointment and/or suffering of others, I'm about to make an exception for you. Over the past two years, I have watched with increasing chagrin as you have proven time and again that you were willing to say and do ANYTHING, whatever it took, to win the Presidency. You were so blinded by ambition and a lust for power that you were willing to sink to any depth, make any accusation, indulge in any and all manner of character assassination, engage in cheap, offensivce race-baiting, and debase yourself and your beliefs however you and your handlers deemed necessary in order to win. Ultimately, it wasn't about making this country a better place. It was about winning...and in making it all about winning, you lost. Everything. Frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself, because you're an embarrassment- to this country, to democracy, to all that makes this great country what it is.
During the past two years, you have dishonored your country, your party, your long record of public service, and, worst of all, yourself. Despite your pledge to run an honorable campaign, you discovered early on that you couldn't compete with Barack Obama on the issues, and so your pledge went the way of the buffalo. Your "honorable campaign" quickly descended into varying degrees of innuendo, baseless accusations, race-baiting, and character assassination. Your handlers helped you run a campaign that proved on an almost daily basis that John McCain's honor was a barrel with no bottom. No insult was too baseless, no innuendo too unfounded, no personal insult too mean-spirited if you felt that it helped increase your chance of ultimate victory. In so doing, you have lost the respect of your fellow Republicans and many of your fellow Americans. You've become a running joke, a politician so obvious and blind in his ambition that it bordered on self-parody. You've been blinded by your lust for power, and along the way you managed to lose your soul.
John McCain? The original maverick?? What an undeniable, despicable load of crap. In the final analysis, you revealed yourself to be just another self-absorbed, power-mad, lying Republican thug. Nice work, Senator; you've embarrassed yourself and everything you allegedly stood for. You will now undoubtedly be remembered as much for your lies and ambition as for your service and sacrifice.
If anyone harbored any doubts about your judgment and your vision, your choice of a Vice-Presidential candidate obliterated those doubts. If Sarah Palin is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency...well, then I'm the Queen of England. Palin is, in Texas parlance, a "post turtle", someone who got to where she is without deserving it or doing the work necessary to get there. You choice of Palin demonstrated, as little else could, your craven commitment to doing whatever it might take to win- even if it meant potentially putting this country in the hands of a leader not experienced, qualified, or even capable of handling the Presidency should it be handed to her.
My greatest fear? Three simple words: President Sarah Palin. That you chose her despite her obvious lack of qualifications, experience, and gravitas did nothing if highlight your astonishingly poor judgment. America deserves better, Senator; you thought we'd love a Right-wing Barbie doll who traffics in hatred, divisiveness, and simplistic political rhetoric designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Nice work, eh? Look at what you've potentially unleashed upon this country in 2012: asotnishing levels of ignorance, fear-mongering, and race-baiting. Well done....
Your legacy should be one of service and sacrifice. I honor your sacrifice as symbolized by the 5 1/2 years you spent as a prisoner of war. You survived that horrific, traumatic experience and have created a life for yourself that you should rightly be proud of- until, that is, you decided to run for President. Over the past two years, you have spent every bit of capital that your personal history had created. Indeed, you've turned your experience as a POW into just another talking point, and just another running joke: "But...I was a POW...." To call this pathetic, indefensible, and undignified wouldn't begin to do justice to the depth of your craven depravity. Frankly, you don't deserve to carry Sen. Obama's jock. While Obama spoke of how we can pick this country up and put it back together, you ridiculed him, you indulged in the lowest form of race-baiting, and you stood by quietly while your supporters questioned Obama's Americanness, his faith, and his love of country. Your behavior in this respect was beneath contempt and unworthy of a man who styled himself as qualified to be President.
Sen. McCain, you lost this election because you simply did not deserve to win. You could not compete on the issues, so you resorted to innuendo and character assassination. You could not sell your candidacy on it's merits, so you stooped to race-baiting and fear-mongering. You couldn't separate yourself from George W. Bush, so you built your campaign on the soft sand of bigotry, ignorance, and blatant misrepresentation. Frankly, Senator, you should be ashamed of yourself. Then again, judging by the tenor of your campaign, shame and introspection clearly are not qualities your possess in large quantity.
Your legacy should be one of sacrifice and service. Instead, you'll deservedly be remembered for running one of the lowest, vilest, most despicable campaigns in modern American political history. You've demonstrated yourself to be a liar and a thug, blinded by your ambition and lust for power. You were willing to lie, cheat, and, if necessary, steal your way into office. Your unofficial campaign motto was "Whatever It Takes", and the actions of you and your surrogates demonstrated that there was no depth to which you and your campaign would not sink in the search for votes. Racism? Bigotry? Fear-mongering? Blatant misrepresentation? Appealing to the lowest common denominator? No problem.
"I'm John McCain, and I approved this message." That, Senator, is exactly the problem, and while I know that you're not ashamed, you certainly should be. May you descend into the obscurity of the mediocrity you so richly deserve...and when you shed your mortal coil, may you find yourself with a reserved parking space in Hell.
