Pandering doesn’t put needs of country first

David Adams, Las Vegas

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 | 2:04 a.m.

Having voted Democratic most of my life, this year I had been seriously considering voting for John McCain. I felt that this former POW, a patriot, would put the interests of his country first. I worried that Barack Obama would be overly influenced by Nancy Pelosi and her left-leaning colleagues in the Democratic Party. It seems, however, that my fears were unfounded; Obama seems to be far more moderate than the fringe groups in the party, and McCain more and more resembles President Bush.

McCain truly disappointed me. I had thought he would be different from George Bush, and then he made his choice for vice president. He clearly pandered to the ayatollahs of the religious right in a blatant attempt to secure their votes, regardless of whether the choice was the best for the country. This is no different from our current president, who not only pandered to the religious right, but also used his office to appoint political cronies who fit the “mold,” whether they were qualified for the job or not.

If the intent of nominating Sarah Palin was to try to pick up disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters, it failed miserably. No right-minded supporter of Clinton would consider someone who wants to repeal Roe v. Wade, wants to force public schools to teach creationism and advocates an amendment to prevent gay marriage. These are the thoughts of those who would impose their religion on the rest of us, which makes them not much different from the Taliban, who seek to impose their religious beliefs upon all of their countrymen.

No, McCain’s choice is painfully obvious. He chose to appease the religious right instead of choosing to honor America with a sensible choice of a running mate. In doing so, he exposed himself as someone just like George W. Bush — choosing the expedient over what’s best for his country. May John McCain and the “pit bull with lipstick” fade into history.