Last evening I witnessed something that felt very embarrassing to me and upon reflection my embarrassment changed to alarm.  I saw mccain standing in front of a bunch of bikers giving what I first thought was an off the cuff rant about gas prices and energy policy and when I saw him checking his notes on a music stand that was set up on the podium I became even more concerned because I felt that the remarks were planned.  You would have to hear this in person to fully understand what a baffoon this guy is (you could probably see it by checking Keith Olberman’s website if you missed it) but I thought about his remarks and came to the conclusion the republicans are using mccain to help salvage bush’s image.  mccain makes bush seem like an intellectual.  I was sitting there thinking how, in a country as supposedly advanced as the US, could such a bumbler make it to the “presumptive republican candidate.”  I still feel that a few more exhibitions like the “biker rap” where mccain essentially threw his wife under the bus, nominating her for “Miss Buffalo Chip,”  will get any sane thinking republican to re-think their vote at the convention.  This guy is as close to an idiot as I’ve seen in politics, and I feel I’ve seen quite a few of them over my 45 years of following these things.  I keep trying to figure out why the republicans have him as their torch bearer.  Here are a few of my thoughts:  (1) The economy and foriegn policy is so messed up from 8 yeaers of bush, they want a democrat to blame for the impending disasters so that at some point in time they can get another bush in the White House.  (2) Getting a democrat in the White House along with a democraticly controlled legislature will allow the middle class to be rejuvenated, common people will have money, the republicanse can create another contract for America in 8 years, and there will be more money to fleece from the unsuspecting public in the guise of less taxes and balanced budgets. (3) This one should maybe number one;  Karl Rove and his cronies picked the most ridiculous candidate they could find just to prove that they are the ones who win the elections and it doesn’t matter who the candidate is.  They will “hammer” Obama enough to keep it close and with the help of the voting machine manufacturers they will prove that they are “geniuses.”  This all is honestly hard for me to believe.  After going through Viet Nam, I thought the people would not be stupid enough to fall for another disastrous occupation of choice (I forgot how much money the war mongers make on these things).  After 5+ years of a bigger disaster than Viet Nam, I thought there would be no way that people would fall for someone who thought Iraq was a good idea, especially a man who (and as hard as it may be to believe, I’m quoting here) says, “we’re going to win the war in Iraq, by winning!!!!! (I’m not kidding, mccain actually said that in front of 50,000 bikers – and sadly, many of them started cheering and waving tiny US flags).  It is still hard for me to believe that there could be very many people in this country who could be for a man who admits that he knows nothing about economics at a time when his predecessor has but us in the most severe economic bind since the great depression (and some people think this one will out-do that one!).  Of course, as a school teacher, I know there are many out there who don’t know that Chechoslovakia was broken up over 15 years ago, that there is no Iraq/Pakistan border, that there is no way Iran would train the Sunnis of Al Qaeda, but for someone who portrays himself as the most qualified to lead this nation’s foriegn policy, I would expect him to have a clue about this stuff and I hope the voters pick up on this before the election.  I’ll never forget listening to Jay Leno before the 2000 election using the metaphor of the wizard of oz to explain, about what at the time was the “bush ticket” for president, that cheney needed a heart and bush needed a brain.  That proved to be the most accurate assessment of what we were about to get for the next 8 years.  At this point in time it’s still up in the air as to who mccain will pick as his VP choice, but to say that he (mccain) needs a brain, in my opinion is an understatement.  He even looks like a puppet when he is on the stage trying to be flamboyant – and he clearly, at least to me, has become a puppet of the Rove criminals who will go to any length to win an election.  I really hope people get past all the BS, because even if guess number one above is the republican’s reason for nominating this moron (I hate using words like that to describe anyone – the one rule in my classroom is no putdowns – but this election is important and I’m just stumbling for understanding how they could choose someone that I would feel confident debating as their nominee – there has to be something to this that I’m not seeing) because they have a better view of the impending disaster we all face in this country, at least I feel that we have a chance if Obama is elected – especially if the dems can gain a stronger grip on Congress (like making joe lieberman irrelevant – that’s a topic for another day, but watching him follow mccain around like a puppy dog and listening to his turn-coat take on things makes me sick – because the deomocrats are basically forced to put up with him – and leaves me wondering what’s going on in Connecticuit?).  The bottom line is that at this moment in time the “invisible” republicans, the ones who are laughing all the way to the bank, are raking in as much as they can in case they no longer have a sugar daddy in the White House come 2009, and I’m trying to portray mccain in a way that anyone who might read this would realize that he is another puppet for the corporatocritists (is that a word?) and him getting elected would not be funny, it would not be a joke!!!!!!