Elections update

August 28 2008

There is sometimes deeper significance to the selection of staff by the presidential candidates. With Biden at the vice-presidential slot and Gates at the Pentagon, Obama has two others with independent political bases to support diplomacy.

Of course, we do not mean that Biden and Gates have proletarian constituencies. There is no class struggle against militarism here in the traditional sense. We only mean that Gates and Biden do not owe their political gonads to the exact same place as Obama.

The selection of Pawlenty by McCain is a choice with no larger significance. Rather it is who McCain does not add that is significant. Mr. Clean Government adds the fresh face; thus, the question is whether McCain provides the better new vehicle for militarism or Obama.

We should say that at this moment, the pressure belongs on the Democrats. Not only are they the challengers saying they want change, but also, McCain says "he would rather win the war and lose the campaign." That's another way of saying he is not ambitious. (We give no credence to the idea that the statement is about patriotism. If it's about patriotism, he has basically admitted that patriots are in the minority, which would be an idea worth pondering and then spreading.) As an indicator of that lack of ambition, McCain floated Charles Keating for vice-president, and the networks did not pick it up as a joke. Obama on the other hand is ambitious, so various people may try to do things for him and prove that he is for change.

Bush, McCain & Obama are all working together as a hydra-headed monster. However, just for now we should remind people about "change."