John McCain – The Gambler With Poor Judgment
“There are some advantages to experience, and knowledge, and judgment,” John McCain said at the first presidential debate. He went on to say, “I honestly don’t believe that Senator Obama has the knowledge or experience and has made the wrong judgments in a number of areas.” In retaliation to Barack Obama’s attack on his judgment, McCain sought to drill the issue again when he stated, “But, also, I have the ability, and the knowledge, and the background to make the right judgments, to keep this country safe and secure.” The truth is that John McCain seldom shows America that he understands the definition of having a good sense of judgment. Judgment is a prerequisite to action, and McCain’s flailing, and flip-flopping actions over the past few months speak far more loudly than his words.
Recently we’ve heard a lot coming from the McCain campaign about how he is not afraid to gamble. They say it as if gambling is one of his assets. But as any professional gambler can tell you, it takes a good sense of judgment to stay in the game. A gambler has to know when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em. John McCain’s Vice Presidential pick in Sarah Palin is only one in the stack of chips he has laid out on his roulette table recently, and it seems apparent that his judgment failed as he forgot to cover his bet.
The Republican Party, that only weeks ago regarded Sarah Palin as their messiah, now is reeling in fear for the next time the American press opens her closet, or for the next time she has to open her mouth to answer a question. Since the day she came into the limelight on the stage of American politics, the voters have watched her status plummet into the depths of comedic fodder, since her views seem to be uneducated, misguided, and based off of that Bush-like swaggering ignorance toward both domestic and worldly issues. In short, John McCain showed poor judgment in the highest sense when choosing his running mate, and it is turning out to be another drop in the bucket for McCain’s run of bad luck when gambling.
When a person gambles they first think their way through the game of which they are gambling. If they see that black has come up four consecutive times, there’s a good chance they’ll play the odds and place their chips on red. When sitting at a blackjack table, and after being dealt a face card and a 9, the “gambler” will think to stop instead of taking the stupid risk of getting either an ace or a two. Thought goes into gambling, and those who could see past John McCain’s rhetoric have a clear understanding that he doesn’t “gamble” at all, but only gives a sudden reaction, as if his judgment comes from a nervous twitch as opposed to being born from any cognitive processes.
Recently, John McCain reacted to our economic crisis and told the nation, and the world for that matter, that the fundamentals of our economy were strong, just as we watched Wall Street drag our economy through the floor. If given the benefit of the doubt, we can say that he was “advised” to spout the misinformation by the corporate lobbyists backing his campaign, to which he, in his poor judgment, acted upon. It was a reaction to a crisis, which then became a gamble. If he would have thought through the situation he faced prior to mouthing such an obvious lie, he wouldn’t have had to recant his comment only hours later, when in a second speech said, “I know Americans are hurting, and the fundamentals of our economy are at risk. They’re at risk… Our economy is at risk today.”
Throughout his political career John McCain has flip-flopped on issues to where he now resembles the proverbial fish-out-of-water. Fully admitting to this “gambler” image he has affixed to his “Maverick” persona, who stubbornly supports unpopular issues, and who is ready and willing to take full blame if the issue turns out to be a failure, McCain is proving time and time again that his judgment is far from sound, and often finds himself with no other choice than to flop after he’s flipped. This happens too often to the 72 year old senator, because he, like George W. Bush, is far too stubborn to rethink a bad idea until it’s too late. We have witnessed over the past 8 years how inefficient and dangerous stubborn support over partially examined issues can be, as George W. Bush’s reign in our nation’s highest seat was wrought with them. McCain, like Bush, reacts to issues without ever thinking them through, as he did when he told the press that he wouldn’t sit down to speak to the Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. Now having to backpedal, and try to convince Americans that he is the only candidate that could work to regain trust from our allies, McCain has this bruise shining boldly beneath his eye at the pawn shop window, where he’s trying desperately to convince the man behind the counter that it is indeed a Rolex, and that he needs to try and win his money back. It’s hardly a crisis-issue at the moment, but is truly another instance where McCain has proved himself to lack a sense of good judgment.
Perhaps John McCain’s worst judgment call, his biggest gamble, has come through his repeated confession, “We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us.” As if he’s trying to play the victim because he’s some new kid on the block. With his initial appointment to change Washington coming 26 years ago, it’s safe to assume that he never had any intention of changing Washington until now: Now during the run up to November 4th, when we will not only vote on the candidate’s policies, but also on their sense of judgment. When you’ve been implanted in Washington D.C. for 26 years you are Washington D.C., and it isn’t so easy to shed yourself of the uniform. And when you make those types of confessions – where you attempt to place the blame on the opposing party, but essentially blame yourself, you can hardly turn it around and expect the masses to place their trust in you, and the strategy that wreaks of poor judgment.
