A Fortuitous Storm

Republicans can thank Hurricane Gustav.

Now, the two people they least wanted to appear at their convention, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, have the perfect excuse to not attend, under the pretense that they are actually doing something about big storm churning in from the Gulf toward the same communities that were leveled by Katrina three years ago.

Of course, they can and will do nothing useful. It's all symbolic. More importantly, it's all in reaction to the Bush administration's shameful failure during the Katrina disaster. As usual, in case you've forgotten, Bush was on vacation. Cheney was probably out shooting somebody somewhere.

What ensued was the worst human and property damages in the history of this country. I need not go into further detail here, because my reporting post-Katrina is well-documented in the earlier archives of this blog.

The Republicans also have the perfect excuse to delay the start of their convention, which is useful, since they are in disarray following McCain's impulsive choice of a running mate who has not yet even been vetted by the professionals in his camp. My GOP sources tell me they are scared to death that this woman has skeletons in her closet that the other main contenders for the post do not.

Take Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana. He is emerging as a heroic public figure much like Rudy Giuliani did after 9/11. Instead of having this attractive figure on the ticket, McCain's party has a woman who decided to have a baby with Down's Syndrome at age 44, and then agreed to run to be Vice-President!

Who is going to take care of that poor child?

I have, through marriage, a niece with Down's Syndrome. She's around 20 now. These special kids may seem deficient in their mental abilities, which they clearly are, but they also exhibit an excess of emotional ability, e.g., the ability to love.

It is unimaginable to me, a parent, if I had fathered a Down's Syndrome child, that I would leave her for the rigors of a campaign for the highest political offices in the land.

What kind of parent is this woman?

McCain has always been a rebel, and he's always acted impulsively, as his wives and children can attest. These are not necessarily bad qualities. But in choosing a woman who may be the most risky choice since Eagleton, McCain has truly doomed his chances.

Make no mistake. The Democrats are united and ready. There is not even one Hillary voter who would ever back this GOP ticket. Hillary's supporters are pro-choice feminists, i.e., on the right side of history.

McCain has just driven them all, en masse, to Obama.

I had (secretly) been hoping this would be a close and interesting race. But McCain has already dug his own grave. Ignore the polls for now. Wait approximately a month. By then, Obama-Biden will have a double-digit lead.

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