strange words in the late hours

Got home from a good, solid thrash-through of The Invitation last night and caught a re-play of McCain's acceptance speech.

My friends and fellow Americans, I'm confused and a little bit freaked.

Is that how dumb they think we are?

And knowing how smart and focused any political campaign at this level is, the next question is:

Is that actually how dumb we are?

He spoke for what seemed like hours and the only actual concrete thing I heard was he'd make the Bush tax cuts permanent.

The rest was anti-government rhetoric, bizarre and disjointed calls for change, sudden one-line slams of Obama and, in what is becoming embarrassing, more true tales from the Hanoi Hilton.

Don't know if it's reached the mainstream media yet, but John McCain spent five years in a Vietcong prison being tortured. Could have got out early, didn't. Very honorable thing to have done. Proves he was a tough, brave and honorable young man.

Has zero bearing on his ability to be the President of the United States, of course, but it's not like he's running on his time in the Hanoi Hilton.

Although, I swear they introduced him last night as "a man who lived in a box. A box. A box, a box, a box."

Like a Dr. Seuss story that just never quite got off the ground.

And then, in the middle of the muddled ramble that was his speech, a very strange phrase popped up. Johnny Mac, the Arizona Wildcat, promised the crowd that:

"The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics."


I went and checked the text of the speech online to make sure it wasn't some slip-up. Nope. That's what they wrote down.

Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan.

Which one of these things is not like the other?

Was he referencing Teddy Roosevelt?

In which case, don't you have to say that, like you'd say Jeb Bush if you said Lincoln, Bush, Reagan?

Or do they figure we're so stupid you can just say anything and we'll nod and clap?

Lincoln is fair, they can claim Lincoln forever. The Republicans can invoke Lincoln the same way modern-day Greece can claim Aristotle, it's true but has no actual meaning past being a factual statement.

But Roosevelt?

Reagan and the modern Republican party has had one stated mission over the last seventy years: Repeal, reverse and abolish the New Deal.

And they're doing a pretty good job of it lately.

Johnny wrapped up his ramble last night with,

"We never hide from history. We make history."


Or, make up history.

Pure blather with a side of lies, that's what I got served last night.

Come on, folks.

Honor the guy all you want, but the Presidency is not a retirement present you give to a man in gratitude for his long service.

Ask Bob Dole.

It's a real job.