Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Campaign question
There sure is a lot of buzz about Wesley Clark's comments about John McCain. And certainly everyone feels only profound respect for a man who willingly endured more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. His patriotism and sense of duty are beyond reproach and hugely admirable. His personal stamina and interior strength must be enormous, too. Many survive such arduous torture but few (or perhaps none) are unscathed.
One famous Auschwitz survivor, Bruno Bettelheim, developed methodologies for treating disturbed and depressed children by using magic and fantasy, among other things. His writings are full of joy, so much so that the very mention of his name makes one feel upbeat and positive. Even so, forty years after the war, he became deeply depressed and eventually committed suicide. The effects of lengthy solitary confinement do not stop when physical freedom resumes.
So yes I have concerns about McCain. I'm not sure that someone who endured torture and years of solitary confinement should be put into one of the most pressured jobs in the world. Nor am I sure why some draw an equal sign between "deeply loyal soldier" and "president of the country." Please understand that I'm not questioning his service or his character; I'm only trying to understand the basis for the supposed continuum from soldier to prisoner to president.
One famous Auschwitz survivor, Bruno Bettelheim, developed methodologies for treating disturbed and depressed children by using magic and fantasy, among other things. His writings are full of joy, so much so that the very mention of his name makes one feel upbeat and positive. Even so, forty years after the war, he became deeply depressed and eventually committed suicide. The effects of lengthy solitary confinement do not stop when physical freedom resumes.
So yes I have concerns about McCain. I'm not sure that someone who endured torture and years of solitary confinement should be put into one of the most pressured jobs in the world. Nor am I sure why some draw an equal sign between "deeply loyal soldier" and "president of the country." Please understand that I'm not questioning his service or his character; I'm only trying to understand the basis for the supposed continuum from soldier to prisoner to president.
Labels: 2008 election, reflections
Permalink | 
| posted by jau at 2:11 PM
jau — at 11:04 PM, July 03, 2008:
| posted by jau at 2:11 PM
2 more:
jau — at 11:04 PM, July 03, 2008:
If their sanity levels were similar, I would agree that the running mate could tip the balance and possibly in McCain's favor as far as much of the current electorate is concerned. But the U.S. president isn't a king and the v.p., while next in line, is not next in line for a throne and therefore cannot act as regent should the [monarch] chief executive entirely lose it. Besides, Obama seems sane, regardless of the faults or flaws or limitations that trouble you so much. My feeling is that we're better off with a more sane president, even if somewhat flawed, than one who is less sane, no matter if less flawed. And anyway I'm not sure he's not every bit as dishonest, duplicitous and disingenuous as Obama.
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