An American Hero....but not someone I can vote for!

This week after his recent primary victory, I've been thinking about John McCain as the potential Republican Party Presidential candidate.

First, let me make one thing perfectly clear......John McCain is an American Hero. For his service to this country during the Vietnam War - for the terror, deprivation, and torture he endured during his 5 years as a Prisoner of War, he should be formally recognized as a national hero, and a living national treasure. Few other men have, or could have endured the suffering he endured in the name of The United States of America.

But John McCain is not a candidate that I can support as the Republican Presidential nominee. Because John McCain is not a Conservative. Here are my reasons in list form.....

• John McCain has no executive experience of any kind. PERIOD. He's been a military pilot, and he's been a Senator. (Personally, I think being a pilot is much more impressive than his being a Senator.) Pilots "do" - Senator's "finagle."

• John McCain and The Keating Five. (See "finagle" above). For those of you too young to remember it, The Keating Five is the Congressional scandal that resulted in the collapse of most of the Savings and Loan Companies during the late 1980's.

• In 2007, John McCain "teamed" with Teddy Kennedy on an Immigration bill. McCain believes in granting some form or amnesty to the 20 million illegal migrants currently in this country. As late as April 2007 he was against building a wall against illegal immigration on our southern border.

• McCain is unsure of his stance on tax-cuts. In 2001 & 2003 he voted against tax cuts - in 2005 he voted for them. On many issues McCain seems to favor the "bigger Government" way of doing things.

• McCain supports the ACLU's push to grant "due process rights" to unlawful enemy combatants!

• McCain led The Gang of 14 - a group of left leaning Republican Senators who sided with Democrats against the Republican majority. This action enabled filibustering to continue, thereby preventing the Republican led Senate and House from approving presidential judicial nominees by majority, and thwarting President Bush.

• McCain leads the opposition against drilling for KNOWN oil reserves in ANWAR and in other parts of the country. You want cheaper gas prices - drill for more oil at home. You want higher gas prices? Side with McCain and oppose greater oil exploration, drilling and oil refining. It's that simple.

• I saved the best for last..... If the most liberal newspaper in the country (the New York Times) endorses John McCain as the Republican nominee, why would any conservative voter support him??? This is analogous to when I was a Staffing Consultant in the pharmaceutical industry and was speaking to a drug discovery executive at a certain drug company about the "talents" of a prominent drug discovery scientist I was considering. After pausing for a few seconds, he said to me, "Ken, the best thing I can say about him, is that he would be exactly the discovery scientist I'd want my toughest competitor to hire!"

Nuf said.

Dum Spiro Spero!