Politicians Cause Big Headache

Politics drive me crazy. Just when I want to trust someone, whether it is a Democrat or Republican, something happens to make me wonder about the individual or the party.

For the record, I am a registered Democrat, but at this point, I have no idea which way I’m going to vote in November.

For instance, I was leaning toward John McCain considering the fact that he has survived tough times and seemingly has a good knowledge of politics. There is simply something that I like about someone who has managed to a) serve in the Senate while b) also being able to live in a cage in Vietnam for five years.

Granted, he’s 72 years old and has had his health problems. However, considering that I, too, have had my health problems, I cannot help but admire someone who refuses to give up.

And yes, McCain has a temper, but that’s not all bad and it must be somewhat understandable when dealing with some of his fellow politicians, whose actions sometimes remind you of spoiled brats.

Diplomacy is one thing, but even the most honorable people on earth need to vent once in awhile.

So, just as I was getting comfortable with McCain, he selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate. If you would have polled this country at the time of the selection, those who actually knew the candidate for vice president had to be slim at best. When it was announced that Palin was the Republican candidate for vice president, you could hear the entire nation saying “huh?” in unison.

Yes, Palin represents an interesting segment of America and at the same time, a contact of mine says the people of Alaska not only respect her but worship her. While every individual has his or her critics — and Palin has plenty of them — this particular candidate entered the scene as a true unknown.

Since politics are made to win, that brings me to the question as to why McCain went with a long shot rather than someone like Mitt Romney, the Mormon and former governor of Massachusetts.

Or for that matter, how about Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor whose leadership ability was severely tested when his city was hit by terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001?

And while we’re throwing out names, let’s include Cedar City Mayor Gerald R. Sherratt who is also Republican.

I mean, Sherratt has as much name exposure as Sarah Palin, for god’s sakes.

McCain has always been somewhat of a risk-taker dating back to his days as a jet pilot. He has lost some battles and he has won some.

And when it came to taking Palin, he took another risk. McCain will either end up being the biggest dummy on earth of the greatest prognosticator since Jimmy “the Greek” Snyder. But included in the Palin package should have been the best publicist on earth since Palin was about as name worthy as a Baptist in Beaver.

But Palin combined her folksy personality with a willingness to challenge Joe Biden during Thursday night’s debate, and she did well. McCain the gambler is starting to look better already.

That brings us to Barack Obama and a conversation I had with a former Marine in Southern Utah the other day.

“I am voting for McCain simply because of Obama’s name,” said the wellspoken former Marine. “His name indicates that he is a Muslim and I’m really worried that his winning will give the Arabs of the Middle East a victory. They will play off Obama being our nation’s leader.”

That’s an interesting analogy coming from someone who, like McCain, has fought in wars and knows the ugliness of combat.

Just to make things interesting, the stock market dropped almost 800 points when a bailout was voted against, and some are blaming Democrat Nancy Pelosi for her remarks about the fact that the Bush administration led us into another disastrous situation.

When Pelosi needed to use a little tact, she leveled the Bush administration so much that Republicans reportedly reacted by voting against the bailout. Whether true or not, Pelosi did not need to beat up on the Bush Administration again considering that her remarks sounded like a broken record while possibly creating chaos at the same time.

The bailout finally passed Friday, but the back-and-forth antics of the politicians was enough to drive us all to drink.

If nothing else, politicians have put interest back into the elections again. But it would be really nice if they’d try keeping their feet out of their mouths during stressful times. Their behavior is not only dysfunctional but confusing — and I probably won’t know who I’m voting for until I walk into the voting booth.

Mike Henle is a LasVegas-based freelance writer and the author of” Through the Darkness: One Man’s Fight to Overcome Epilepsy.” He can be contacted via e-mail at mhenle@aol.com, or through his Web site www.mikehenle.com.

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