Yesterday Rich Karlgaard at Forbes put forth the theory that McCain benefits from the Olympics. His position is that Americans swell with patriotic pride in Olympic summers and that translates to votes for McCain. I'm sure Rich has gotten buried in "don't-you-dare-question-my-patriotism" e-mails from Obamaphiles everywhere. Dems are kinda touchy about patriotism, which makes Rich's point for him, but let's not get too far into those woods. My problem with that theory is that I don't think these Olympics are causing a patriotic outburst across America. Maybe I'm missing something but even a Visa ad that runs throughout the Games cautions us not to do anything as silly as root for our country.
Today Jeff Lord at The American Spectator has an interesting piece about how the popularity of the latest Batman movie and Rush Limbaugh's 20th Anniversary / huge new contract predict a McCain victory. Well, maybe. Maybe not. But, embedded in the Lord article are some ideas that I find compelling about how Americans see themselves and what they want in a President. I've always thought it was amusing that Europeans and their leftist pals in the US think that calling someone a "cowboy" is a powerful argument against that person. In my view there is no better thing a man can be called. And a big part of being a cowboy is that you don't give a hoot what the New York Times, MSNBC, CBS or any other fool thinks about you.
Many Americans like cowboys and Batman: quiet, brooding, and ready to act if someone menaces the public. Does McCain fit that image? Not for me, but I can't speak for the masses.
But he was a fighter jock who lived through the worst crapstorm the world can throw at you without expiring. And that is worth something. I do know that Obama is 180 degrees from that cowboy/ Batman image. Off the teleprompter he reveals himself as dithering and timid. On the teleprompter he spouts airy, lightweight platitudes that are so cleverly crafted that he can reshape them to mean anything as the political winds shift. The totality of Obama was captured perfectly in the JibJab cartoon where he pranced through the forest charming the beasts of the field. Then he jumped on a flying unicorn that farts rainbows. That wasn't a cowboy riding that unicorn.
