John McCain gave a speech today in Columbus, Ohio. The press will report it as a statement that we will be out of Iraq by the end of his first term. His did say that, but there were other far more important things he said.
It appears that both Obama and McCain are campaigning about change. Mr. Obama's lofty phrases have no details. Today, Mr. McCain provided details of what he hopes to accomplish. As he neared the conclusion of his speech, he said:
"...For too long, now, Washington has been consumed by a hyper-partisanship that treats every serious challenge facing us as an opportunity to trade insults; disparage each other’s motives; and fight about the next election. For all the problems we face, if you ask Americans what frustrates them most about Washington, they will tell you they don’t think we’re capable of serving the public interest before our personal and partisan ambitions; that we fight for ourselves and not for them. Americans are sick of it, and they have every right to be. They are sick of the politics of selfishness, stalemate and delay. They despair when every election — no matter who wins — always seems to produce four more years of unkept promises and a government that is just a battleground for the next election. Their patience is at an end for politicians who value ambition over principle, and for partisanship that is less a contest of ideas than an uncivil brawl over the spoils of power. They want to change not only the policies and institutions that have failed the American people, but the political culture that produced them. They want to move this country forward and stake our claim on this century as we did in the last. And they want their government to care more about them than preserving the privileges of the powerful......"
This gives one a good idea of what he wants to change. Perhap we will see if he can. It will take both sides to accomplish it. Read the whole speech here.
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