Dear John: An Open Letter to John McCain

Dear Mr. McCain,

Well sir, here we are. It's now you vs. Obama. It's been eight long years but you're finally where you thought you should have been this time in 2000. The presumptive (I love that word) Republican nominee. And don't worry about those crybabies clamoring about your speech in Louisiana the other night. You can lose the green screen. Reading a teleprompter? Piece of cake. I'm sure your campaign can find somebody out there that will react a little more enthusiastically than those cajun bums you were speaking to Tuesday. There's plenty of time. (although one must wonder what you've been doing the past four months!)

No, those are not big issues, really. My concern is your strategy. You seem to have allowed a rookie (and his lapdogs in the media) to set the theme for the campaign: change. Your response? Me, too! 'I'm for change, just the "right" kind of change.' You set out to demonstrate this by documenting the number of issues you've "reached across the aisle" to democrats to "get things done" for "the good of the country".

Only problem is, John, when you're on the stump rambling on about what a maverick you've been for the past seven years, you're reminding your Republican base why they hate you. And trust me on this, John. There's a lot of outright hatred for your actions of the past seven years in your base.

It wasn't just your stand on amnesty for illegals, John. It was the way you went about it. Working with Ted Kennedy? Then trying to ramrod the legislation through before anyone found out what it was about. Then when we the people said no, you wailed about how "talk radio (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Neil Boortz) was running the country." And that said with the Fairness Doctrine fresh on the minds of conservatives nationwide.

Campaign Finance "Reform".

Climate Change legislation.

Gang of Fourteen.

I could go on. It's a very long list.

You're being baited, Mr. McCain. You're letting them set the debate then reminding your party why they've been so disturbed by you to win the argument.

You've got a lot going against you, sir. Barack Obama is young. Frankly, you're old. He's telegenic. Sorry, bud. You're not. He's a great speaker. Uhh, you're not. And most importantly, the mainstream media is set on getting Obama in the White House. And keeping you....out.

In the end the question is: can you win over enough of the undecided mushheads to make up for the conservatives you've alienated to win the election??

Yup, John. Keep on reminding us what a maverick you are.

Sincerely, Ray