This is a column I did for the local paper last month.   It’s not well done, I was rushing.   I wasn’t allowed enough words to say that I hate McCain’s comb-over (hell, rich men haven’t any more sense than poor men when it comes to hair) or that Obama seems so perfect that he makes me uneasy.

Tell me what you think:

I proudly cast my first vote for George McGovern in 1972. I’ve pretty much voted for the loser in every election since. Perhaps the only time “my” candidate won was in 1960, when Kennedy was running and I, at the age of eight, thought he was much cuter than the other guy.
Most elections, however, I’m able to make some kind of sense of the candidates. Not this year. John McCain is the best the Republicans have to offer?? What I’ve heard is that even the Republicans don’t want him to be president, but they don’t feel they can win this time, so they’re giving him his chance in the sun. They’re saving their “real” candidates for a more winning year.
I’ve been ready for a minority candidate for president since I was a girl, so I’m thrilled that the Democratic Party has chosen to make history in this way. But I’m concerned that Obama’s skin color may be the only reason he’s the nominee.

Both candidates bother me.
These things bother me about McCain:
1. He can’t make up his mind what he wants to be when he grows up. He’s somewhere between a Republican and a Democrat and he tries too hard to walk a middle ground.
2. His wife stole prescription drugs and she got a slap on the wrist. This hasn’t been questioned enough. It goes to integrity on the part of the candidate. Which laws does he choose to uphold and enforce and who does he hold accountable?
3. He’s stiff, and uncomfortable in public.
He’s basically a good person, and of course who doesn’t applaud his heroism during his captivity as a POW? Maybe it’s time we had another vet in the White House. Maybe he’ll handle Iraq better because of it.

These things bother me about Obama:
1. He has some Muslim ties. I know I’ll hear accusations of ignorance about this and I’ve heard the explanations. Still bothers me, his middle name’s Hussein, for heaven’s sake! I find the ambiguity troubling and wonder if his real religion is practicality.
2. He’s the opposite of McCain in public, he’s smooth and natural in his manner of speaking. My bias here is personal in that I fell hook, line, and sinker for Bill Clinton’s manner and look where that got me.
3. I don’t know enough about what drives him, what’s important to him. He has used the afore-mentioned prowess in public speaking to reach the individual, but that’s not the same thing as a deeply held belief. There’s no track record with this guy. I see him making a lot of vague and grandiose promises (much like Jimmy Carter, who I didn’t vote for because I felt he was foolish)but there’s something flimsy about him that I can’t put my finger on.

I don’t care if he forgot to put his hand on his heart when he saluted the flag. I saw plenty of those people at the July 24 parade. It happens and he’s human. I don’t care if his wife wasn’t proud of this country till now. If I were a black woman, I’d have some residual resentment as well. I’m impressed with Michelle Obama’s strength and consider it a plus that he was smart enough to marry her.
I suppose in the long run, my concerns are irrelevant. And I’ll probably be voting for the loser once again. No matter. I will vote.