Maybe they're just expendable

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you are fully aware that this is election time. Election time in both the US and Canada, to be precise. In that context, I want to take a look at a couple of the contenders on both sides of the border: John McCain and Stephane Dion.

I contend that both men are vain hopers and that their respective parties gave them the nod with the design of getting them out of the way so that they can run serious contenders the next time around. The Liberals in Canada, and the Republicans in the US both know well they do not deserve to gain power; therefore they can go to defeat knowing they didn’t run ringers for the job. Makes sense to me. Then, next time, they can trot out some major contenders.

So, why was each guy nominated in the first place? Surely any political party with an ounce of sense wants to stay vital in the minds of the constituents. Well, in the case of Dion, the Liberals were left with two major contenders, Dion (I don’t understand why, to be honest, he would be so significantly regarded), and Michael Ignatieff.

Now, ‘Iggy’ is the natural. Fiercely intelligent Russkie with academic and publication creds coming out his yin-yang. Also personable and loquacious and quite a natural politician. A likable guy, too. The latter is a fact to which I can personally attest because I’ve actually met and interviewed him. But, the more wishy-washy elements of the Liberals didn’t like him because he’d spent years as an academic in the US, and had some distinct views on international matters, such as being in favor of the US going into Iraq, and thinking Canada should have done likewise.
There is, however, no truth to the rumor that he has tried to suppress an academic paper entitled: “Nuke Iran till it glows; an argument” But, you get my drift about why the wet elements of the Liberals might not like him.

So, they wavered between Dion -- no relation to Celine, I don’t think, though he is generally regarded in western Canada in much the same way she is, with fear and loathing.—and a guy called Bob Rae. Erstwhile pinko Rae is best known as a guy who destroyed Ontario’s economy a few years ago, although his supporters hope memories in that regard are short. Dion won the toss. Iggy was too fierce and determined, and Rae was too tainted.

Dion is sort of a fuzzy, fussy, academic guy with amazingly little apparent charm and dynamic. I mean, he’s probably quite nice in a profoundly weenie way, but it doesn’t come across. He is also distinctly francophone, which worked fine at the national level with an old brawler like Chretien, but when it sounds, well, fuzzy and academic and somewhat patronizing, you’re not going to impress prairie dirt farmers and oilmen. Well, the fact that you’re Liberal ain’t going to impress them, anyway.

So, Dion will likely go down in flames after this month’s election, and Iggy, I should imagine will secure the party’s nod a few months later since he is a guy who could genuinely defeat incumbent Steven Harper – the man who invented the ‘fixed smile.’

Now, John McCain is a different breed of cat from Stephane. First off, he’s a real man. Underwent the rigors of North Vietnamese torture during that conflict, dumped his first wife for a young hottie a few years ago, and has generally persisted in being an outspoken tearaway, and a thorn in the side of the GOP for years.

There are some good things going for McCain. He can be charming and appears to have a good sense of humor. He is persistent as hell and refused to retire into the wilderness when all odds seemed to be against him. He is a huge survivor, in other words, and that’s admirable.

But, there are some bad things. One, he is going to be the oldest presidential candidate ever, should he actually attain the office. Ron Reagan, nearing 70, was a comparative pup. Though, it must be considered that Churchill was 65 when he first became British PM, and was 80 when he retired. Konrad Adenauer was in his late 70s when he became chancellor of West Germany, and Golda Maier was over 70 when she took the helm of Israel.

Also, McCain is inconsistent, often stating diametrically opposed opinions even in the same speech, yet. Scary, that. What does the man believe in?

Finally, he is to bear the outfall of the George W. years and this, along with the economic meltdown, bodes ill for the GOP.

So, I can only say that both candidates are, in my opinion, lambs to the slaughter in Canada and the US, and once they are out of the way, their respective parties can get on with it for the next election.