POW BECOMES DENIGRATOR

By Peter Fredson

Enough is now more than enough.

While Dubya may call himself "The Decider", McCain now may also call himself "The Denigrator."

For the past several months the only argument that McCain seems to muster is to denigrate Barach Obama. He decided to concentrate on personality rather than speak to issues of importance to his country.

Thus Obama is, for McCain, too young, too inexperienced, too naive and too "strange" to be acceptable for high office. He dare not call Obama the N… word out loud, but that is what is at the back of this attack.

He does not mind calling Vietnamese "gooks." as the Vietnamese have no voting representation in the U.S. But as a White Republican he is offended by Obama’s black skin.

McCain probably attacks Obama as of some inferior race, a kind of sub-human, as was common with his attitude and generation when he was young. Blacks in the army were once considered only fit for driving trucks or cooking. In civilian life they could shine shoes, wipe floors or even become railway porters.

A residue of this attitude seems to have permeated McCain’s thought. But, of course, we don’t really know what McCain thinks, just what he encourages his campaign workers to say. Winning is everything so he tries to drag a fine young man down into the sewer.

Denigration or vilification, is a major component of racism. But McCain must be careful to deny any outright declaration of inferiority as too many dark skinned people can vote now. So he skirts the topic, occasionally drifting over the line, and then he gives a snaggy tooth grin, emits a snort that should be a chuckle, and claims he was just "having fun."

You see, when serious topics become rife with danger, then the ploy is to claim you were simply joking...no harm intended. But sometimes his grin and snort resembles a bull-dog that is going to take someone’s leg, or arm, off.

When his innuendo, belittling, and framing of Obama takes him into the darker realms concerning patriotism, Americanism, and judgement, just barely avoiding treason, inferiority, and terrorism, then he abruptly switches the attack and in effect says, "Who, Me? Nonsense. I was a POW." That explains everything and nothing. His framing of Obama is as subtle as a 2x4 in debating.

When will this Mad Dog attack on personality cease and serious debate without denigration begin? Is it possible that most Republicans like this Slow-Boating and approve of character assassination as a means to power? Is anyone on the right trying to ameliorate the vicious attacks of McCain and get him to stick to important issues?

Or is this a prelude to seizing power, war-mongering and new forms of Manifest Destiny? Will McCain stop the personal attacks or will he continue his strategy of vilification and denigration? One cannot both be a maverick and fight the Civil War over slavery again. It’s time to stop the bull…..!