CHEWING ON THE BONE

Saturday, August 30, 2008

My husband and I went on a very long walk. As my energy was clearly flagging, my spouse turned to me and asked if I wanted him to come back for me in the car. I immediately responded, "No! I'll be fine. I'm chewing on the bone John McCain threw me yesterday."

That is how I view Senator McCain's selection of Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate for the Vice Presidential slot. A bone. Here, my friends. You couldn't have a woman Presidential candidate to vote for, so I will give you a woman Vice Presidential Candidate. No matter that she is the polar (forgive the pun) opposite of Senator Hillary Clinton:

• Lacking in experience
• Anti-abortion - Even in the case of Incest & Rape!
• A Lifetime Member of the National Rifle Association
• An Evangelical Christian, who supports teaching Creationism in public schools
• An anti-environmentalist who does not believe humans have caused global warming

Need I go on? But she is a woman...Yes, she and Hillary do have that in common. But that is simply not enough.

Senator McCain, you apparently don't get it. It is not about having a woman somewhere on the ticket. It is about having the right woman in the TOP SPOT on the ticket. The goal was to put a woman in the WHITE House not the BLAIR House. Our hope was not to put 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling but to shatter it.

As Ellen Goodman, columnist for the Boston Globe wrote recently, there has been " a race between two people to open the door of history. A door that could only admit one at a time." I accept that during the 2008 election, history will be made by a Black-American rather than a woman.

Senator McCain, nice try, however this is one former Hillary supporter-now Obama supporter who will wait for the right time and the right woman. Thanks for thinking of me, but I am throwing your bone right back at you and since wrapping up a real dog bone and sending it to you in the mail seems somewhat impolite, I decided to email this picture of a dog bone to you at info@johnmccain.com.

I am also making a donation to the Barack Obama Campaign in your honor, because only a Democratic team in the White House will enable women to finally achieve the dreams we came so close to this year.

Rather than be upset and outraged by what I consider a political ploy on your part, I am turning to Hillary and Barack for my inspiration. It is not about Hillary and it is not about Barack, it is about me and I do not intend to sit idly by and watch political games be played with my emotions. Thus this website. Next stop, I volunteer my time to get Barack Obama elected.

So thanks again Senator McCain, not for the bone, which I really did not appreciate, but for the kick it gave me to get re involved in this election. I needed that.

Sincerely,

Kathy B.