Last night’s debate was a yawner, and that’s good news for Sen. Obama, who leads in the polls and is simply trying to run out the clock until November 4. Amid dire predictions that the event might get really “negative,” both men used the questions to rattle off their now tired talking points. Sen. McCain, to his credit, at least proposed something new, but he was unenergetic and uninspiring. If he’s looking to come in a polite second, he accomplished what he needed to in Nashville.
Speaking of the “Straight Talk Express,” here’s what I wish the war hero from Arizona had said about the economy, and said forcefully:
“My opponent is a big-spending, inexperienced liberal who is up to his elbows in the current crisis. His solutions amount to finger-pointing, and nothing more. Some of his closest economic advisers and political cronies are also responsible for this mess. I and the Bush administration-yes, the Bush administration-tried to warn them more than a dozen times to do something about it before it was too late. But they resisted our every attempt, and to our shame we let the matter drop. I’m sorry we didn’t do enough, and we weren’t honest with you, the American people, about what was coming.
“No matter what Sen. Obama says now, and he’ll say anything to get elected, this is a bipartisan mess, and it is going to take bipartisan effort to clean it up. My friends, there is only one candidate here tonight who has a track record of reaching across the aisle to the other party to get things done. There is only one candidate here who has been refined by fire. There is only one candidate who has the experience and judgment to lead our nation through this challenge. This won’t be easy, and it will take a while.
“We cannot simply punish a few out-of-control CEOs on Wall Street and think the job is done. We all have had a hand in this crisis, including some of us on Main Street, and we all will have to shoulder the burden to get through it. But I promise to you tonight that I will make sure the burden is shared equally.
“As Winston Churchill once said, ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.'” But working together we will pull through, stronger than ever. As Churchill also said, ‘I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, ‘come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.’ And they succeeded against devastating odds, and so will we.
“My friends, I offer buoyancy and hope, not finger-pointing and blame. Let’s show the world that America can still meet the biggest challenges and remain a beacon of hope and freedom for all mankind. Join me, and we will see that our nation’s best days are ahead of us.”
