Dizzying Intellect

OCTOBER 30TH, 2008
By TANYA

And That Other Guy

I’m not, as I’ve mentioned in the past, a huge John McCain fan. I’ve mellowed to him, obviously, but I’m very glad that he has Sarah Palin — more conservative than he is — to keep him in check, a little.

My issue with him is not that I think he’s a bully. I don’t. I have issues with his Amnesty policies, particularly when they drift toward allowing illegals citizenship before the people who have waited patiently, legally in line — some for years. And his concept of the Constitution. He sees it as a little more flexible than I do, and that makes me… tense. I think he’s by far our best option right now, but I wasn’t going to bother writing about him. Then this article on his Best Argument fell in my lap, and it spoke to me. Especially this part:

There is something special about this country. The United States is exceptional. We are blessed by the good Lord, and in turn we have done more, far more, than any other people to spread freedom across the globe, and prosperity across the globe, and human rights across this great good Earth. We are a particularly good people — and John McCain understands all this and believes it with every fiber of his being, down to his very marrow, in a way that is deeply spiritual in nature. There is nothing fake about McCain’s belief in American Exceptionalism. His belief in this is as genuine, and as deeply felt, as is a son’s love for his father. He will defend this country, fight for this country, with every last breath in his body.

I love this country in a way that I’m not sure is possible without leaving it. I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant — I don’t consider my extensive travel something that makes me better than anyone else, but it gives me a different perspective.

Visiting a foreign country gives you a very specific view of their lives, and it’s a completely false one. You see beautiful tourist attractions, meet lovely people who deal with tourists all day and speak English, eat at glamorous restaurants or interesting street food stalls — and you think you’re seeing the real thing.

But until you put down roots, you have no idea what it’s really like. Once you have to shop in the market, and make do without the things you can’t find; carry your groceries home and cook them yourself; find antibiotics when you get sick, or a dentist when you have a toothache; figure out how to get to work when you miss the train; wonder if that big demonstration against the local government is going to get out of hand, and how do you get to the Embassy again, if it does? and do all of this in a foreign language, because the folks who don’t work with tourists don’t speak English (though many of them, kindly, try) — well, you start to appreciate America, frankly.

It sounds selfish, and it is. We take the sheer amazingness of this country for granted. Our reliable electricity, and our two-car households, and our great doctors. To say nothing of our ability to speak our minds and rally loudly for the politician we like, and against the one we don’t, without fear of reprisal. And believe in whatever god we prefer, or none at all. And rely on our capable, caring local police forces, but protect ourselves from bad guys if they don’t arrive in time.

When a tsunami hit countries half a world away, our government sent $350 million dollars to help them. And that’s a lot of money. But individuals, 99% of whom will never see these countries, and who knew no one there, gave $1.8 billion. That’s the kind of country we live in, and the inherent generosity of spirit that comes from living here. And it exists, to this extreme degree, nowhere else on Earth. With help from our loyal allies, who get who we are, and appreciate that, we freed the Jews from Hitler and the Iraqis from Hussein, and helped dozens of countries and cultures in between.

It’s sappy and unpopular to be a proud American. I know that, and in a way, I can understand it. It’s old-fashioned and dusty, and something our grandparents would do. And I have to tell you, Russia was a really interesting place when I lived there. It was going through the biggest changes in nearly a century, and it was exciting. I still have soviet souvenirs that kids today would kill for. London was beautiful and smart and cultural, and crammed with Indian food, and my flat was gorgeous. But the most important thing I learned and experienced, in the years that I lived overseas, was how great I had it at home.

I wish I could hand that knowledge on a silver platter to every screaming demonstrator who hates this country, no strings attached. Free lesson with no need to suffer for it.

The fact that John McCain has that knowledge? Loves this country even more than I do? That makes it pretty easy to vote for him, actually, despite my issues with some of his policies.

Go read the whole thing. There’s a LOT more that I didn’t address. The author, like me, has his problems with McCain but sees the underlying, more important positives: his political and military judgment, his diplomacy toward countries that he could’ve legitimately refused (Vietnam, specifically), his genuine bipartisanship, his spending discipline, his hatred of corruption, and his record of consistently cutting taxes.

[via Hot Air]

Gawd, I’m verbose lately. Don’t get used to it.

Election '08

40 Comments

By og, October 30, 2008 @ 11:53 am

Bloody well said.
By Nathan, October 30, 2008 @ 12:07 pm

Ditto Og.
By OrangeNeckInNY, October 30, 2008 @ 12:35 pm

Tritto, Og & Nathan. Hmm…did I just make up a word??
By OrangeNeckInNY, October 30, 2008 @ 12:37 pm

Tritto Og and Nathan!!
By Count to 10, October 30, 2008 @ 12:45 pm

I liked that article, too.
But, when I was in London for a weak, everything seemed dark, depressed, and run down. I was also disappointed over how few people there had British accents.
By winewife, October 30, 2008 @ 3:12 pm

Beautifully said. Made me cry. Wish everyone in the country would read this.
By Jim Treacher, October 30, 2008 @ 3:22 pm

To say nothing of our ability to speak our minds and rally loudly for the politician we like, and against the one we don’t, without fear of reprisal.

Well. That one seems to be changing over the last few months, doesn’t it?

Otherwise, I couldn’t agree more.
By Brooke, October 30, 2008 @ 3:24 pm

Beautiful. Thankyou for for the reality check. We so often forget,there’s no place like home.
By physics geek, October 30, 2008 @ 3:27 pm

There are a lot more people like you here than not. Thanks for your words.
By Jason, October 30, 2008 @ 3:29 pm

I also found my own extensive international travel made me love America all the more. There’s a difference between the “5 weeks in Europe on daddy’s credit card” travel and actual living and working abroad. The first time you get shaken down for being a foreigner, or have to bribe a traffic cop who can just as easily shoot you and drive away (both of which happened to me in “modern” Asian countries) you start to really appreciate the rule of law and the respect for personal freedoms and property that the U.S. still has. There are some beautiful places in the world, but it is amazing how in America you can set foot almost anywhere in the country and be treated fairly and within the law. I’ll never forget the time I came back in through JFK and the passport control officer looked through my dog-eared passport with all its stamps, found a blank spot in the additional pages, stamped it, and said “Welcome home.” America really is exceptional and I am proud of it. We’ve earned it, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
By Eric, October 30, 2008 @ 3:47 pm

Great post, and spot on. I travel a lot on business to parts of the world that aren’t on the tourist maps, and you’re absolutely right.

Spending time outside the US makes one love it all the more. Could we do better than McCain? Sure. Can we do better than McCain on 11/4? No freaking way.
By Corlos, October 30, 2008 @ 3:49 pm

my sentiments exactly -a fellow traveler
By mookieloo, October 30, 2008 @ 3:49 pm

I have traveled a lot and it has been a wonderful experience. A lot of countries that maybe someday I may visit again. But each time when I have returned home I always thanked god for this wonderful country I was born in. We Americans have been so blessed with our lives here in the Good Ole USA. We all hold the key to our cage, here in the USA we have the power to unlock the cage and be free to become what ever we want to become. This is a wonderful gift. I’m a great grandma, retired living on a fixed income and doing OK. In all my time I have never been so afraid of election as I am of this one. I still get tears in my eyes when I see our flag flying, I get tears in my eyes when I see our young men in uniform and have to give them a hug. This is a very special place to be on earth, the United States of America. I love you…
By lb, October 30, 2008 @ 4:05 pm

My husband and I lived in Paris 2002-5. It was just like the writer is describing and honestly sometimes I had a difficult time coping! It was sheer “survival mode” ALL the time and we had a penthouse on the Left Bank! But the bleakness, the 10,000 ppl who died during the heat wave in 2005..well it was depressing, scarey and made me love my country more than I thought possible! We are SO BLESSED to be Americans! EVERY cab driver I met went APE when they discovered I was from the USA…to a man they would have died to get here!
By S. Weasel, October 30, 2008 @ 4:06 pm

Great. Just as I’m moving away (but I think of Britain as sort of America, interrupted. Proto America. America’s crotchety grampa in the attic).
By Andy B, October 30, 2008 @ 4:06 pm

This is wonderful to read, and at the same time it makes me a bit sad. I do not understand why a person..or people, like Obama want to destroy this country. Why? I just don’t get it, probably never will. I really wish the people that hate the USA would just leave if they hate being here so much.
By mark, October 30, 2008 @ 4:08 pm

America is great. Obama doesn’t like it that way. He can’t have unchecked power with happy people. He’s trying his best to run down our nation of achievers.
By Bruce, October 30, 2008 @ 4:10 pm

After being stationed in Scotland for 13 months or so and experiencing a socialist government up close and personal, my wife, two young sons, and I came back via Dulles. After spending hours on the plane filling out customs forms and worrying that we had included everything we landed, piled all our baggage on a cart, and headed for the first open customs official. I wasn’t in uniform but I guess he looked at my haircut and figured it out and asked me if we were in the service. When I said we were he waved us through with a grand sweeping gesture and a huge smile and said “Welcome home!” I still get tears in my eyes thinking about it. No baggage search, no forms, no hassle. You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone and when you get it back you’ll do anything to keep it.
By GK, October 30, 2008 @ 4:15 pm

Superbly well said.

Feeling down, then read this article on why The US Will Still be the Only Superpower in 2030.

Read it twice to get all the points, and be prepared for the next time someone at a party says America is in decline.
By Ace O'Dale, October 30, 2008 @ 4:29 pm

I stumbled on your blog following a link from HotAir. Sounds like we have some things in common - Particularly international travel and conservo/libertarian politics.

There’s yet another thing that’s amazing about America: as a nation, we are bigger than our leaders. We “survived” presidents X, Y, and Z (fill in your least favorites) and we’ll survive whoever gets elected next week. Neither Obama nor McCain will be as great as their worshippers seem to believe nor will they be as evil as their detractors want you to believe.

In fact, this next president will likely be a single-termer and go down in history as rather average due to the tremendous challenges he’ll face right off the bat.

So vote and pray. Vote your conscience and pray fro God’s help in keeping this great nation great.
By Judy Hopson, October 30, 2008 @ 4:48 pm

I have never apologized for being an American nor will I ever apologize for living in this FREE REPUBLIC. No American should ever feel the need to do so no matter where they are in the world. I loved hearing from all of you. Remain patriotic. It is your right.
By og, October 30, 2008 @ 4:48 pm

Ace, its’s not as simple as that. Obama, if elected, will appoint as many as three supremes. The backlash could last 40 years.
By Charlie, October 30, 2008 @ 5:18 pm

Ya got it backwards.

Take it from me, who’s had foreign friends of every legal status. It’s the ones here illegally we want. They’re showing initiative and ingenuity. They’ll make it here.

The ones who stand in line and wait for the gears of bureaucracy to turn are precisely the ones we don’t want.

It’s almost a perfect filter. Every ten years… amnesty together with the proclamation NEVER AGAIN, from here on you MUST play by the rules. It’ll work every time.
By ted humphries, October 30, 2008 @ 5:33 pm

I owned a retail business in Northern Virginia for many years and the majority of my customers were immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, and Africa mostly coming in the last 20 years.

Many of them would return to their home country usually for several weeks on vacation.

I would always ask them if they were glad to be back and without one exception they always said yes. They appreciate what we have than the native born.
By Erin Mahoney, October 30, 2008 @ 6:10 pm

Thank you for such an insightful, passionate piece. Though I share your deep, abiding love for the USA, I’ve never lived anywhere else, so completely understand how such an experience would lead to an even greater appreciation for our wonderful country.

Slightly O/T, but has anyone seen this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q74szkjMkk
By RickM, October 30, 2008 @ 6:44 pm

I’ve had the fortune of seeing the best and the worst of the world several times over. What most Americans don’t understand about life outside of the U.S. could fill volumes. To put it in very crude but true language, most of the world is a shit-hole. Americans don’t see it and most of us haven’t experienced it. So we get used to “outrage” because our morning paper isn’t tossed on our doorstep and we have to step all the way on to the damp grass to get pick it up. The reality of a wish biscuit, “Wish I had meat on my biscuit” is never experienced. Now take that to “Wish I had water that didn’t kill me.” or “Wish the State wouldn’t torture and execute me because I am gay.”; it is completely alien. Once the outside is seen, it is never forgotten. God doesn’t need to bless America, She already did.

Semper Fi
By William, October 30, 2008 @ 7:24 pm

I’m an American — raised on a ranch in Wyoming. I just realized as I turned 45, that I’ve spent *well over* half of my adult life outside of the US. I’ve resided in particular places for years on end (non-military) — and stamped out a passport every six months.

This (America) is truly a special and unique place. It deserves a lot from us, because it has given a lot to us — in ways we don’t even realize. And by giving a lot to America, I don’t mean giving a lot to any particular administration…
By Nathaniel, October 31, 2008 @ 2:29 am

America, who art on earth,
hallowed be thy name
thy will be done
in the fields as in factories,
give us today our chance at happiness,
reward our work and industry,
as we reward ourselves,
defend us in times of trial
as we defend thy ideals

For thine are the beauty, the power,
and the glory, for as long as we honor thee.

Written by me.
By Tom, October 31, 2008 @ 10:02 am

Well written, and I agree with much of what you say. I guess I just don’t think that loving one’s country is a sufficient quality for being president. Necessary? Of course. But not sufficient. And to that end, I think McCain comes up short in just about every other meaningful context. He’s had twenty six years to affect change in Washington, and he’s come up exceedingly small. And as a fellow world traveler, the Obama upshot is that he immediately restores soft power to the United States.

Thanks for the post.
By og, October 31, 2008 @ 10:48 am

“And as a fellow world traveler, the Obama upshot is that he immediately restores soft power to the United States”

What planet are you from, Tom? What color is the sky where you live?
By Tom, October 31, 2008 @ 11:11 am

Nice to meet you too!

I am firmly grounded in reality. You think our soft power around the world has been improved the last 8 years? I’d ask the same questions of you if you think that’s the case. Every single person I’ve spoken with outside of the US since around the Iowa caucus has asked me what I thought about Obama. McCain was an afterthought. Clinton, surprisingly, was a bit of an afterthought.

If absolutely nothing else, Obama will change the way the world looks at us. Maybe not in ways we can predict.
By og, October 31, 2008 @ 11:32 am

Tom: Nobody cares. The world can think of us what it wants, we are the ones who bail the world out of it’s stupidity, again, and again, and again. A few people dislike us? Good. The entire planet dislikes us? Better. What would Obama do? Negotiate with those who would harm us, instead of protecting us from them. if you haven’t understood that by now, you never will. A lot of people I know outside the US feel as you say. French, British, German, Austrian. Somali. Iraqi. Lots of people hate the US.
Lots of people who are only alive and capable of drawing breath because of the US. Nuff said.
By og, October 31, 2008 @ 11:35 am

As for:
“Obama will change the way the world looks at us. Maybe not in ways we can predict.”

I can predict that with 100% accuracy.

“Cowards”
By Tom, October 31, 2008 @ 12:14 pm

Sorry that’s your outlook on life. It’s not mine. I’ve met a lot of reasonable people on my travels and, for the life I lead, it’s much more enjoyable to be able to talk about things other than the US (and yes, I defend the US). But hey - you want to not care the whole world dislikes us? Good for you. Luckily for me, that approach takes a back seat for the next eight years. Luckily, we live in a democracy where eventually other approaches get a chance. God knows how sick to f***ing death I am of the last approach. Tuesday’s gonna be a banner day.
By Tom, October 31, 2008 @ 12:19 pm

Oh and I think it’s sad how aggressive people need to get about the irrelevance of the rest of the world. You don’t think it matters what the rest of the world thinks now that the US banking system will need the active cooperation from the rest of the world to prosper? You think it doesn’t matter what China and Japan think? Why do you think President Bush attended the opening ceremonies? Do you think he wanted to?

The bottom line is we live in a globalized world and we don’t get the luxury of not caring what the rest of the world thinks anymore. And so we have two choices: a candidate who thinks like you, and a candidate who thinks like me. Guess who I’m gonna vote for?
By og, October 31, 2008 @ 1:24 pm

“Sorry that’s your outlook on life. It’s not mine”

See, there’s a difference here. You have an “outlook on life” and I look at facts. I have stated facts. You have “hope”. I hope you like your “Hope”. When you’re choking on it, I hope it comforts you to know that you “acted globally”

We live in America, and we certainly do have the luxury of telling everyone else on the planet to Piss up a rope. We have two choices: A candidate I dislike intensely, and a man capable of incredible evil. Guess who I’m going to vote for? John Mc Cain, the choice of anyone capable of reason.

Sorry, Miss T, I won’t drag this out in your comments any further.

Tom? We’ve abused our hostess’s hospitality enough. Want to discuss further, come to Neanderpundit and I’ll clean the floor with you there. Or you can be a typical coward and continue to spew BS here, because I won’t respond any more.

Sorry, Tanya.
By Tom, October 31, 2008 @ 1:42 pm

Well I’ve had a chance to read your blog and now I see where you come from. We’ll see, my friend. We shall see. You’ll have eight years in the wilderness to think about things. Enjoy!

And in like 3 years read your comments. You sound like a petulant 12 year old. Things are gonna be just fine. They’d be just fine regardless of which candidate wins.

See you on your blog down the road. Thanks for the invite.
By Tanya, October 31, 2008 @ 3:05 pm

No worries, Og.

And That Other Guy

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