Just Not Enough Time

Poor John Kerry. Between campaigning and making appearances at fundraisers, there's just not enough time in the day. Some things just have to go by the wayside. Little things....like voting in the Senate and National Security briefings.

Let's see. He's a sitting US Senator. It's his job to represent the people of Massachusetts in the US Senate. But this darn campaign just keeps getting in the way. And then there's those nasty Republicans. They didn't want him to vote so they deliberately switched the order of the voting. And he made a special trip back to Washington just to make that vote. Those mean Republicans! They won't let him vote! They don't like him! They're jealous (pick one: his Vietnam service, his hair, his athletic ability, the SUV's and homes that his family has, his gazillionaire wife)! They don't play fair! Wahhhh! Somebody give him a cookie and his blankie! This is just one vote he missed. What about the other votes he missed? Somewhere in the vicinity of 85%-89%. For those of you educated in public schools, that means out of 100 voting opportunities, he voted just 11-15 times. Sad, very sad.

At least, by his own admission, he was offered a chance to be briefed on National Security issues, but, gee whiz, he just couldn't fit it in. Was it because he had to listen to Whoopi Goldberg (a former favorite of mine) spout four-letter words (maybe he learned a few more)? Or were he and John E too wrapped up in their mutual admiration society (read: love-fest) to fit a NS briefing in?

He's interviewing with America for the top job, the Presidency of the United States of America. He might have to court the Hollywood types in order to get funding and votes, but he has to remember that Hollywood doesn't have enough votes to elect him. I personally don't care if he's Hollywood's golden boy or not. I look at how he's doing his job now and how he's done it since he's been in the Senate. Right now, I'm not impressed.

And the fact that he can't go ten minutes without mentioning that he served in Vietnam bugs me too. Do I care that he served in Vietnam? So did my brother and a lot of other men and women I know. Does it make him any more special than they? If I knew him personally, maybe it would make him as special, but since I have never laid eyes on him outside of the print and broadcast media, I really don't care if he did or didn't. It was thirty something years ago, for Pete's sake! Sure, I respect the fact that he served, but the service itself is somewhat questionable in my mind.

I'm even less impressed by the fact that he hasn't found a side of an issue he doesn't like. By his own admission, he's voted for it before he voted against it. I understand that people change their minds about things. One of the rules of this blog is that I have the right to change my opinion at any time if I receive new information. As a woman, I reserve the right to change my mind just because I can. I seldom do that, I usually find information that makes me realize that this is a something that should be considered in a different light. Kerry, however, lives in a prism, where the light is constantly changing.

My point is, if this man wants to be President, he should be responsible enough to resign from the Senate so that someone can properly represent the people of Massachusetts in Washington. Right now, as far as I'm concerned he's playing both sides against the middle. If he loses the White House, he'll still be Senator. He'll still have the prestige of his Senate seat. And it's the people of Massachusetts who are the losers. They are paying someone to do a job they are not doing. They are his employers. He's stealing from them and they're letting him do it!

As a candidate he should make time to be briefed on National Security matters. I don't want someone in the White House who plays at it. I want someone in the Oval Office who knows what's going on and has his eye on the issues. And in my opinion, National Security is a big issue. If Kerry is elected, it'll be four more years of the Clinton administration, but without the charisma.

UPDATE: I found this and thought it fit rather nicely:

"Don't get suckered into the how many years you've been in one job or this job" debate, Kerry said. "You've got people in [Washington] who have been in one job [for] 30 years of what you call experience, and they have done nothing, they don't stand for anything and they don't know how to fight." - John Kerry

Here's the link via Drudge.

Sort of underlines what I said in an earlier post, doesn't it?