Credibility

"He's just not credible." That's what I want to hear Obama say about McCain. It is time for a direct attack on McCain's credibility. His political deathbed conversion to the cause of "change" is absurd on its face. McCain offers absolutely nothing but failed policies and empty promisies.

For eight long years, the Republicans have given us nothing but lies, incompetence, secrecy, and cronyism. The Republicans turned a hard-won budget surplus into the biggest deficit in history. The Republicans unraveled securities regulations, leading to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. They fought against children's health insurance, and tried to privatize Social Security. They kow-towed to industry lobbyists on every issue, raided the treasury, and did nothing to help ordinary Americans.

The record is there for anyone to read. During their time in power, the Republicans fought hard against clean energy, while giving massive tax cuts to the oil companies. The Republicans fought against cleaner standards for cars and trucks, while giving the green light to strip-mining and clear-cutting our ancient forests. They not only failed to fight global warming--they denied that global warming even existed.

Worst of all, the Republicans botched the war against Al Qaeda. The Republicans messed up so badly in Afghanistan that now we have to fight that war all over again. Instead of going after Osama bin Laden, the Republicans dragged us into an needless war in Iraq, which has done nothing but weaken our alliances, kill thousands of American soldiers, and make us all less secure.

And after all this, McCain now says he feels our pain? After all this, McCain has the gall to ask for our trust again? After all this, McCain spouts the same lies we've been hearing for the past eight years? How many times will we let ourselves be fooled by their smiling faces and pretty words? How many times will we reward theft and incompetence with four more years? Haven't we all had enough?

At a rally for Obama in Tampa, Florida on Monday, Hillary Clinton summed it up nicely. "The Republicans are trying to convince us to give them four more years to clean up the mess they made... It's like asking an iceberg to save the Titanic." Hear, hear!