More on McCain

I've been having a lively email exchange with a friend in Philly, a moderate Democrat named Mike. He's quite fixated on Obama's inexperience, but mostly we've sparred over McCain.

Mike: I want a president who doesn't suffer fools, who calls it like he sees it, and who will have the courage to refuse to meet with sworn enemies of our people.

Danielle: "Sworn enemies"? What a quaint turn of phrase. It's so hard to keep track of our "enemies" status - it changes so quickly. Just the other day, North Korea dropped out of the Axis of Evil. And we hated Kaddafi until we didn't anymore. And of course we supported Saddam Hussein for decades, as long as he gave us access to his oil reserves. And we didn't care how the Taliban treated their women as long as they were fighting the Russians. Speaking of which, who can keep track of how we feel about Putin. It's just a lot more complicated than Good Guys and Bad Guys. The whole process of international relations is a delicate balance that requires a great deal more than a tough guy attitude. I put a lot more faith in a leader like Obama, who has lived abroad and who has a much more sophisticated world view, than someone like McCain, regardless of how much "experience" he may have.