We Need Better. We DESERVE Better.

Why am I so against John McCain? There are a lot of reasons, but let's start here:

I attack John McCain and Sarah Palin because, among other reasons, they represent the status quo -- one that is flawed and dangerous. George W. Bush has presided over a politically, morally, and fiscally bankrupt "administration" (if you can even really call it that), and McCain's policies and management style appear to lend themselves to a similar end. We simply cannot afford that.

My problem with Bush and McCain largely has to do with their alarming lack of curiosity and refusal to listen to anyone outside their inner circles, their mantra of fear and the big-lie photo-op propoganda that drives it, and, perhaps most of all, their refusal to even once look the American people in the eye and admit, "I made a mistake. I blew it. I apologize."

What's going on in the minds of Bush and McCain is not what most of the rest of the world is seeing. It's symptomatic of their ability to remain enclosed in a bubble of denial.

We need great leadership now. We need a president who is perceived intellectually as a cut above a buffoon, with a mind capable of entertaining concepts beyond heavily scripted and rehearsed three-word sentences and slogans. The next president has got to convey some intellectual depth and gravitas. We need someone with a genuine sense of compassion and common purpose for what the vast majority of us experience as Americans. John McCain and Sarah Palin simply cannot convincingly pull that off.

More reasons to come later, but for now just allow me to say, "We need better; we deserve better. Vote for Barack Obama."