I was just scanning the BBC news site and saw John McCain making his Republican party candidate acceptance speech; and it struck me that it was the first time I’d actually ever heard him talk. Perhaps our media is a little too Obama focused?  Maybe.

As a rule of thumb I try not to judge a book by it’s cover, but in the world of politics, where so much is decided upon first impressions (think of William Hague, who is probably the best Commons speaker I’ve ever seen,  yet was outsed by his party because he was bald and deemed weak for it!), I could only look at Mr McCain and think…….”awwwww, give him his blanket so he can have a nap!”.

There stood a man, who in my opinion at least, should be drawing his pension by now.  A man who delivered the most poor version of the cliched “America, we’re the greatest country on Earth” speech I’d ever seen (which contained the word ‘COUNTRY’ 26 times, ‘FIGHT’ 22 times and then ‘AMERICANS’ 16 times) whilst looking like a deer in headlights the entire time.  If this man becomes President of the United States then we’re ALL screwed, quite frankly.

If I could honestly sum up the very few things I dislike about American society, they are perhaps embodied in Mr McCain and Mrs Palin, and indeed what they stand for.  He is at best, another George Bush, minus the draft dodging and looks clearly out of his depth whilst he witters on about being a P.O.W.  Every bloody time in fact.

She, well, where do I start?  Mrs Palin is a creationist.  Namely one of those backward medieval thinking types whose reluctance to admit the world isn’t flat or embrace the overwhelming evidence of evolution over divine intervention astounds and amuses me on a daily basis.  Add to this she is an avid opponent of abortion (even in the face of rape or incest) and was dubiously selected for running mate due to fuel (quite literally) American plans to drill for Alaskan oil (where she is currently governer), especially considering there are any number of more qualified/approriate men or women who would have made a more logical ‘running mate’.

Let me be as frank as I can be, this woman scares the fuck out of me.  Big time.  If McCain keels over, she’s gonna be in charge of all the nukes?!?!?  I say again, Fuck.

I personally can’t see how John McCain will be able to make it up the next staircase, let alone fulfill a full term in office without keeling over if he is elected.   His manifesto seems totally focused on ‘fighting’.  I think we all know what that means?  More ‘shock and awe’ to the soundtrack of many banjos.

Mrs Palin and Mr McCain have said nothing so far on education, their failing economy, healthcare, unemployment, the VAST mortgage crisis sweeping their nation.  Nope.  Lets all talk about fighting, god and good old American values instead and scare the shit out of everyone who doesn’t subscribe to this ‘good old boy’ nonsense. I don’t think for one moment Mr McCain actually said why he was running for President!  “I don’t know why?!?!  I’m just-a-runnin’ because Jesus told me to!”.

Compare this to Mr Obama’s acceptance speech.  It was a very driven, articulate and eloquent statement of his intent to drive the nation forward.  And it needs to move forward very soon believe me because I think it’s on the verge of meltdown, I only hope it can recapture the respect I had for it during the Clinton period.  I already have a great deal of respect for Mr Obama, I for one will watch the next few weeks with serious interest as he goes up against those who would only reinforce the negative stereotypes that people have of Americans around the world.

I believe they deserve better.