It is time for some straight talk. An open letter to John McCain. [View All]

[Bjorn Against]

Dear John,

It has been so great to hear all the “straight talk” coming from your campaign. You stood up and showed courage in denouncing torture up until the point that it came time to vote for the Military Commissions Act and then you decided that it would be a good idea to vote to allow torture. But hey, at least after you voted for torture you went back to denouncing it once again. But then that pesky little vote had to come up again yesterday and you had to please your friends in the right-wing so you voted to allow waterboarding, but of course we should believe you are genuine when you suddenly oppose waterboarding again just minutes after you voted to allow it. After all you are Mr. Straight Talk right? You would never lie to us. You would never try to portray yourself as a good guy while you allow people to torture would you?

We know about your straight talk Mr. Bush (or is it McCain? I always get you two confused for some reason). You stand up before the American people and tell them that you do not support torture, and then you push for bills that allow torture.

This type of “straight talk” is nothing new to you. You did something similar with your campaign finance legislation, which you filled with so many loopholes that you were able to ensure that people like Charles Keating would always be able to help out your friends. Oh wait? I forgot Keating isn't giving you money anymore because the last time he gave you a really big check he ended up in prison and you ended up with a major ethics investigation against you. But hey, at least you were able to get people to look away when you pretended to have some ethics right?

Then there was that little trip you took to Iraq several months back, you remember that? You told us the streets of Iraq were so safe that you were able to walk across the market without getting blown up. Of course you didn't tell us about that you had to have troops risk their lives to sweep the streets for you before you walked them. You didn't tell us about the blackhawk helicopters flying overhead. You didn't tell us that you had to have a freaking army protecting you when you walked. You simply told us that the streets were safe, because if you can have millions of dollars in military resources protecting you when you walk the streets then everyone else in Iraq should be safe too right?

After all this “straight talk” you have given us, you expect us to vote to make you the next President, or at least be quiet when Diebold decides to make you the next pResident. We are not going to allow that to happen though John.

No matter how much you may try to con us we can see the kind of person you really are. You are the type of person who is more than willing to take money from the Charles Keatings of the world until you get caught. You are the type of person who is more than willing to allow torture just so long as you are able to pretend like you oppose torture when the cameras are turned on you. You are the type of person who tells you are just trying to defend America, all while you undermine our nation's security by pissing the rest of the world off while you continue your massacre in Iraq.

If you honestly consider the words that you speak to us to be straight talk, then I don't even want to know what you would consider to be deception. We have had enough of your talk John. You are a man who supports torture, and we can see that in your voting record. It doesn't matter how passionate of a speech you may give, when you vote to torture then you are no better than the people who held you captive.

We are tired of hearing your “straight talk” John, and it is time for you to listen to our straight talk. We don't torture, we don't support illegal wars, we don't take bribes from people like Charles Keating, we don't try cozy up with the religious right, and we do not give hugs to the criminals in the White House. We want accountability, and we are going to hold you accountable. You are no maverick, you are an enabler. You have helped enable a massacre of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, and you have enabled the erosion of our Constitution.

We are going to stop your “straight talk express” and we are going to load you and all of your friends on to our straight talk express so we can give you all a ride to the Hague. Don't worry though John, because unlike you we have some respect for human rights and we can promise that we will never cast a vote that would allow for you or anyone else to be waterboarded.

Sincerely,
A Citizen