A Thrill Junkie in Charge?

I spent much of my morning surveying both the MSM, designated “pundits”, and the on-line community vis-à-vis the selection of Palin by McCain. Dems and progressives are generally delighted and having fun expressing outrage (feigned and otherwise,) intellectually honest conservatives are aghast, and –as might be expected – the designated members of the echo chamber (Gingrich and his ilk) are all in false congratulation mode over the “boldness” of his choice.

My thoughts move quickly from the obvious (clearly a political choice from a man who has put the perceived needs of his campaign ahead of governance issues for our country) to the less obvious: what this says about a man who has, indeed, faced death, and who should know better than to taunt the reaper.

As at least one conservative writer commented, the ultimate hubris behind this decision shows that John McCain clearly believes that he doesn’t need a qualified vice-president to serve in any meaningful way the day after the election. He has no intention of making room for even an Al Gore, much less a Dick Cheney. Those advisory roles will no doubt be played by the neo-conservative Feiths and Liebermans in his circle.

But even beyond that, McCain has either never for one moment considered the possibility that he might die in office – or he truly doesn’t give a shit about the future of this country. Those are the only options available for a man who has argued that the U.S. faces some of the gravest threats in its history.

So if we assume that the latter is not true, then we must examine the former: that he has failed to achieve the central benefit available to anyone who has brushed up against their own mortality: the knowledge that life is fragile and can be stolen in a heartbeat; the understanding that tomorrow is not promised to anyone.

This fits well with other things we know about McCain: That in addition to his time as a POW, he has crashed at least two airplanes in circumstances that were also life-threatening, and that he likes to “roll the dice” so recklessly that his campaign has barred him from casinos for the duration. What we have hear folks is a thrill-junkie, someone who delights in flipping the bird to the so-called fickle finger of fate.

That may make for a great personal narrative. It might even be amusing and novel on the political stage. But is it really the temperament Americans want in their President? The high-roller may be fun to watch at the table, because none of us has to go home with him at the end of the night when he loses.

But the thought of this man – and that attitude – at the helm of US foreign policy should send shivers up the spine of any thinking citizen.