Can We Get John Wayne to Run for President?

I'm going to vote for you, John McCain, but I'm not going to like it. It's almost to the point where I will be more voting against the Democrat rather than voting for the Republican, and that's not the way things should be. I'm not looking for a religious experience when I vote - I'm pretty sure most Obama supporters have some form of an orgasm when they pull the lever. I would just like a leader that isn't afraid to take off the gloves and play tough.

George W. Bush has been and will continue to be painted as a cowboy - someone that shoots first and asks questions later. This is best characterized by the aircraft carrier landing and "Mission Accomplished" PR stunt. On an extreme tangent - the funniest pop culture reference to that event is Arrested Development. Gob gets lowered from a crane in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner just before the fake house behind him collapses. It's awesome.

Anyway, W gives the impression he's not afraid to call it like it is. He may comes across as a stupid, reckless cowboy, but one thing is for certain: terrorists have not attacked Americans on our turf since 9-11. That's huge. And it's a direct result of Bush's policies and leadership over the past 7 years.

John McCain, on the other side of things, is afraid to hurt any one's feelings. He may have had the Straight Talk Express during the early primary season, and Johnny certainly likes to maintain the illusion that he's a maverick, but the truth of the matter is that McCain is a career politician. That career is built on compromises and those compromises, more often than not reflect an opportunistic approach. A particular political philosophy doesn't drive John McCain. Rather, he looks for the most popular option and runs with it.

The latest example - while criticizing North Carolina's Republican committee for airing an anti-Democrat ad that featured the good Reverend Jeremiah Wright, John stated that "...I want to be the candidate of everybody. I want to be the candidate of Republicans and Democrats and Independents and people across the political spectrum..."

That's great, John. Real noble of you. One small problem - you can't make everyone happy. And when you try to make everyone happy, you lose the ability to take off the gloves and get dirty. Because as W's all-time low approval rating will show you, when you stick to your guns, you piss people off.

So, John - you have my vote. But it is not intended as an endorsement of your leadership style or policies. You happen to be the best choice between yourself, Hillary, and Barack. Unfortunately for us, that's not saying much.