How to Make John McCain and Sarah Palin Erratic

For two weeks leading up to the Vice Presidential debate, John McCain and Sarah Palin became increasingly on the defensive. Their democratic opponents had them on their knees, ready for a knockout punch.

Governor Palin's performance in the debate bought them some extra time.

But I wonder - how did this man, who had always been democrats' favorite Republican; and this woman, with an 80% approval rating in Alaska, become suddenly so ineffectual?

I believe the answer lies in the fact that they are exactly what they claim to be: mavericks that put country first.

Think about it. You are doing exactly the right thing, which is to eschew partisanship for the good of the whole. The Apostle Paul wrote about the evil of denominationalism. George Washington urged the country not to develop a party system. Modern organizational behavior experts (many of whom happen to be confirmed liberal democrats) understand that partisanship is no way to attain creativity and high-performance teamwork.

You have to put others first, to be a non-partisan. You have to treat others with dignity and respect.

And this is what John McCain has been doing for over twenty years in Washington: putting the people ahead of party. Sarah Palin has done the same in her short tenure in Juneau: she goes for what is right, even if it hurts other Republicans.

At this point, I hope the reader drops his or her ridiculous obsession with such labels as "conservative," "liberal," "pro-choice," "evangelical," etc.

You know in your heart, that partisanship is wrong. You have felt this way ever since you were a kid, and occasionally found yourself on the outside of some "cool" clique. You know that it is always better to treat others as equals. You also know how difficult it is to do that.

The McCain-Palin ticket has put a stake in the ground, with a passion for reaching across the aisle, in order to arrive at consensus (better) solutions to our problems. And they have proven that it is not hype, based on their past records.

But the political insiders, those with a stake in keeping partisanship alive, are fighting for dear life, to keep John McCain out of the White House. I believe that Bill and Hillary Clinton understand all this, which is why they have been lukewarm toward the Obama candidacy. And I believe it speaks volumes of the true nature of their character (that they are sincere non-partisans at heart), for them to absent themselves from this campaign.

If John McCain seems erratic, it is because he truly does place the process, and the people, ahead of narrow party ambitions. In the past, he could count on some Democrats to work with him, on any piece of legislation. With the exception of Senator Liebermann and a few high-profile Clinton supporters, they have let him down now.

We keep looking for him to put on a partisan cap (both sides do) when he has none. He is like the guy riding along a battle line, carrying a two-sided flag with the standards of each side visible to them. But then a change of the wind flips the flag, making the opposite side's standard visible, and they both begin firing on him.

How we love our parties. How we love to hate people in the other party. How hating makes us feel good.

We need to look at McCain-Palin with a clear vision and focus, dropping the partisan labels. We need smart collaboration in Washington, mutual respect for the other side, and an eagerness to understand the differences of others.

And with that understanding, decide whether or not it would be right to place someone in the White House, with decades of experience collaborating across party lines.

Or should we choose a virtual unknown, with no record of collaborating with Republicans, but plenty of connections to dubious anti-US activists?