September 27-- “I’m on a roll, leave me alone…”

I had to tell Jane this morning to leave me alone. This will be the fourth entry in my blogs today, three having been e-mailed to my editor earlier.

The big discussion last night in our house was about the debate. Now we may not be the typical American household. We are fighting unemployment. But, despite that we are relatively comfortable. There is practically no debt outside the mortgage. Yes, the portfolio is in a shambles; I need to see if I should sell off the bank stocks Monday. They have been relatively strong so far, but the WaMu crash has shaken my belief in the industry.

And, our use of the mortgage bubble has allowed us to fix our house and we are only about 50 percent debt to equity, despite this.

So the debate may be talking about people like Jane, and me or not.

Was I alone in wondering why John McCain kept pointing to Barack Obama’s supposed inexperience? First, I think that there is no experience that we can imagine is even close to being President of the US. Bill Clinton was inexperienced compared to George H W Bush. Yet, his presidency was among the most blessed of our generation. Bush 1 was unexciting. (That’s something you could never say about Clinton LOL)

And it can be said that every challenger is not as experienced as the sitting president. Yet, now, how many people are really glad that George W Bush was reelected in 2004?

So this thing about experience is a bogeyman, a straw man. I don’t see it as important in this election. Hell, even McCain doesn’t really seem to think it’s important. He named Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. I know that I’m not alone in thinking that she is the most unqualified person to run for that office since Dan Quayle.

That accusation, that Obama is inexperienced, doesn’t hang right to me I’m not impressed by McCain’s greater experience in foreign affairs. It is clear to me that Obama will be able to energize the American ideal that has been so important to the country. I don’t believe McCain will care about that or be able to do anything about it.

And, I was depressed to hear McCain say that foreign aid was being misspent. It is apparently a target for his fiscal cutbacks.

We paid foreign aid to the Taliban for years. It was for the purpose of cutting the flow of heroin to the West. Was that such a bad use of foreign aid? Is it a poor use of foreign aid to purchase nets to ward off malaria? Is it a bad use of foreign aid to purchase drugs for malaria, aids and other third world diseases that are killing thousands every day? Is it a poor use of foreign aid to educate foreign students in American ideals by bringing them to America?

I’m tired of foreign aid being the horse to be flogged every four years. This country doesn’t spend enough on foreign aid. Its foreign aid may even be misdirected, as some charge. But enough flogging an under funded program.

Yacking further, is it really in this country’s best interest to challenge Russia in Georgia? Is Georgia completely innocent in this case? Personally, I do not want to see American troops fighting Russians in the Caucuses. The Ukraine is far more strategic for this country and I question whether we want to support the Ukraine against the Russians. Again, I don’t want to see Americans in the Ukrainian wheat fields fighting Russians.

Apparently McCain doesn’t agree. His running mate supports extending NATO membership to Georgia. Palin said Russia’s attack into Georgia last month was ‘unprovoked’. Asked to clarify that she’d support going to war over Georgia, she said: ‘Perhaps so.’

You know what I think will help resolve this issue? We should sit down, without preconditions, with the Russians. Diplomacy. It’s something so … 19th Century. You’d think Republicans would understand what it means.

Bottom line, I think McCain doesn’t get the foreign relations thing. And he sure seems to be in over his head on the economic thing. Obama, while not dazzling me, was sober and thoughtful. After nearly eight years of a no-thinking-allowed White House, I’d like someone who considers and pauses. This week, McCain failed. His debate showed me that his direction is wrong and his tactical plan leading to the debate, the entire brinkmanship over whether to show up or not, Oh! Boy! No more.

You might be a maverick, John McCain. But we need a horse we can depend on.

September 26-- Happy Birthday


Ceili had her 20th birthday earlier this week. She was depressed due to some friends blowing her off in a social engagement. As a result she didn't answer calls from me. Sunday, when we finally talked, I was suffering a serious migraine and Jane had made substitute plans. We were unavailable.

Jane suggested I buy a smash cake and surprise her at Harper. It was an excellent idea and one that I should have thought of. Monday, I was on a mission. I went down to Dinkel's, which is the same bakery I've always purchased her birthday cakes from, and bought a yellow cake.

They don't keep smash cakes available anymore, you need to order them. They are called smash cakes as 15 years ago we'd buy a cake for the kid and one for the adults. The child would grab the cake with one hand and stuff it in their mouths. Smash it up.

I had a card and a few small things. Because of the unemployment we didn't have much to offer Ceili this time. I put a $50 Target gift card in.

I drove out to Harper, not knowing Ceili's class schedule. I called her from a table near the cafe there and asked if she wanted to have lunch. Of course every college kid wants dad to pay for lunch. She said sure.

When she showed up, I pulled the card out and gave it to her. Then I opened the cake box. I had some plates and plastic ware and I lit a candle.

It was one of the new candles that has an electronic chip inside. It was supposed to play "Happy Birthday." Ceili blew out the candle immediately.

She looked around and said, "you can't have open flame in here."

"All they'll do is tell you to blow it out," I replied. She looked at me with those big eyes and didn't say anything.

I lit the candle again. The candle was silent.

"Go ahead and blow it out now," I said. "Happy Birthday!"

I think she liked my little romantic gesture.