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Thursday, 11 October, 2007 4:49 PM
Straight-Talking McCain Throws
A Fastball At The RenCen
PHOTO
BY JEFF KOWALSKY / DETROIT ECONOMIC CLUB
Senator
McCain was eminently sensible as he denounced
the torture of prisoners, saying it would come back to
haunt future Americans soldiers, if captured.
The
lovely smell of French toast and bacon
permeated the morning air of the RenCen Marriott as
the old soldier Senator John McCain addressed a highly
respectful crowd of Detroit Economic Club members,
guests, and media-types this Tuesday.
With
his lovely wife, Cindy, looking on, the
Senator hit the big issues of the day and fielded some
tough questions after his speech without any of the
stumblings, bumblings, and stammerings we've so gotten
used to of late....
Though
he is no longer the young buck he was in 2000 when he first ran
for President, winning the Michigan primary, Arizona's senior Senator
still has the fire and clarity of mind we expect from our leaders,
and, it seems, the glowing, though tacit, endorsement of the Detroit
Economic Club. With nine Republican candidates in town for the Dearborn
debate, only one of them was invited to speak at the breakfast gathering.
You do the math.
Senator
McCain's economic philosophy seems to jibe well with the Detroit
Auto Exec Think Tank who were there in spades. Saying, "Globalization
is here to stay," and that some economist-historians attribute
Protectionism as one of the causes of World War II, and is still
a dangerous concept, he gingerly prepared the largely white collar
crowd for his belief in Detroit's need to increase CAFE standards
by making more fuel-efficient, greener vehicles. It seemed to work.
He never lost the crowd. In fact, he had them in stitches once with
a joke that I didn't quite catch. I think he asked if the next question
during the Q & A was from an adult. I guess you had to be there.
Wait, I was there!
After
thinking over who would be a good running mate
for Senator McCain, should he win the Republican
Presidential nomination, I think his old buddy and
teevy actor Fred Thompson would be a solid choice.
Senator
McCain has said on more than one occasion
that he does not want to be a V.P., for, having spent
five and half years as a P.O.W., in solitary
confinement and being fed table-scraps, "Why in the
Hell would I want to do that again?"
He
has a point.
On
Iraq, he took former Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld and President Bush to task for a failed
strategy and said the current one, his own, is
working, but needs more time.
One
more thing about Protectionism before I sign
off: the latest buzz is that five Chinese automakers
will be at the North American International Auto Show
in January. Is it so wrong to protect the domestic
auto-truck market from foreign competitors that
exploit their workers, both adult and child, pollute
like there is no tomorrow, and threaten both the
livelihoods of American workers and our standard of
living? Just asking. I guess I am a proponent of
Questioningism.
Still,
from the field we have, Senator John McCain has a Presidential bearing
and commands respect. I admit, I like him--even though I don't agree
with him about everything, and that is important to me.
PHOTO
BY MIKE WRATHELL / AMERICAJR.com
Could
this be our future first lady and our future
fearless leader? John and Cindy McCain.
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