Talking about celebrities and politics, negative ads and the "low road" benefits no one; it seeks to discourage voters confidence in the system and, in the long run, depress voter turn out. It sparks anger on both sides, perpetuating the partisan divide and helping maintain the status quo. With that in mind, I got to thinking about the substantive questions that I want John McCain to answer; questions that would force McCain to make policy statements that would redirect the media cycle.
Although CW wisdom says that McCain is open to all questions and has actually been asked some tough ones, the reality is that his answers to an even marginally well thought question have provided some of the best examples in this entire campaign of the disaster that would be a McCain presidency, and the horrific risk involved in electing him.
So I've started a list of questions on a broad range of topics that Senator McCain should be forced to answer.
Foreign Policy
- What specifically would you do differently from this administration to capture or kill Osama bin Laden?
- How do you plan to work with the Pakistani and Afghan governments to secure the border of Afghanistan and decrease tensions between these two important allies?
- Beyond adding two brigades, what is your plan for future NATO operations in Afghanistan?
- Define victory in Iraq.
- Do you plan to maintain the Bush Defense Department and Department of State or would you make major changes in the leadership?
- You've said that troop reductions in Iraq would be predicated on conditions on the ground; on exactly which conditions would this decision be made and what measure would you use to judge satisfactory progress?
- How do you plan to pursue peace between Israel and the Palestinians?
- Do you have any non-military plans or ideas to force Iran to end its nuclear weapons program?
- How will your administration help Lebanon's tenuous democracy?
- Would you be willing to pursue direct diplomacy with Syria?
- What, if any, plans do you have in or for Darfur?
- What is your vision of future US/Russian relations?
- How high a priority is pursuing better and more open relations with the Chinese?
- Can you think of any US action that you would at least explore that could help the people of Zimbabwe?
- A relatively bright spot in Bush's foreign policy has been its funding of AIDS prevention and treatment in Africa, what would be your policy in this regard?
- Which, if any, foreign policy issues do you think you could pursue through diplomacy within the United Nations?
Trade Policy (I don't know know enough about this, unfortunately)
- You've said you're for current and further free trade deals with foreign nations; during your presidency, which nations would you pursue such treaties with?
- How would your economic policy help stop the decline of the US dollar?
- Would you increase funding to the FDA and other agencies in order to better test imported food and other products for contaminants? Is this currently included in your budget estimates?
Education
- Would you increase, decrease or maintain at current levels funding for the Department of Education?
- How do you plan to reverse the increasing education gap between the US and our economic partners and competitors?
- Are you in favor of funding increased early childhood education? Is this currently included in your budget estimates?
- What is your policy towards federal research funding of universities?
- Regardless of what you think the federal government's role should be in the questions, do you think children should be taught Intelligent Design in school?
Energy
- What are your plans to build the necessary energy infrastructure to achieve your goal of decreasing US dependence on foreign oil and promote renewable energy technology? Is funding for infrastructure development included in your current budget estimates?
- Within your renewable energy goals, which technologies do you think show the most promise, and what specifically do you know about how they work and what part they could play in your plan's success?
- What are the specific reasons for current or future subsidies to oil companies?
- What would be your policy with regard to nuclear waste disposal?
- With impending dramatic increases in home heating costs this winter, do you have any plans to provide Americans with economic relief?
Environment
- Is it your opinion that the federal government's official policy should be that global warming is real and a threat, and, as such, should be a priority of your government?
- Do you have plans to pursue an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? What would you envision the framework of such a treaty would include?
- Do you believe that FEMA has been sufficiently reformed since its response to Hurricane Katrina? How would FEMA work better under your presidency than it has over the past four years?
- President Bush has listed the fewest species ever on the endangered species list, while ignoring government scientists in the process; would you continue his policy towards America protecting endangered species?
Social Issues
- As president, would you make a desire to overturn Roe v. Wade be prerequisite for consideration as a Supreme Court justice nomination?
- What is your policy towards equal pay? Why do you think women currently get paid less in the work place for the same work?
- You've said you don't believe in a quota system of affirmative action; is there any affirmative action policy that you would pursue as president?
- Do you believe English should be the official language of the United States?
- Regardless of the federal government's role in the matter, is there any gun control that you would support?
Military
- How will you work to decrease the number of suicides of US soldiers and veterans?
- Do you believe the current Veterans Administration is living up to our nation's duty to support all of our veterans' mental and physical health needs?
- You've said that you would have used more troops for the invasion and reconstruction of Iraq; as president, what level of troops would you have sent to Iraq for the past five years?
- Prior to 9/11, one of the priorities of the Defense Department was transforming America's military for the 21st century; would this be a goal of your administration's Department of Defense and in what areas do you see substantial changes in the structure, technology, combat readiness, and force projection of our future military?
- As president, would you work to close Guantanamo Bay's detention facility?
Economy
- How much impact do you believe the federal government has or can have on the US economy?
- Do you believe that more regulation is necessary within the credit and banking industry? If so, which specific regulations would your administration pursue to ensure more transparent and effective business practices?
- Do you believe Alan Greenspan was a successful Federal Reserve chairman in his final two years?
- If the economy worsens further, would you be in favor of another round of stimulus checks for lower and middle class Americans?
- In which sectors of the US economy do you see the potential to bring the economy out recession, real or potential?
- Are you in favor of government intervention to save failing banks? If so, would you differentiate between small banks and large ones when deciding on whether to grant government assistance?
- Is there any general economic theory that you guides your policy views?
Health Care (don't know enough here either)
- What percentage of income do you believe middle class Americans should pay for health care?
- Where do you see potential for decreasing health care costs and increasing the neediest Americans' access to health care?
The McCain Campaign
- Has there been any change in your policy towards employing lobbyists within your campaign?
- In what, if any, way is your campaign working to increase turnout in the 2008 election?
- Do you believe the management of your campaign provides any indications on how you would run the White House?
Open Government
- Are there any aspects of the Bush administration that you would have the Justice Department investigate as president?
- As president, would you allow high ranking members of your administration testify before Congress when asked?
- Which, if any, specific policies would your administration pursue towards greater transparency within the Executive Branch?
- Would you use executive signing statements to alter the meaning and impact of legislation?
- Would you maintain the majority of Bush administration political appointees within the federal government?
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3 comments:
Hello, I'm John McCain. My answers to your questions are below. Unfortunately there are so many damn questions that I don't have time to answer all of them.
1. I would assemble an elite team: a crusty Scottish demolitions expert, an Afghanistani sharpshooter, two identical twin busty Japanese ninja chicks, a wisecracking spiderman-type computer expert, and a dashing mysterious tall dark (American) leader guy. They would parachute into the heart of Tora Bora in the middle of the night and hunt down and kill Bin Laben, barely escaping intact and having suffered the tragic loss of one member. This member may later be revealed to have been a double agent who is still alive.
2. The border can be secured by the use of unmanned predator drones and bilateral talks
3. Future NATO operations in Afghanistan will be focused on poppy eradication, infrastructure building and extremely aggressive elimination of leaders of groups violently opposing US hegemony
4. Victory in Iraq: All US troops leave. McCain Straight-Talk Express makes regular stops in Baghdad
5. Major changes to DOD and State Department staffing would be implemented! More sexy secretaries and rapid promotion of innovative young leaders. Casual fridays.
6. In a radical reversal of my policy, troops reductions will now be predicated on conditions UNDER the ground.
7. Peace between Israel and Palestine can be achieved through multi-national pressure on and isolation of violent Palestinian and Israeli groups, combined with focused joint economic development.
8. No
9. Lebanon's democracy will be left alone to fend for itself, until such time as it can be civil at the dinner table and not tease the dog or uncle Pete
10. Yes
11. See answer to #1. The identity of the double agent will be revealed, to the surprise of all.
12. Future US/Russian relations should involve BILATERAL exchange of mail-order brides. Greater economic integration and codependence will provide incentives for peaceful resolution of disputes.
13. Not a high priority.
14. Hmm let me think....... Nope
15. AIDS education, non-punctured condom distribution programs. US support for sustainable economic development in Africa will facilitate controlling the AIDS epidemic.
16. United Nations?
17. Trade deals? All nations will be given a chance to peddle their wares.
18. The decline of the US dollar is not necessarily bad. The McCain economic policy will focus on busty secretaries; let the value of the dollar rise or fall how it may.
19. No and No. Market forces will effectively regulate the quality of the goods sold to the US public
20. Increase funding for higher education.
21. See above
22. No. Get those damn kids outside!
23. Federal research funding of universities should be steadily increased. Busty secretaries should be preferentially reassigned to physics departments.
24. Hell no.
25. A giant lens orbiting the earth will focus the sun's light onto a square mile patch of land, dubbed "Hotland". This focused energy will alleviate the US dependence on foreign energy supplies. The mirror may be re-aimed to various other temporary "Hotlands" such as Iraq or Holland.
26. Next question please
27. Campaign donations and cash bribes
28. Nuclear waste should be stored in the Yucca Mountain waste depository. Storage should begin immediately. Problems can be solved as the arise. Research should begin on technology to shoot waste into the heart of the Sun. A team of superheroes should be stationed in a secret base near Yucca Mountain to be ever watchful for emerging mutants and extra-dimensional villains.
29. Woodstoves
30. No. Global warming is a short-term climate fluctuation, unrelated to human behavior.
31. No treaty.
32. FEMA will try to do better next time
33. No way. Humans are just one of many creatures on God's green earth. With great power comes great responsibility, so the US should undertake massive captive breeding programs for the most threatened species in tandem with radical habitat restoration and protection, implemented by US Marines and Special Forces. By the end of the first year of my presidency, 95% of United States will be (very well) protected wilderness. The McCain environmental policy will be based on Edward Abbey's "The Monkeywrench Gang".
Well, I hope this answers your questions!
Hello, it's John McCain again. Since the media has given itself over wholly to debating the relative milfness of my running mate, I've found myself with a spate of spare time in which to answer the rest of your questions.
34. The only real qualm I have about Roe v. Wade was that it wasn't decided in a best-of-seven series, as all truly American things are.
35. Equal pay exists only in Commie fantasy worlds. The real issue should not be the disparity in pay between men and women, but the differences in pay among women of varying bustiness. Perhaps if women wanted to receive equal pay for the same work, they could've been a POW in Vietnam, like I was.
36. No. Wait, yes, but conditionally. Affirmative action from now on will only apply to busty secretaries.
37. It's not?
38. Since I have excellent gun control, this is a moot point.
39. Redeploy the military to put these soldiers on the front lines.
40. No. And this is a particular failing of the military.
41. Zero. I would've gone after Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan instead. See #1 for details.
42. Given its effectiveness against the Covenant, I would immediately institute the SPARTAN program, which will solve any problems the military may currently face.
43. Yes, but only because Jamaica is offering to build us more modern facility to move our detention site to their island.
44. Not a lot. Haven't you seen the debt America's run up already? America is in no position to bolster the economy.
45. All buildings associated with the two industries in question will be made entirely out of glass.
46. No worse than the other two choices at the time: Alan Weinberg and Alan Goldstein.
47. I would approve of additional stimulus checks, but only for presidential candidates who were former POWs.
48. The ones with the highest proportions of busty secretaries of the highest proportions.
49. Banks will be left to fend for themselves - the Lebanon of our economy.
50. Mo' money, mo' problems. But then again, mo' bitches.
51. Less than Canada, more than Mexico.
52. Pass.
53. You'll see soon enough.
54. Wasn't Palin enough?
55. The White House will be run like all my houses - contemplatively, disciplined, and lights out by 8 PM.
56. Next question.
57. Next question.
58. Next question.
59. Next question.
60. Next question.
Well said.
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