BUT HES A *WELL-SPOKEN* SOCIALIST, SO IT'S OK

I heard, but did not see, that Barack Obama gave a speech at the Democratic convention.

I also heard that a lot of people were impressed by his performance.

I'm not.

I read the full text of his remarks (link courtesy of Kevin of Wizbang), and, although it was a competently written speech from a "hold the audience's attention" perspective, filled with all kinds of rah-rah America clichès (and certainly done in better taste than Ted's "fear four more years" screed), I found plenty of lefty boilerplate in it.

I'm not going to fisk it. I'm just going to point out that, by putting most of his phrases in terms of what Kerry will do and what he stands for, he implies that those positives don't apply to Bush, because there is a "choice" to be made. Here are some implied criticisms of the Bush presidency:

Americans are held hostage to the profits of oil companies.

Bush will sacrifice our basic Constitutional liberties.

War was Bush's first option.

Bush fudged the numbers and shaded the truth about why we went to war.

Bush went to war without enough troops to win the war or secure the peace.

Bush has lost the respect of the world.

Bush represents the politics of cynicism.

Bush thinks that unemployment will go away if we just don't talk about it.

Bush thinks that the "health care crisis" will solve itself if we just ignore it.

Bush doesn't want to give relief to the middle class.

Bush doesn't want working families to have a road to opportunity.

Bush doesn't want the jobless to have jobs.

Bush doesn't want the homeless to have homes.

The Bush presidency is a long political darkness.

All this is annoying, but what makes me believe most firmly that Obama is a stupid turd is this:

"It's that fundamental belief - I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper - that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams..."

Nope.

What makes this country work is that your brother ISN'T your keeper. That you are not kept at all. That you are free to pursue your individual dreams WITHOUT your brother's approval or interference.

Don't get me wrong. I love my brother, and I'll be happy to help him if he asks politely and says thank you afterwards, but that's not "keeping". That's voluntary association, which is entirely different. It's also a concept that socialists like Obama grasp weakly, if at all.

How well W and his Republican friends "get it" is arguable, but unless the Libertarian Party gets its head out of its ass on matters of national defense & security, I'm voting "R" come November.