New civility

As part of the new civility in political discourse, I am going to come back to neutral in comments about the one I had taken to calling McNothing. John McCain is the senior senator from the state in which the Tucson massacre occurred. He seemed to remain appropriately in the background.

Now he has written an article for the Washington Post in which he praises Obama as a patriot and rejects the critics who say he is not fit to lead our country. He went further:

Our political discourse should be more civil than it currently is, and we all, myself included, bear some responsibility for it not being so. . . .

I disagree with many of the president's policies, but I believe he is a patriot sincerely intent on using his time in office to advance our country's cause. . . . I reject accusations that his policies and beliefs make him unworthy to lead America or opposed to its founding ideals. And I reject accusations that Americans who vigorously oppose his policies are less intelligent, compassionate or just than those who support them. . . .

It probably asks too much of human nature to expect any of us to be restrained at all times by persistent modesty and empathy from committing rhetorical excesses that exaggerate our differences and ignore our similarities. But I do not think it is beyond our ability and virtue to refrain from substituting character assassination for spirited and respectful debate.

OK. Let's take him at his word. And hold him to it. If he flips, yet again, I will call him on it. But, in the interest of civility, he gets one more chance.

Now, about She Who Still Shall Not Be Named, she had a good chance to show her capacity to rise to the occasion as a reflective, mature leader. She did not.

Ralph