Down the rabbit hole of the presidential campaign

Tony Ares
Published: March 22, 2008

A recent presidential ad posed the question, “Who do you want answering the phone at 3 a.m. during a national crisis?” 

Picturing the four remaining candidates answering the phone at 3 a.m. takes us down some strange rabbit holes. 

McCain is internationally known as a very angry man. I would hate to stir him in the middle of the night.  He might just nuke North Korea.  Then again, because of his considerable age, John McCain will
probably already be awake at 3 a.m.  Hillary would be equally dangerous at 3 a.m.  Political Pollsters aren’t up that early.  Who would triangulate her decision for her? Huckabee would have begun praying and reading the Bible in response to a national emergency. That could lead to some powerful decision- making, if only he discerns accurately what thus sayeth the Lord.

I personally know that you can have some great chats with God at 3 a.m. Barack Obama has displayed a certain level of coolness throughout this campaign. I picture him making the decision and then going back to sleep regardless of the expected consequences.

When 9/11 went down, Bush looked shaken and overwhelmed for a day and a half. We can’t afford that for the next 9/11. 

We can’t afford an angry President like John McCain. We can’t afford a crying President like Hillary or for that matter Bill Clinton.

We need a calm, steady and hopeful presence in the White House.

We need sound judgement.

TONY ARES

Woodbridge