Dear Senator McCain,
Let me start out by offering congratulations to you on making it to the 2008 Presidential Race. While I do not agree with many of your policies and opinions, I do have a tremendous amount of respect for your accomplishments and your service to the United States of America. You have proven yourself to be a courageous, strong-willed, and principled man; and for that, I applaud you.
And you have my sympathies for how your 2008 election campaign played out. Specifically, the selection of Governor Sarah Palin as your running-mate. I can only guess that this misguided decision–along with many other like it during your campaign–was not orchestrated by you, but by the Republican party machine. And for that, I am truly sorry. Even though I was an Obama supporter from the beginning, I could not help but recognize and acknowledge your qualifications and experience. And I predicted early on that the election would be closely contested between two worthy candidates.
But when Palin was added to your ticket, I felt an odd mixture of sympathy and relief; sympathy for you, knowing that your chances for winning the election were drastically reduced through no fault of yours, and relief that Mr. Obama now had a much better chance of becoming president.
I think the selection of that bubble-headed buffoon with her glaring lack of experience was an insult and a disservice to you and your accomplishments. Governor Palin did not come across as down-to-earth or folksy, as I’m sure your campaign advisers hoped; but instead she portrayed herself as an uneducated and fear-mongering rube. I won’t go as far to say that your advisers sabotaged your campaign by selecting her as your running-mate, but I’m afraid that’s what it amounts to. And I fear that you were subjected to an inordinate amount of pressure to comply. And for that, I am again sorry.
Now that the election is over, and Mr. Obama is the President-elect, I sincerely hope you can find some comfort and solace in your many achievements and accomplishments over the span of your storied career; and that you still fought the “good fight” despite the fact that I suspect you were railroaded into making poor decisions regarding your campaign–especially in the choice of an ignorant and inexperienced simpleton as a running-mate in Sarah Palin.
I wish you all the best in your continued service to our great nation, Senator McCain. And may God bless America.