Why I don't Support John McCain

The emergence of John McCain as the de facto Republican Party nominee tickles me the wrong way. Unlike Brian, this is purely policy-oriented, as there is no threat of a "third term" from the McCain camp. I'll only address a couple of issues:

1. His health care reform plan does not go far enough. An effective alternative to the current system would involve the expansion of the public health care system such as those found in other industrialized countries. Instead McCain's reform plan rests on more traditional conservative free market ideology which has gone far to place us in this mess. On another level, a broader public health care system better serves the common good and improves society; and, to add to that, it improves the competitiveness of American businesses by shifting the economic burden associated with health care from them to the state.

2. His foreign policy is a continuation of the Bush policies. He has spoken of his intention to remain in Iraq, which includes an increase on the troop deployment to the area, as opposed to a withdrawal. He utilizes the tired conservative rhetoric to frame American policy within the heretofore ineffective war on terror; he adopts the qusetionable conservative rhetoric and positions on other middle eastern regimes, particularly Syria and Iran. His policy positions do not reflect the dangerous, ineffective and destructive consequences to American credibility and security of the Iraq War and the War on Terror. Rather, he embraces the War on Terror and seems to import and graft upon our contemporary security policy that obsolete paradigm (missile defense and increasing the size of the military may have been relevant during the Cold War, but in this era they seem misapplied). And let's not forget about the greatest "existential threat" to our time... no thanks.

Because of a stale and dangerous foreign policy paradigm which continues the Bush Administration's wrong-headed policies, McCain should not become president.