FACT:

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are far from over.

IMPLICATION:

The next President of the US, whether he likes it or not, has to deal decisively with this reality.  Obviously, McCain is particularly well qualified to do this.

What can the American people and the rest of the world expect from a McCain Administration?  McCain has made it very clear that he hates to lose a war.  We can trust him to back his word with action. In one of the debates, McCain also implied that like Teddy Roosevelt he would walk softly, talk softly, and carry a big stick. This stance is most reassuring. It means that McCain is determined not only to ensure the security of the US, its allies , and all freedom-loving nations but also to sit at the negotiating table and look for non-violent methods of ending the war.

On the basis of what he has heard and read about the two presidential candidates,this writer has come to this conclusion:

1. McCain has a lot of experience;
Obama's experience is limited;
2. McCain is overflowing with moral courage;
Obama lacks moral courage;
3. McCain's character has been thoroughly tested and defined;
Obama's character is as yet undefined or better still shrouded in mystery;
4. McCain is honest, unpretentious;
Obama is too astute and does not inspire trust.
5. As president, McCain can always call a summit of the brightest American economists to help him fix the US economy.

The way he belittles McCain about the economy,Obama might be too proud to resort to such an option. And as pointed out earlier the American people do not know him that well. He is articulate, but what he will actually do once he is elected remains uncertain. A lot about his character has yet to be revealed.
6. McCain's love of country/patriotism has been tested to the limit;

Obama's is as yet purely rhetorical and has to undergo a severe test to be believable.
7. The American people have this last chance to elect a hero like McCain as president;
Obama is still young, inexperienced;the American people can afford to let him wait for a maximum of 8 years.
8. An ailing economy can always be cured; a wrong decision on security matters that could bring about more 9/11s would be catastrophic not only for the US but also for its friends and allies.
9. It appears to this writer that Americans are getting complacent once more because of the relative peace presently obtaining in their homeland; once again it seems they are taking for granted the freedom and security they are enjoying as a result of Pres. Bush's correct and effective policies on security matters. This attitude is no different from the complacency and smugness the American nation displayed before 9/11!

We, freedom-loving peoples, do not want wars; but for as long as enduring global peace has not been secured, the US, as our leader, should stay alert. After all the victims of 9/11 were not only Americans.

A McCain presidency means alertness, readiness, and determination to defend democracy, our way of life.

THIS WRITER HOPES THAT AMERICANS WILL SERIOUSLY THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS WHEN THEY GO TO THE POLLING PLACES ON NOV. 4.

UNSOLICITED ADVICE TO MCCAIN: 

A McCain Administration's foreign policy should focus on ending all territorial disputes among nations via the United Nations.  As the world's most powerful  nation, the US is in the best position to do this.  The following steps may prove effective:

1.   The UN should remove the veto power of the countries concerned.  This should have been done a long time ago.  This power renders the UN ineffectual or even impotent to deal with problems brought before it.

2.  The UN should organize a bigger, better trained, better equipped military force composed of an elite contingent from each member country.  How to train, equip and fund this  permanent army is a concern that has to be resolved by the organization.  This force should be under the direct command of the UN.  Its primary role is to effectively enforce all resolutions approved by the UN in all its deliberations relative to disputes among countries. UN military units coming from the countries involved in the dispute should not be allowed to join the force tasked to enforce the resolution.

3.   The US should support the Philippines in introducing to the UN General Assembly the idea that every human being is a co-owner of the planet Earth and as such is entitled to a piece of the earth on which to build a home for his family.  This idea will be the "seed of peace" that the global village badly needs in this chaotic century. This seed will eventually prove to be more powerful and effective in securing universal peace than all the armies of the world combined. Hence, it is incumbent upon the UN to nourish this "seed" and do everything within its power to plant it and see it grow to full maturity in every man's heart. This is the greatest challenge the UN will ever face; this is the noblest, most rewarding endeavor  every human being  will be called upon to take part in! Invariably, history will judge our generation's response to this challenge and will render its verdict accordingly -- whether or not we have been equal to the task of securing for the succeeding generations an enduring peace which has eluded man since the beginning of his existence! 

Succeeding posts will elaborate on the "seed of peace" : The truism that all human beings own the planet Earth collectively.  These posts will bear the title "Who Owns The Planet Earth?"

McCain and the American people, particularly Filipino-Americans, are invited to take a peek at these entries.