Opinion

MCCAIN TAKES BLAME – BUT BAM’S MORE AT FAULT

* Rich Lowry is correct: John McCain has no one to blame for his problems but himself – but do you hear him blaming someone else (“His Own Mess,” PostOpinion, Oct. 28)?

He has pulled himself up by the britches and is working hard to get it right.

What we have here is a person (McCain) who makes his bed and lies in it, versus a person (Barack Obama) who associates with racists, terrorists and felons, and then lies about said associations.

We have McCain, who agrees to accept public financing and keeps his word, even though it hurts his campaign, versus Obama, who initially agrees to public financing, but, when he sees money flowing, reneges on his word.

Who would you vote for? The person who honors his word, or Obama?

Charlie Honadel

Staten Island

* At Obama’s campaign rallies, his followers chant, “O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!” At McCain’s rallies, his supporters chant, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

Think about it.

Steve Ellers

Wantagh

* If McCain loses this election, one of the main reasons will be the economy.

What is going on now is eerily similar to the 1992 election. George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton because the economy became such a big issue. The economy had gone into a recession, and the media pounded Bush at every turn.

It did not seem to matter that Bush was more experienced on foreign-policy issues and had been involved in ending the Cold War and overseeing the well-orchestrated first Gulf War.

Today, McCain is seen by most to have superior skills compared to Obama when it comes to foreign policy, military issues and war, but many people see Obama as someone who may handle the economy better.

Deric Shaw

Kennesaw, Ga.

* Republicans not voting for McCain might hand victory to Obama.

They should consider the damage an Obama presidency would cause: tax increases, wealth redistribution, Iraq surrender, financial obligations from new entitlements, lifetime judges in the Supreme Court and lower courts and entrenched bureaucrats pushing Obama’s agenda.

A President McCain would oppose all of that. An ideal candidate is the exception, not the rule.

John Robinson

Manhattan

* Poll results show that the economy is causing voters to tilt toward Obama.

This is extremely unfair, considering that McCain pushed for regulation of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, while Obama did nothing to regulate them, while collecting contributions from them.

It is unfair that Republicans are being blamed for not preventing the current financial mess when key Democrats, such as Barney Frank, blocked attempts to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Gamaliel Issac

Highland Park, NJ

* The tide is starting to turn. I am a Democrat who switched from supporting Obama to supporting McCain.

Higher taxes and Obama’s latest spread- the-wealth push are key. The ever-increasing spread of nuclear weapons and growing hostility of Iran, Russia and others requires strong proven leadership to keep us safe.

This is one important election where we must put country above party loyalty.

Mike Policano

Macungie, NJ

* McCain’s biggest mistake has been to totally disassociate himself from President Bush’s successes.

Bush’s African HIV/TB initiative prevents calamity, and the liberation of Iraq is one of America’s proudest moments.

But Obama, unchallenged, labels the entire war as “foolish,” though, from it, in a volatile region, a rogue state is now free.

If McCain’s campaign gave liberated Arabs national exposure, he’d touch each voter’s heart and remind them that Obama tried to thwart and jeopardize their freedom.

David Bergstein

Manhattan