It is by no means enough that an officer of the Navy should be a capable mariner. He must be that, of course, but also a great deal more. He should be as well a gentleman of liberal education, refined manners, punctilious courtesy, and the nicest sense of personal honor. He should be the soul of tact, patience, justice, firmness, kindness, and charity. Reef Points

Like John McCain, I learned that as plebe (freshman) at the Naval Academy. It has stuck with me as a worthy guiding principle long after I gave up any connection to the Navy. I am sad that it appears not to have stuck to him as well. His campaign, as has been pointed out many times, seems to hit new lows in slimy politics. I thought he had more integrity than that. He has no shame.

Like many liberals, I have been perplexed by the willingness of people to vote in ways that are totally counter to their own self-interest. It made no sense to me that Ohio, which had been badly hurt economically, voted for Bush in 2004. In the last four years, they have been further damaged economically and seen scandal after scandal hit Republican state office holders, yet the presidential election is up for grabs there once again. This is repeated elsewhere and it has confused me. Why does it happen so often?

Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt has looked at this phenomenon very closely and I think he understands the phenomenon. He poses the question more formally than I have in a rather lengthy note entitled What Makes People Vote Republican?.

What makes people vote Republican? Why in particular do working class and rural Americans usually vote for pro-business Republicans when their economic interests would seem better served by Democratic policies? ... People vote Republican because Republicans offer "moral clarity"—a simple vision of good and evil that activates deep seated fears in much of the electorate. Democrats, in contrast, appeal to reason with their long-winded explorations of policy options for a complex world.

I first read about concepts similar to this in Arthur Koestler's Age of Longing and Darkness at Noon, which I read as a young man. Some humans need an absolute that they can have unquestioned belief in. This can be religion or a political philosophy. It can even, as Koestler pointed out and Haidt points out, be self destructive. Haidt and others have provided a better understanding of the causes of this phenomenon. It is both social and biological.

How can Democrats counter the perception that they are elitist and on the side of immorality? Clinton, for all his flaws, seems to understand better than any other recent Democrat, this need by many to have moral clarity. He won both elections despite questions about his own moral character not only because of the real force of ideas, but also because he appealed in a way that John Kerry and Al Gore did not. This can clearly be seen by exploring ABC's presidential election map that lets you see how the states voted since 1992.

Haidt notes that America is often in a "divisive struggle among the parts" because "America lacks the long history, small size, ethnic homogeneity, and soccer mania that holds many other nations together, so our flag, our founding fathers, our military, and our common language take on a moral importance that many liberals find hard to fathom." Simply put, we must always careful as a nation lest we become balkanized like Iraq or the former Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia.

May Obama listen carefully to Clinton's messages on how to be elected. I think he must, like Clinton did, not only provide thoughtful policy, but he must present a vision of moral clarity that many need to find in a president. He has not clearly done so at this point.

Bob Herbert states the obvious when he says, "For those who haven’t noticed, we’re electing a president and vice president, not selecting a winner on 'American Idol.'” He believes, as do I, that Palin is not qualified in any sense of the imagination to be president and that the full interview between Palin and ABC's Charles Gibson clearly demonstrates that she may be intelligent, but lacks the breadth of understanding of the troubling issues facing the US.

He concludes with:

John McCain, who is shameless about promoting himself as America’s ultimate patriot, put the best interests of the nation aside in making his incredibly reckless choice of a running mate. But there is a profound double standard in this country. The likes of John McCain and George W. Bush can do the craziest, most irresponsible things imaginable, and it only seems to help them politically.

Amen. It is most likely that the answer to this riddle is found in Haidt research noted above.

Palin (and others in Alaska) have often claimed that Alaska produces 20% of the US energy. FactCheck points out that it misses the mark by a wide margin. Depending on how you look at it, the number is less than 4%.

The Republicans have used the sale on eBay of private jet a purchased by Palin's Republican predecessor, Frank Murkowski, as evidence of her frugality and good management. McCain went so far as to say, "You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay — and made a profit!" FactCheck points out that the jet was not sold on eBay and was in fact sold at a loss. Eh gads! They are once again running against their own party!