Here's To Stability!

Here's what I want, stability.

Once in a while a pleasant surprise, something out of the ordinary, maybe a birthday party, nothing much. But in worldly affairs, economics, governance, the old national ship of state going in a particular direction, I want stability.

Stability like this. You get up each morning, check the news, and we haven't invaded someone's country. Things are more or less peaceful. The price of things is so and so and usually stays about there. There's a president you can trust to lead the country, and whatever he's doing isn't a great concern -- let's say he's guided by facts and sense, not ideology. And he's surrounded by competent people, adding to the stability and our sense of well-being. They're not old frat buddies with no experience in their field, and, whoever they are, they're not like a fox in the henhouse.

In this stable world, the government's just quietly humming along, yet showing many signs of benevolence. The president comes by in his car and we all step outside to shout "Hurrah!", and mean it. While we're out there, we greet the mailman and go back to our day. Today's a great day; we can predict tomorrow.

Is John McCain the man for this? Doesn't look like it to me.

Eugene Robinson: But we are reminded, if we did not realize it before, that the three things not to expect from a McCain presidency are caution, prudence and a willingness to always put the nation's interests above his own.