Of Speechwriters and Other Things not Covered...

URGENT: Speechwriter for Obama Quits, Voting McCain.

The final straw came the other week when Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (a.k.a Joe the Plumber) asked a question about higher taxes for small businesses. Instead of celebrating his aspirations, they were mocked.

This is something I've found exceedingly troubling about this election and quite honestly, I don't understand how anyone--of any party--who is intellectually honest can't be troubled by what has happened to "Joe the Plumber". How it is even remotely acceptable to have a citizen who merely asked a question of someone wishing to be elected into the highest office in the land (let alone any elected office) be run through the wringer is beyond me. It's not as if Mr. Wurzelbacher went to an Obama rally. It came to him. It's not as if he asked something outlandish like "Are you a Muslim?" or shout out something racist.

Heck, it's not even the question but Sen. Obama's reply that's done all the damage. Yet zealots took it upon themselves to dig up any dirt they could find to "kill the messenger" as it were... and the guy wasn't even a messenger for crap's sake. And to add insult to injury, Senators Obama and Biden, while simultaneously whining about Team McCain "going negative" by, you know, bringing up pesky things like the truth about Sen. Obama, proceeded to go negative on Mr. Wurzelbacher.

I'd say it was shameful if I thought either Senator was capable of feeling such a thing.