As a businessman, registered Republican, and retired military officer, I might be expected to agree with the Register’s endorsement of Sen. McCain for president.

Nothing is further from the truth.

Apparently driven by big-business self-interest, an overriding concern for the status quo, and an uncritical endorsement of one of the most corrupt, ineffectual and misanthropic administrations ever to occupy the White House, the Register failed to make a cogent argument for McCain’s election.   

The Register should revisit its endorsement in light of the following issues facing the nation, many of which have been ignored — or exacerbated by — the current administration’s foolhardy endorsement of unthinking economic deregulation, unjustified foreign intervention, unilateral diplomatic isolationism, unconscionable torture of prisoners and other human rights abuses, unthinking disregard of scientific progress, unpardonable campaign of disinformation and abandonment of any vestige of moral integrity.

Consider, for example McCain’s stance on:

National Security: A wholesale endorsement of the invasion of Iraq, based on lies and manipulated intelligence resulting in more than 34,000 military casualties, including more than 4,000 dead, the waste of $600 billion, and distraction from dealing with al-Qaeda and Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Economic Strength: A continuation of the policy of “trusting people instead of government,” a thinly veiled euphemism for more-of-the-same deregulation and the discredited trickle-down economics of the past. In this regard, continuing unconscionable tax cuts for the wealthiest 5 percent in the U.S. will not address the issues of increasing wage disparity, an eroding middle-class and economic piracy of big-business, not to mention a ballooning $500 billion-per-year federal budget deficit.

Energy Independence: Despite considerable information indicating “drill, baby, drill” will have little impact, near-term or otherwise, on energy independence, McCain continues to espouse this simplistic energy policy as if it alone could solve such a critical problem.

Education: McCain’s policy to “leave the responsibility for (education) decisions in the hands of families” is an undisguised abandonment of the public school system, long acknowledged to be the bedrock of a stable society, competitive workforce and informed nation.

Healthcare Reform: As the U.S. continues to suffer an inability to obtain reasonable medical insurance, resulting in 45 million uninsured individuals, and a doubling of healthcare expenses in the past five years to more than $2 trillion per year, the Register’s comment that McCain proposes a “more realistic, less burdensome… more fiscally responsible” solution to the health-care crisis can only be interpreted as endorsing the increasingly fragile medical health care system in the US.

Social Security Revitalization: McCain continues to endorse a policy of privatization with personal retirement accounts, a policy with dire consequences that in light of recent Wall Street events. Indeed, McCain not only proposes “no tax increase of any kind” but proposes lowering taxes on investment and business income while still promising — without providing specifics — to “not hand off a broken Social Security system” to future generations.

By comparison, Sen. Obama proposes:

National Security: A reasoned approach involving dialogue, diplomatic negotiation and economic sanctions that reserves — but does not abrogate — the use of military force.

Economic Strength: Market reforms and creation of a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to help reverse the decay of roads, bridges and mass-transit systems.

Energy Independence: Tax credits for fuel-efficient vehicles, reduction in electrical consumption, cap-and-trade program to reduce carbon emissions, incentives to make the auto industry more competitive and doubling the use of renewable sources of energy.

Education: Increased emphasis on Head Start/Early Head Start, recruitment of and increased pay for a new generation of teachers, repair of the No Child Left Behind program, full funding of English Language Learners and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and creation of an American Opportunity Tax Credit for college education.

Healthcare Reform: Reform of Medicare/Medicaid (negotiated prescription drug prices, imported prescription drugs and investing in improved medical information technology), mandated health care coverage for all children, a new national public health plan and National Health Insurance Exchange with the $60 billion annual cost financed by canceling the 2001 tax cuts for those earning over $200,000 a year.

Social Security Revitalization: Imposition of payroll tax on incomes over $250,000 a year while eliminating taxes on those over 65 earning less than $50,000 a year.

However, the Register’s most egregious and disingenuous reason for endorsing Sen. McCain is contained in the comment that we “cannot afford to project hope on one so unproven.”  Without belaboring the success of such “unproven” presidents as Lincoln, Truman and Kennedy, one need only look at McCain’s vice-presidential choice to see through the Register’s concern with unproven potential presidents.

We expect better from the editorial board of the Napa Valley’s major newspaper.

Hopefully we can expect better from the voters of Napa Valley.

And the voters of the nation.

(Keyser lives in Napa.)