GET USED TO SAYING PRESIDENT McCAIN

Hillary Clinton’s 10-point victory over Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primary April 22, and her $10-million fund-raking online that day tells us one thing: The race for the Democratic nomination continues and will get hotter and nastier. The victor in Pennsylvania on April 22 was the Republican nominee-apparent, John McCain. Maybe we should start now getting used to saying President McCain. Whoever comes out victorious in the ongoing Democratic slugfest – Hillary or Barack – either will be so bloodied and soiled by the muck that each will throw while McCain travels America visiting out-of-the-way places, above the fray, preparing himself for the general election fight that will get red-hot after Labor Day. Batten down the hatches. Whoever the Democratic nominee -- Hillary or Barack -- will come out of their primary war bloodied and seriously wounded. They can say what they want about war hero McCain’s age and ability to run the federal government and global war against terrorism and anarchy. Neither Hillary nor Barack has seen a day of military service. Neither knows anything about running a global military operation in different regions of the world. Neither Hillary nor Barack has any idea what it takes to appoint the best military commanders or move troops and ships throughout the world to make the best of shrivelled military resources and enthuse our allies to contribute their national loyalty and productivity to our allied cause. War hero McCain, whose Navy admiral father headed worldwide U.S. Naval and Marine forces during the Vietnam era while young John was a Navy fighter pilot and prisoner-of-war in North Vietnam, knows everything about being commander-in-chief. He won't need any on-the-job training. So get used to saying President McCain. The pundits can say all they want. Mostly it’s their shop-worn tiresome phrases on television – “At the end of the day …” and “The fact of the matter is …” Aren’t we tired of hearing these blow-dried cosmetic-laden faces saying these stupid empty phrases almost every minute on TV? Well, “at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is,” neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama are going to be president of the United States next January. It’s going to be John McCain. The conservative voter majority in this country – Republican, Democrat and independent, aren’t going to vote into office either extreme liberal-leftist on the Democratic side, pure socialists who want to grow government, increase taxes, boom up federal government regulation and intrusion into our lives and businesses, and mire us down in squabbling with international governments over trade and continue military and diplomatic cooperation to stem economic ruin while fighting global anarchy and terrorism. Hillary Clinton’s victory in Pennsylvania was notable because a clear majority of Reagan Democrats in that state voted to put the Clintons back into the White House. Then Hillary pulled out of the North Carolina race for all practical purposes, realizing that a clear majority of black Democrats were aligned behind Obama, who has pulled out the race card as much as he could to polarize the electorate and make it a race between black and white people, poor versus the middle class and wealthy Americans. Since April 22, the Hillary Clinton campaign reportedly raised $10-million dollars online – “enough to make a significant dent in upcoming media buys in North Carolina and Indiana,” said Rick Davis, John McCain’s national campaign manager. “Barack Obama continues to surpass fundraising expectations and will most likely continue to do so,” Davis said. Even though Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary with a significant drubbing of Obama throughout the Quaker state, Obama is still touted by the national news media as the front-runnerand most likely to win the Democratic presidential nomination. So next November, the choice for president will likely be between wet-behind-the ears Obama and old, crusty, one-foot-in-the-grave McCain, as the media likes to portray it. Obama’s problem in the general election will be that Hillary Clinton’s supporters will not automatically back Obama over McCain. Throughout the Democratic primary season, McCain has polled extraordinarily well in polls against either Clinton or Obama, even with Democratic and Independent voters, in a general election face-off between McCain and either Democrat. Obama wins only 72 percent of Democratic votes in a general election match-up against McCain in April polls, while Hillary pulls 81 percent of Democrats against McCain. Polls show McCain would pullat least 20 percent of Democratic votes, more than 85 percent of Republicans, and more than half of independent votes. So we should get used to saying President McCain come next January.