Barack's grandfather is buried at Punchbowl National Cemetery.

[Smarmie Doofus]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punchbowl_National_Cemetery

That would be Mr. Dunham... the one on his mom's side. (Fascinating woman, BTW; Barack's mother)

I can't say the name of that cemetary without smiling. Quintessentially western. Like Obama and (esp. the mother's side of)the family. Kansas, Seattle,Cal, Hawaii... and beyond.

So relentlessly optimistic even death is no big deal. McCain may have lived in eight states five countries and attended twenty different schools but all I see is Cotton Mather and Plymouth Rock.

Are we adequately exploiting the "western" aspect of Obama? Back east it's not much of a factor ; but are swing voters in the west able to identify with a geographical Obama vibe?

Just some musings.

[dkf]

1. My family has gone there every year to leave flowers for family ever since I can remember

yet I've never taken a really good look at the place. I'll have to do that.

When leaving these flowers we always had to walk a ways through various areas to find who we were looking for. I've always been struck by the graves marked unknown and by the descriptions on the headstones of the wars that these people served and died in. Maybe that is why I've always instinctually disliked war. I never thought about it until now.

I don't think I will ever understand the right wing mentality of war as victory. To me, getting into a war is a defeat in itself.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. They're bad at *diplomacy*. Don't even know what it means.

>>>I don't think I will ever understand the right wing mentality of war as victory. To me, getting into a war is a defeat in itself.>>>>

Don't understand it 'cause they don't *care* about it. It involves long-term self interest ( Guess what: what's good for the world.... peace and justice... is also good for the USA; but they don't get that.) and the RW is forever stuck in the eternal present.