What If Mccain Was Black? [opinion]

With the poor economy, raging wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and a hostile attitude towards Iran, immigration issues, these candidates could not have picked a worse time to run for the US presidency. And a worse time for us to have to take sides. Oh, if only colour was not what hit us right in the face when we first met the candidates. But as is wont to when one must take sides, we have to choose.

On any other continent, there would be no doubt about the reason for supporting Obama. On the African continent, I am going to take my chances and say that the popularity Obama enjoys here is because he is black. Now let us paint a picture that only Stevie Wonder can see. We shall mix a deep chocolate colour, paste it on McCain, and here, on pretend he is black. And then give him a chance.

I have said here before that we should really focus our energies on something else other than the American presidential elections, but no one will listen. So while we ride the pretend bus of rallying behind an American presidential candidate, let us pretend. Pretend to be blind.

Pretend that we shall rally behind McCain in spite of the fact the he will be taking over from where the Bush administration left off. Pretend that America gave a crap what we think. And pretend that one day our support will pay off good.

Let us ride the McCain wagon. And this is why. He is the biggest supporter of the war in Iraq. This may come off as insensitive because people are dying there every day. And I sympathise. But that is the general nature of wars. People die. There are currently over 6,000 Ugandans serving in Iraq as security guards, and thankfully no Ugandan has been killed there yet.

Most of them were unskilled and unemployed before they left but are now earning money beyond their wildest dreams. By keeping them there, we are ensuring that these guards are not back here starving and maybe even resorting to crime to make ends meet. We should therefore be happy that we are there to take the bullet in place of someone that would otherwise be an American soldier. It is after all their war. Is it not?

Then there's his policy on immigration. McCain wants those immigrants that are in the United States illegally to be legally registered. This will mean that the many Ugandan professionals that are out there will thankfully leave those awful minimum wage underground jobs and finally get a chance to get employment in the professions in which there are trained and qualified.

Usually, the guns are all out on illegal immigration and most candidates and advocates want to see these people sent back to their homes to line up at their embassies for authentic papers. But really the truth is that these so called anti illegal immigration activists have a problem with immigration, legal, or otherwise.

Here is finally someone who is willing to leave and let live - in the United States. Moreover, seeing as this is a continuation of the Bush administration, there is hope for the PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief), that is a brainchild of president Bush to continue, a project that is currently benefiting Uganda among other countries.

Here's a question. Have we gotten so lazy that we are waiting for aid to come from the west, that we are going to embrace anything American? What is next? Are we going to declare July the 4th a national holiday of sorts then? Are we not tired of the century old excuses of colonialism, racism and imperialism? We should just stay out of their elections.

After all, they do not meddle in our elections, except to come in and tell us that our elections were free and fair as if we did not hear about Kakooza Mutale's exploits with the kiboko. The fight for the White House is going to be a heated campaign no doubt. The two final contestants will be lined up on stage, where Simon Cowell will say to one of them, "That was a fantastically unrealistic way to get votes out of an unsuspecting public."

Then he will call for the next contestant at which point Obama will come in and Simon will show him the door before he chants his tax increment rhyme. But not before Paula hugs him goodbye. And then the next American idol will be the guy with the best policy on tax or some other issue that concerns Americans. God bless America. And no place else.

Related terms: afghanistan, aids, bush, crime, economy, emergency, employment, immigration, iran, iraq, legal, money, policy, president, security, tax, uganda, war