A former governor and a U.S. senator can have no excuse to miss the word least if he does not know the meaning, he could not have use it in public. The way the Senator said it with a sarcastic footnote (“Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia”) only signifies an underlying meaning behind the word. Any hermeneutic philosopher who may want to do linguistic analysis will ultimately conclude that there is much more than just mere expression. Lesson number one, don’t impress people or the public with highfalutin words or idiomatic expressions without knowing their exact meaning or better still – be simple in the campaign trail. For Senator George Allen of Virginia to deny his knowledge of what “macaca” means is a blatant show of his idiocy. As my classroom philosophy goes, “It is one thing to forgive human mistakes and errors but mediocrity and idiocy is another”.

The people in the Middle East have lived a life under dictatorship and extreme theocracy (in some parts) for years and even decades and the United States cannot simply force them to adopt a democratic form of governance. (It is like forcing an old man to change his lifestyle to something he has not been used to). The principle or policy of “containment” (I believe) will be more effective in dealing with terrorists. The aggressive foreign policy of “preemption” and President Bush’s principle on “stay-the-course” has proven to be ineffective and is becoming unpopular among American voters in general and moderate Republicans in particular. Clearly, we cannot continue dragging the American dollars into the Middle East. Our domestic concerns need as much attention as the violence in Iraq (Medicare, Social Security, Border Security and Immigration, Job Security and the economy as a whole). The only way to send this message to President George Bush is to give the Congressional and Senate leadership to the Democrats. A Democratic House and/or Senate will no longer be a “rubber stamp” Congress. Lesson number two, never have one political party in both Congress and the White House.

Two weeks ago, I was talking to a former colleague of James Webb when both where still in the United States Navy. I asked him (whom I shall not name because I still work for him) about his association and how far does he know the U.S. Senate candidate? When I was told that they see each other three times a day (almost literally) for job related discussion and that he was with Mr. Webb on the night he was about to announce his departure as Secretary of the Navy, I was then assured that my friend will tell me the “real Webb”. I am not paid to campaign for this candidate and I don’t intend to do that in my column but I wanted to share what he told me in one sentence, “He is a good writer and a decorated Vietnam hero, who was in the battlefield through and through”. I was also advised to read is books to know him better. And I encourage you to do the same. Although there were issues about disagreement with Iraq war as well as intention and attitude but I shall not deal with them because I myself is against Iraq invasion/occupation. Lesson number three, former colleagues at work are the best character references in politics.

My fellow Virginians, you may not care about politics but I hope you care about our “kababayans”. A Democratic congress is the only solution to the half-baked immigration issues hanging before our lawmakers. The Democrats’ blueprint on immigration reforms will greatly help thousands of Filipinos living in the United States. Political analysts and recent surveys clearly indicate a Democratic takeover in the House, that means a woman Speaker of the House is coming to the podium – Nancy Pelosi of California. The surveys do not point with certainty when it comes to the Senate race so every single contested seat in the Senate is crucial – Virginia is one among them. I hope you give it a shot for James Webb. The Republican Party is on the run again with their personal attack that Democrats are weak on military and will increase our taxes. They are so desperate and alarmed by these surveys that the President and Vice-President themselves are going out of their way to bolster their candidates.

The 2004 election nasty tactics and “dept. of name-calling” (as the Washington Post puts it) are back again, the Republicans “giving a false coloring to” the Democratic ideals in order to promote their conservative ideology. The American public has had enough of these dirty tricks; the Democrats are going to increase our taxes - a false assertion by Sen. George Allen and a party of “cut and run” and “defeatists” a desperate portrayal by the White House. The Democrats favor rolling back the tax cuts only for the “rich and wealthy” and a “timetable” to pull out our troops from Iraq. These make sense and a good political move of the U.S. if we are to save this county from economic debts and if we are to save the resources of the military. This November, you can make the difference.