McCain's joke no laughing matter

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr

Ever since I can remember, I have always imagined government officials as people to look up to. I have always showed a lot of respect toward these individuals; they represent their constituency (that's you and me). We usually have faith that these officials are individuals of integrity, knowledgeable people with standards of conduct. I refuse to lower those standards for anyone.

Last week, a person I held in high regard crossed the line that no one seems to talk about. Republican Sen. John McCain from Arizona joked about bombing Iran, quoting a Beach Boys song as he sang, "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

Considering our country's unstable relationship with Iran, and with a presidential campaign ahead of McCain, why would someone who wants to represent all of us as the President of the United States make such an offensive remark?

Apparently, McCain thinks that people like me and the rest of those who were offended need to lighten up.

In a society where Mel Gibson is scrutinized for drunken rants and racial slurs against Jews, why isn't McCain scrutinized a little bit more? Mel Gibson does not want to represent the United States, and I wouldn't want to be a part of his constituency. After hearing McCain's ill-humored comment, I wouldn't want him to represent me, either.

Our nation is already caught up in the turmoil of Iraq. More soldiers are dying, and there is no end in sight. To make such a tactless remark alluding to conflict in Iran is not only insensitive, but downright foolish. Why aren't more people cracking down on McCain? Why aren't more Americans concerned that a possible Republican candidate is willing to joke about more conflict instead of working toward a diplomatic resolution?

The media, of course, is much more worried about other things.

For example, newspapers and television news channels had a field day when it was "uncovered" that Barrack Obama went to a madrasa, a Muslim school, as a child.

Obama was being judged for having gone to a religious school that is not of the norm in America. He did not offend anyone, but was attacked on the grounds that he went to a Muslim school and just might have had a Muslim background.

Apparently, Obama's religious views and childhood are much more pertinent issues that McCain's complete disregard for taste and tact.

Why aren't Americans worried about these types of issues? Why are they stuck on Obama and not on McCain? America's image is already on shaky ground in the world scene; the United States cannot afford to have another representative taint this image with ignorance and naivety.

Our society is scrutinizing the wrong attributes of our leaders. We want to avert ourselves from more conflict, not try to make our situation worse.

Maybe I need to lighten up and take McCain's joke in stride, but I refuse to do such a thing. Our government and its officials represent you and me. Do you want someone who jokes about war be the face of the United States? I wouldn't.

Sadly, not enough people are aware that McCain made such a joke. More people know about Obama and his madrasa, or Mel Gibson and his anti-Semitic remarks.

I don't know about you, but I'm a bit concerned about the person who's going to represent me in the future. We all have an obligation to be aware of such things. What kind of person do you want to represent you? Be less worried about a madrasa and more worried about someone who thinks war is a laughing matter. I don't think war is a funny, and neither should you.

Roujin Mozaffarimehr is a junior political science major.