McCain's silence speaks volumes

In the primaries, John McCain was asked by a female partisan, "How do we beat the (expletive)?", referring to Hillary Clinton. Surprisingly or not, the partisan was female. McCain smiled and moved on.

Recently, McCain asked his supporters, "Who is Barack Obama?" When a cry of "terrorist" came from the crowd, he once again smiled benignly and continued with his talking points. Sara Palin, vice presidential candidate, also failed to react when her rant about Obama's ties to William Ayers was met with the worst response of all, a cry of "kill him."

I am quite distressed about John McCain's history of failing to aggressively reign in those in his audiences who have made highly objectionable comments about his opponents and Sarah Palin is continuing in this vein. A candidate, no matter who they are, has a moral responsibility to respond vigorously to such audience responses. As the presidential campaign becomes progressively more confrontational, everything possible must be done to prevent those who have invested heavily in either candidate from acting out their emotions in ways that could lead to tragedy.

Karen Wagner

Rolling Meadows