JUST WHAT IS A "MAVERICK," ANYWAY?

John McCain is a maverick. Sarah Palin is a maverick. Palin told us this at least a dozen or more times - again - during the V.P. debate last night. So what the heck is a maverick, anyway?

Well luckily I have access to the internet, and I can look up the definitions of words.

Maverick:

Definition 1. "An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it."

Hmmm....so politically speaking, John McCain and Sarah Palin don't have a political family, and can basically be claimed and branded by the first "person" (or special interest?) who lays claim on them. A recent in-depth article in the New York Times reveals the very close ties between the gambling industry and John McCain and his staff - so I guess we'd expect to see the brands of various casinos on Senator McCains skin (on top of the old Savings and Loan and various lobbying firms' brands) if we could peek under the clothing.

Definition 2. " One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter."

O.K. - so John and Sarah are dissenters who refuse to do what the group wants. Do we want a pair of Executives in the White House who refuse to go along with what the American voters want? Does this mean that every bill passed by Congress will be vetoed by a President McCain because he will refuse to go along with Congress?

Definition 3. " Being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence."

This perhaps is what McPalin mean when they define themselves as mavericks. But so far in this campaign, we haven't seen anything independent in thought and action from this duo - in fact, what we've consistently heard is that they will continue the policies of President George Duya Bush. So much for independent thought.

So yippee-yi-ki-yaaa y'all, I suggest we let McCain and Palin continue to be mavericks and put them out to pasture where they can roam independently, looking for more brands they can accumulate. Meanwhile, Obama-Biden will be working hard to bring this country back from the brink.