PhilPaine.com

Over the last few years, in this web­site, I’ve tak­en many crit­i­cal swipes at Amer­i­can pol­i­tics and cul­ture. Like most Cana­di­ans, I have a some­what ambiva­lent and jaun­diced atti­tude towards our south­ern cousins. Some­times this can get car­ried away. When times are at their worst, we tend to respond with the frus­trat­ed anger of some­one who has learned that his admired broth­er has turned into a drug addict or been brain­washed by the Moonies. For the times I’ve been intem­per­ate in my crit­i­cisms, I duly apol­o­gize. But let me say this: I have always admired Amer­i­ca, as most Cana­di­ans have always admired it, for the obvi­ous rea­sons. Those rea­sons can be found in the quin­tes­sen­tial­ly Amer­i­can works of art, music, phi­los­o­phy and lit­er­a­ture that are as much a part of me as the red maple leaves blow­ing in the street out­side my door are part of me. Tomor­row the Amer­i­can peo­ple will decide whether their nation is over and done with or will con­tin­ue and renew itself. If McCain is elect­ed, every­one in the world will know that Amer­i­ca is washed up, fin­ished. Nobody will ever take any Amer­i­can seri­ous­ly again. But it appears that the tide is turn­ing. Amer­i­ca seems to be re-dis­cov­er­ing itself. I have faith in the Amer­i­can peo­ple. Tonight, I’ll read Whitman.