September 7, 1964

Forty-four years ago this week — September 7, 1964 — the Democrats aired an ad condemning Barry Goldwater for the war-mongering beast he was.

Today, we are again faced with a presidential and vice-presidential candidates — John McCain and Sarah Palin — who so adore war that the stakes are too high for any person to vote for them. Sarah Palin has expressed her unalloyed support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And she has now added hypothetical support for a war against Russia ostensibly under the terms of the NATO treaty. McCain has left no room for doubt regarding his desire for military action against Iran (the thing that most likely won him the support of that revolting anti-Muslim bigot and war-lover, Sen. Joseph Lieberman).

President Johnson, for all his faults, got it right forty-four years ago:

"These are the stakes: To make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the Dark. We must either love each other, or we must die."