Joe the Plumber: Setting the Record Straight

The last few days have me once again at the center of a lot of talk. This time, it’s not what I asked candidate Obama or what he said back to me. But it is because I again said exactly what was on mind and some people have now rather gleefully seen my words as a stumble on the national stage. Maybe so–or maybe it’s another step toward honesty that only looks like a stumble to those who think every word must be scrubbed for effect and the political advantage of those “behind the curtain”.

For those who missed it, I questioned whether Sarah Palin should have supported John McCain in his Arizona Senate race. I said it because I can’t help but think that this honest-to- goodness, true blue American hero has been changed by Washington, D.C. and not for the better. I said that instead of him “making me,” as a reporter asserted, he “ruined my life.” Truthfully I wish I hadn’t said that last part or at least had the chance to fully explain it because it’s not at all the “rest of the story.”

So let me set the record straight: I broke Ronald Reagan’s “11th commandment” not to criticize fellow conservatives in public and the liberal mainstream media has had a field day with it. I regret that. I wish I had said it to his face and privately. I do honestly believe that John McCain’s service to our country as a courageous naval aviator and POW rightfully earned him nothing but respect. He has represented the epitome of honor, duty and unimaginable sacrifice. And for the record, he didn’t ruin my life. He and Barrack Obama sent me down a far different path than the one I was happily on–a new path that made me famous, notorious, sought after and vilified. I have learned that all those good and bad things happen when you are thrust into the public eye. Like almost anyone else, I have loved the good and hated the bad.

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