I know we’re still waiting for Hillary Clinton to come on board the Obama train, but for most Democrats, the time has come to look forward to the upcoming contest between Obama and McCain. I’ve had thoughts about what makes McCain weak – which is a lot of things – but I thought to ask the TPM readership their thoughts. What are the weaknesses of McCain that should be part of the debate?

I’m not looking for dirty, swift-boating politics, but real vulnerabilities.

I’ll start with a few I can think of right off:

1.       McCain’s stance as a maverick is old news. He has positioned himself solidly with Bush in the past few years on some of the most critical issues, in particular the war in Iraq and tax breaks for the rich.

2.       He claims he wants to clean up Washington, yet his own campaign is riddled with lobbyists. Even when he issues a directive to clean up his campaign members, he defends some of the worst of them. He comes off as a hypocrite and an opportunist.

3.       He seems to have a hard time keeping facts straight. This is not really surprising at his age, and though I’m not throwing age at him out of prejudice, he doesn’t seem as clear minded as he might have been before. This is a concern not only in his retention of facts, but makes it difficult to trust his judgment.

4.       He takes an anti-woman position on the abortion issue.

5.       He wants to stack the courts with more conservative ideologues.

6.       He has switched positions so often, and sometimes so rapidly, that even the Republicans who support him can’t be sure which McCain will actually show up. Such unreliability is different from being a maverick. It’s dangerous, especially when these switches do not seem to have been from further reflection, new information or real changes of heart, but more from shifting political winds or even just whim. So, really, he’s a live wire, a possible grenade who could blow up and do collateral damage to anyone, not just Democrats.

7.       To me, he’s less a war hero than a war victim. He’s admirable in his ability to overcome the horrors of his experiences in Vietnam, and for that I have great respect for him, but he’s no military genius. I’m sorry, but being a POW doesn’t train you to lead armies, navies and air forces. To me, the notion that he is better prepared to lead the military than someone who can think and listen to qualified advisors – actually listen instead of firing them for saying something he doesn’t like – is ludicrous.

His choice of VP will be interesting, and it may help him among some constituencies, but I’m guessing, based on the field of out-of-touch Republicans from which he will choose, that there will be further liabilities with his VP as well.

Anyway, I just wanted to start this off. I’m really interested in hearing from others what they think. I hope now that we’re all on the same side, and that anyone for McCain really is a Republican or Independent who believes in him and his message. I have no problem with that, but I’m very glad to be done with the primaries and on to something with a clearer distinction.