McCain the gambler

IN THE Oct. 2 op-ed "If Obama wins presidency, then what?" Todd Domke makes what has to be the weirdest plea for a vote for Senator McCain I've seen:

"But John McCain is a gambler and knows that just because the odds are against him doesn't mean he can't win. Maybe an ace will fall from his sleeve."

Actually, when an ace falls from your sleeve, that means you are cheating. But even more to the point, McCain's game is, of course, not cards - that is Senator Barack Obama's game because he plays poker. McCain's game is craps, and he has been filmed in the wee hours of the morning in casinos risking money on a roll of the dice.

Craps is a game with no strategy, where the house always wins, and where a loser doubles down hoping that although the "odds are against him," that "doesn't mean he can't win." Perhaps Cindy McCain doesn't mind if her husband spends money on a roll of the dice. But the American people might want not want to risk betting the house on a crapshooter.

KATE GILBERT
Cambridge