As many of my friends know, I have foresaken my XBOX 360 for reading, television, my podcast and other pursuits. But I still sometimes crack out my Nintendo DS from time to time.

Lately, I’ve been playing Advance Wars: Days of Ruin, sequel to the long-running Famicon Wars turn-based strategy franchise. What’s unique about the new game in the series is that it’s online — so I’ve been battling it out with players around the world a couple nights a week.

Tonight, I played a match against a Japanese player. To say that Japanese players are intimidating is an understatement — these guys know the game inside out. They understand how the units work, they move them in tight formations informed by Sun Tzu’s art of war, and generally they crush lesser mortals like myself with their insane Otaku knowledge of the game.

For all intents and purposes, he was a superior player. He used his units with bold intelligence, and he made short work of my lame expeditionary force. However, I managed to draw him into a prolonged fight with my main force at my base. Here is where his tactics fell apart — afraid of my heavier firepower, he kept his infantry well behind his armor and artillery, meaning that it would be a slow walk to capture my headquarters. Meanwhile, I sent a lone soldier in a transport behind his lines to his base. He could have gone after the transport, but he was too concerned with the remanants of my main force, who were dying in considerable numbers, but would have taken out his artillery if he turned to pursue my transport.

Before he knew it, I’d dropped a lone infantry-man off at his undefended headquarters and proceeded to capture his base. In two rounds, the game was over. I’d lost over 98% of my units, but I still kicked his ass. It was a cheap win — I’d been outclassed on the battlefield, but I’d managed to use his overconfidence and hubris against him.

I’ve largely given up playing FPS games, but strategy games still capture my attention. There’s something very satisfying about going one-on-one with someone in a game totally dependent on tactics and planning that you just don’t get with first person shooters. It’s a lot like playing chess as a kid — winning against a good player is an unmatched experience.

Beating a superior Japanese player in Advance Wars is even better than winning at chess.

Of course, I can’t help thinking what a lousy general I’d make. I won, but I lost almost all my troops. It’s a good thing I never joined the Army.

Guys, I’m as liberal as anyone, but I can’t help being pleased by John McCain’s win in Florida, tonight. I disagree with him on a ton of issues, but I respect him — he may be pro-war, but he’s honorable and anti-torture. He takes unpopular stances based on principle, and he’s not afraid to infuriate his own party when he thinks he’s right.

And let’s not forget the most important thing — he doesn’t hate us. Unlike Bush or Reagan, John McCain doesn’t hate Democrats or liberals. He’s willing to work with us, not for our destruction. Mitt Romney would have been an easier candidate to beat, but McCain’s comeback means that no matter what, the George W. Bush, Rush Limbaugh Republicans have lost. They hate John McCain. And whatever his beliefs, that makes him an ally.

Even if we lose in November, a McCain presidency will be a substantial improvement over what we have now. Remember, despite her rhetoric, Hillary Clinton has no intention of pulling us out of Iraq, either. Either way, the anti-war vote loses. Health care reform, pro-worker legislation, that’s all off the table, too. Don’t believe for a minute that Hillary Clinton will follow through on any of her progressive promises — as a Senator, she’s positioned herself as Margaret Thatcher, not Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Democratic party is just a means to the presidency for the Clintons — we work for them, not the other way around.

Obama’s our last hope, now. I want him to win, but the Clinton machine is very powerful, and they’ve never lost, yet. Keep that in mind — Obama would be the better President, but the Clintons will do whatever it takes not just to beat him, but to strangle the life from him, and destroy his political future simply because he chose to run against them. This wouldn’t be the first time that the Democratic party has made a stupid move during the nomination process.