The content depends upon whatever is disturbing me on a given day.
Only 88 days to go...
Posted 8th August 2008 at 03:35 PM by Alton Hargrave
Updated 8th August 2008 at 03:39 PM by Alton Hargrave
Updated 8th August 2008 at 03:39 PM by Alton Hargrave
If you are in the USA, you know what I mean. Or, hopefully, you know what I mean. You are faced with a choice to make and an important one at that. It is almost time for us to elect our new president. From all indications, we have two guys to choose from.
One is a Viet Nam veteran and a hero if there ever was one. John McCain spent several years in a prisoner of war camp in North Vietnam. Or, what was North Vietnam at the time. McCain has always served for or against issues rather than strictly siding with his party. Sometimes, what he had to say was just not the safest thing for his own political gain. He spoke up about making massive changes in Iraq when all else was failing. Now, we know he was right. This is very hard for some to admit.
McCain has run for president before and is admittingly older than any other president in our history. We probably should have elected him years ago when he was younger. However, he appears full of energy and sound of mind. I wish I could say the same for myself sometimes.
On the other side, we have the man of change, Barack Obama. Unfortunately, little is known of him except he says it is time for change. Obama has been a senator for one term and is not particularly known for changing anything yet. In fact, shortly after becoming a first term senator, he announced that he was running for president.
Barack has one very strong point. He is a relatively young and and has a knack for public speaking. The first thing I noticed about him a few years ago was his obviously trained public speaking skills. I observed that he would speak directly to the audience for about 10 seconds and methodically rotate himself about 20 degrees to the right, speak about 20 seconds, rotate back to the left about 40 degrees, and resume speaking. This went on throughout the speech and for me, was a great distraction. It wasn't natural. But, it worked great. The crowd roared. I just had to ask myself after the speech: "What did he talk about?".
Lately, Baracko, as many call him, has been busy trying to figure out what is the politically correct thing to do and say. This requires changing his position on some issues.
I know it is obvious which one I am planning to support, but isn't it easy to see that one of these guys is in no way or stretch of the imagination, qualified to lead this country? Forget which party is involved, study up and make the right choice.
One is a Viet Nam veteran and a hero if there ever was one. John McCain spent several years in a prisoner of war camp in North Vietnam. Or, what was North Vietnam at the time. McCain has always served for or against issues rather than strictly siding with his party. Sometimes, what he had to say was just not the safest thing for his own political gain. He spoke up about making massive changes in Iraq when all else was failing. Now, we know he was right. This is very hard for some to admit.
McCain has run for president before and is admittingly older than any other president in our history. We probably should have elected him years ago when he was younger. However, he appears full of energy and sound of mind. I wish I could say the same for myself sometimes.
On the other side, we have the man of change, Barack Obama. Unfortunately, little is known of him except he says it is time for change. Obama has been a senator for one term and is not particularly known for changing anything yet. In fact, shortly after becoming a first term senator, he announced that he was running for president.
Barack has one very strong point. He is a relatively young and and has a knack for public speaking. The first thing I noticed about him a few years ago was his obviously trained public speaking skills. I observed that he would speak directly to the audience for about 10 seconds and methodically rotate himself about 20 degrees to the right, speak about 20 seconds, rotate back to the left about 40 degrees, and resume speaking. This went on throughout the speech and for me, was a great distraction. It wasn't natural. But, it worked great. The crowd roared. I just had to ask myself after the speech: "What did he talk about?".
Lately, Baracko, as many call him, has been busy trying to figure out what is the politically correct thing to do and say. This requires changing his position on some issues.
I know it is obvious which one I am planning to support, but isn't it easy to see that one of these guys is in no way or stretch of the imagination, qualified to lead this country? Forget which party is involved, study up and make the right choice.
Total Comments 1
Comments
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Yeh, I can tell who you are voting for Alton. :-)
It's going to be a close race but I think eventually Obama will win because of the connection between McCain and Bush. Bush is hugely umpopular and although McCain has tried to distance himself as much as possible, the truth is their policies are very simular and in fact Mccain has flip flopped and has alligned himself to most of the Bush policies.
McCain was wrong about the Iraq war from the start and that makes me question his judgment. He said the war would be easy, we would be greeted as liberators, and... well here's some quotes from McCain at the start of the war. People have forgotten some of these and I hope they will be brought up again in the next few months:
"Look, we're going to send young men and women in harm's way and that's always a great danger, but I cannot believe that there is an Iraqi soldier who is going to be willing to die for Saddam Hussein, particularly since he will know that our objective is to remove Saddam Hussein from power."
John McCain, September 15, 2002.
"But the fact is, I think we could go in with much smaller numbers than we had to do in the past. But any military man worth his salt is going to have to prepare for any contingency, but I don't believe it's going to be nearly the size and scope that it was in 1991."
John McCain, September 15, 2002.
"Proponents of containment claim that Iraq is in a "box." But it is a box with no lid, no bottom, and whose sides are falling out. Within this box are definitive footprints of germ, chemical and nuclear programs."
John McCain, February 13, 2003.
"I remain confident that we will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
John McCain, June 11, 2003.
"Absolutely. Absolutely."
John McCain, asked by Chris Matthews, "you believe that the people of Iraq or at least a large number of them will treat us as liberators?" March 12, 2003.
"I think the victory will be rapid, within about three weeks."
John McCain, January 28, 2003.
"It's clear that the end is very much in sight...It won't be long. It, it'll be a fairly short period of time."
John McCain, April 9, 2003.
"Well, then why was there a banner that said mission accomplished on the aircraft carrier?"
John McCain, responding to assertion by Fox News' Neil Cavuto that "many argue the conflict isn't over," June 11, 2003.
"I'm confident we're on the right course."
John McCain, March 7, 2004.
"We're either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months."
John McCain, November 12, 2006.
"We are very fortunate that our president in these challenging days can rely on the counsel of a man who has demonstrated time and again the resolve, experience, and patriotism that will be required for success and the hard-headed clear thinking necessary to prevail in this global fight between good and evil."
John McCain, on Dick Cheney, July 16, 2004.
This is good judgment? This is what experience can do?
The fact is Obama went against what was popular at the time and was against the Iraq war. He was in favor of the Afghanistan war, but felt that a war with Iraq would take our focus off of Al Qaeda, Bin Laden and Afghanistan.
Here's some quotes from Obama at the time:
"'But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors, that the Iraqi economy is in shambles, that the Iraqi military a fraction of its former strength, and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history." Oct 2, 2002.
"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al Qaeda." Oct 2, 2002. Our own intelligence agency admots that Al Qaeda is stronger now than at any time since 2001.
For all of McCain's experience he sounded pretty naive before and during the early years of the war, while Obama seems prescient.
Over 4000 US dead, tens of thousands wounded, an estimated 93,000 to 1 million Iraqi civilian deaths, half a trillion dollars later, and where are we at now? The Iraqis want US out completely, Iran has more influence than ever in Iraq since they are mostly Shias as is Iraq. The Christian minority in Iraq now is persecuted, killed, threatened, made to worship in hiding and refugees in other countries.
Obama's timetable that was ridiculed by McCain and Bush is now the accepted timetable by the Iraqis and uhmm, now McCain and Bush. Obama's stated desire to focus on Afghanistan has now also been addopted by McCain and Bush.
So, how does McCain show better judgment? :-)
I don't trust McCain's judgment and am willing to put my trust in someone not experienced in the politics of Washington ( can eb a good thing IMO ), but does show a willingness to listen, compromise and make good judgments.
Obama is the one getting my vote.
TimPosted 17th August 2008 at 05:32 PM by TimPhelan
