Sunday, October 19, 2008 12:13 AM CDT
Obama is best bet to heal our country (Globe Gazette Editorial)
Every four years the candidates for president tell you that theirs is an election that will change the course of history. This year it’s more than political hyperbole.
America enters this election in economic crisis, reviled as much as loved by countries around the globe, with health care costs choking businesses and individuals, with an obscene disparity between rich and poor, with real income for wage-earners shrinking and fighting two wars — one that should never have been started and one that should have been well finished.
The two major candidates battling to lead this country through the tough days — and the amazing opportunities — that lie ahead represent vastly different choices for voters.
One represents the past, and not just because of his age. John McCain is a true American hero who has served this country long and honorably, but that alone doesn’t qualify him for the job, and he is not the best person to lead us into the future.
The McCain of eight years ago might have made a far more credible case that his experience and independence tip the scales in his favor. But since then his positions have been swayed by political expediency, his demeanor has become erratic and uninspiring, and tax cuts for the rich have become his simplistic mantra to solve complex problems.
Recognizing the discontent in the country with the past eight years, McCain has jumped on the “change” bandwagon. But no matter how many times he invokes the “maverick” mantle, in the areas that are most important to most Americans a McCain presidency has the worrying potential to be a continuation of the failed policies of the past.
McCain is wrong on the war, wrong on taxes, wrong on health care and, from a purely Iowa perspective, wrong on ethanol. American-made ethanol and other biofuels should remain an important part of the answer as we work toward energy independence.
Perhaps most disappointing has been McCain’s willingness to dip into the gutter against his opponent, with the type of character assassination and guilt by association that eight years ago — when employed against his own campaign by the George Bush/Karl Rove crew — he said deserved “a special place in hell.”
McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as running mate rang of desperation; an attempt to appeal to Democratic female voters upset that Hillary Clinton is not their party’s nominee and to make the Republican ticket seem more change-oriented by having someone that’s about as far removed from Washington as possible. Palin is talented in many ways, and we admire her regular-gal persona. But is she the person we want as president if something happens to the person we elect Nov. 4? Absolutely not. Although she plays well to the Republican conservative base, she leaves others gasping incredulously at McCain’s choice.
No, McCain is not the person for the job we need done.
The nation needs someone who has the temperament, the intelligence, the perspective, the vision and the compassion to steer us through the obstacles ahead.
That man is Barack Obama.
Obama has emerged from the crucible of the campaign as someone who is poised under pressure, a natural-born leader who inspires both by word and deed.
He recognizes that our problems are shared, and he calls upon each of us to take responsibility for dealing with challenges in a way perhaps not seen since John F. Kennedy implored the nation’s citizens to ask “... what you can do for your country.”
The problems are real and the solutions will not be easy, but Obama shows great faith in the ability of Americans to rise to the occasion. His own life story is evidence of that potential.
Perhaps most significant is Obama’s view of the world and his intellectual curiosity. His is not a stark one-dimensional viewpoint where everything is either good or bad, right or wrong, black or white. He recognizes rightly that the world and its problems are presented in shades of gray and that the solutions to those problems are likewise multi-dimensional.
With Obama it’s not “America: Love it or leave it.” Rather it’s “America: Love it enough to make it better.” His enthusiasm and charisma can go a long way toward healing this country and uniting us in common purpose.
Electing Obama as president will send a powerful message to the world that the United States is ready to move beyond an administration marked by arrogance and smug condescension, as willing to trample our own Bill of Rights as to torture the citizens of other countries. Electing this son of multi-racial, multi-national parents will prove to us and to the world that this country has moved to a new place of inclusion and acceptance.
To claim, as his opponents are desperately trying to do, that we don’t know enough about Obama is ludicrous. His every word and action have been examined under the microscope of a public campaign for almost two years. His background and his philosophy have been laid out in detail in books penned by his own hand.
The picture that has emerged is of a thoughtful young man deeply devoted to country and family.
To fault Obama for a lack of experience likewise falls short. In addition to his real accomplishments as a state and U.S. senator — and yes, as a community organizer — he has shown a mastery of the complex issues that he will deal with as president. Just as important, he has surrounded himself with bright, experienced advisers and exhibited a willingness to not only seek their guidance but to actually listen to it and to carefully weigh options while making an informed decision.
Obama is not perfect. But he’s right on most of the issues. He is the best bet before us to heal this country, change the politics of Washington, unite us and guide us out of our current crisis. In a choice between the future and the past, the decision is easy.
Barack Obama is the best choice for the next president of the United States.
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