Politics

I know that because I am voting absentee, that my vote will not be counted unless there is a tie among regular pollsters. But that has not yet succeeded in making me feel less concerned at all about my choice for President.

Obama is smart, and he is a clever orator, though less quick on his feet than some in debate situations. He doesn't seem to be the kind of hold your own type of person that will resist manipulation and I feel that his lack of experience may indeed be his downfall. Many foreign policy situations will have him being the least qualified person in the room and also the one that has to make the call. When it comes down to it, he will be heavily dependent on his staff of advisers, who, I might add, we do not get to choose.
Biden has tons of experience, but he does tend to say things that get him into trouble. Should anything or anyone happen to Obama, then this is the guy. He is gruff, and a harsh man, one who would be beneficial in some circumstances, but far from delicate in others where strength is not the way to approach it.

I get that McCain is a war hero, and I understand that he has served in the military and in government and that for us, warlike culture that we are, that is the kind of leader we want. But increasingly I have been leaning towards pacifism as a defining ideal of my life. That is not to say that I am naive enough to believe that we can resist entangling ourselves so precariously in conflicts, as we have done almost since the day of our country's inception. Within 20 years of the ratification of the constitution we were duking it out with the French in the Caribbean. Truthfully I expect that if McCain takes the helm, war will be much oftener in his subconscious and we may end up paying dearly in the blood of our soldiers if we elect him.
Palin has one really strong point going for her, and that is that in a state as corrupt as Alaska, she has made a stand for integrity of political office. However, that may be one of those things that reflects more on the other politicians than on her, but that does not discredit her morals. But she has no qualifications when it comes to foreign policy, and the fact that McCain is likely to have future health problems which may result in his death, does not make that lack of experience a comforting thought.

What has happened to the days of high political thought and theories? Today the debate is not over actual issues, and the fissures are smaller between parties now than they were then. Why oh why must this lack of heartfelt communication and debate accompanied by civility exist today? Why can we not see the similarities and actually try to reach across the aisle in an age where we need, more than ever, to talk to each other?