by Nick on July 29, 2008
Here are the top five reasons why I am voting for Barack Obama:
- The Economy - In 2009 the United States is projected to have a deficit of more than $480 BILLION. Our national debt is quickly climbing to $10 TRILLION. Republicans have run our economy into the ground with their irresponsible fiscal policies, and our children (and their children) will pay the price. It is no easy task to pay off $10 trillion dollars in debt. As if our nation’s cash flow problems weren’t enough to be concerned about, the American people aren’t doing so great these days either. With gas at $4 a gallon, and many foods at all time high prices, many American families are struggling to get by. Jobs are being lost, and not being replaced. Paul Krugman posted a graph of employment growth for each president back to Dwight Eisenhower. Notice the clear difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. The Republican Party has proven time and time again that they are not good stewards of the economy. It’s time to go with a Democrat.
- The Iraq War - The Iraq War was a mistake from day one. Saddam Hussein was a terrible human being, but he posed little threat to the United States. He had no weapons of mass destruction; he was surrounded by nations that despised him and would contain him (Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey, Iran - not to mention the American patrolled no fly zones). Furthermore, Saddam had no role whatsoever in the planning, funding, or execution of the 9/11 attacks. Yes, the Iraqi people are better off without Saddam Hussein. But Iraq distracted us from the war we should have been fighting. It is still distracting us from the war we should be fighting. The Iraqi government and military can step up and take control of their nation. It’s time for the United States to withdraw and refocus it’s military efforts where they are most needed. Barack Obama supports withdrawal in 16 months so that we can do just that. Which of course brings me to reason 3.
- The War in Afghanistan - Obama recognizes that Afghanistan is the central front in the War on Terror. He advocates sending at least an additional two brigades to Afghanistan. We should have had these extra troops there in the first place. It is well documented that Osama bin Laden was in Tora Bora when we bombed it, but slipped out through the mountain passes. We did not have enough troops to adequately secure the area to assure his death or capture. This is a mistake that will not be made a second time if Barack Obama is president. On September 11th, 2001 Al Qaeda, on the orders of Osama bin Laden, attacked the United States and killed more than 3,000 people. in the 7 years since the Bush Administration has failed to capture or kill bin Laden. It’s clear that Republican priorities are flawed, but John McCain wants to continue those policies. Barack Obama will capture kill Osama bin Laden because his foreign policy will be focused on Afghanistan and dismantling terror networks, rather than foolish and costly preemptive wars.
- Health Care - The health care system in the United States is a mess. Despite spending far more on health care than any other industrialized nation, Americans often receive worse care. American life expectancy and infant mortality rates have fallen behind other modernized nations. A major part of the problem is that the lack of quality, affordable health care means that our system focuses on curing an illness rather than preventing it in the first place. Barack Obama has a health care plan that will give access to quality, affordable health care to every single American. John McCain does not. If your health is important to you, the choice in this election is clear.
- Energy - Our economy and our planet are both in peril and a major reason is our dependence on fossil fuels. Not only is this an economic and ecological problem, but it is also a national security problem. We cannot rely on foreign sources of energy and maintain our position as the worlds only superpower. John McCain’s solution is to drill offshore, drill in Alaska, and drill everywhere else we can put an oil well. But we can’t drill our way out of this problem. Barack Obama’s energy plan will guide our nation to energy independence with the use of clean, renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar.
by Nick on July 28, 2008
Apparently things are going fantastically in Iraq these days. Thank you John McCain! We couldn’t have stopped the violence without you.
In the northern city of Kirkuk, at least 24 people were killed and 187 wounded, after a female suicide bomber blew herself up amid thousands of Kurdish demonstrators who had gathered near the provincial headquarters building, said Brig. Gen. Burhan Tayyib Taha of the Iraqi police in Kirkuk.
And:
In the attacks in Baghdad, three women used suicide vests and a bomb in a bag to make strikes just minutes apart, killing 24 people, all apparently Shiite pilgrims marching in a festival, according to an official at the Interior Ministry. The dead included at least four children, one of them an infant, and there were at least 62 other people wounded, according to police officials and witnesses.
Can’t we get out of this mess already?
by Nick on July 25, 2008
The Wall Street Journal has an editorial today titled Baghdad, Berlin, Barack. The whole point of the editorial is to try to counter Obama’s Berlin Speech; it’s the Wall Street Journal so it shouldn’t shock anyone that they do not like the Democratic nominee for President. But to resort to arguments that are inherently flawed (based on a false premise) is unbecoming of a respected national newspaper.
Here’s the part I take issue with:
Mr. Moran asked the Illinois Democrat whether — “knowing what you know now” — he would reconsider his opposition to last year’s surge of U.S. troops in Iraq. “Well, no,” Mr. Obama replied.
What Mr. Obama “knows now” is that the surge he opposed has saved Iraq, much as Harry Truman’s airlift saved Berlin and underlined America’s intention to defend Europe throughout the Cold War. The surge has also saved American lives in Iraq, with combat-related deaths (so far, there have been seven this month) at an all time low.
Did you catch that? The argument is that Obama is wrong to have opposed the surge because the surge saved American lives. But the premise here is flawed. Saved American lives compared to what? Well, compared to no surge, compared to the occupation as it was pre-surge. This is true of course. But when Obama says he opposed the surge, he is not claiming to support maintaining the pre-surge strategy. He opposed the surge because he supported withdrawal. You want to save American lives? How many Americans would be dying in Iraq if there were no Americans in Iraq?
It’s unfortunate that the Wall Street Journal feels the need to distort the facts in order to bash Obama. There’s plenty more to take issue with in this editorial, but I felt the need to point this glaring example of dishonesty.
by Nick on July 24, 2008
Posted By: Nick
Iraq has been banned from competing in the Olympics. This is a real shame. Iraqi’s have had a tough time the past few years and something like the Olympics gives them something to enjoy and take pride it. I think it helps the country come together and gain a sense of national unity as well. Apparently this is a result of problems with Iraq’s Olympic Committee, which was disbanded in May by the Iraqi government, and replaced by a temporary committee.
I suppose it’s too late at this point for this decision to be changed, but I really hope the International Olympic Committee reconsiders.
by Nick on July 23, 2008
Posted By: Nick
Writing at The Huffington Post, Matt Littman says that “John McCain has made the biggest mistake in politics.” What is the mistake? He told Barack Obama to go to Iraq.
Senator McCain, knowing that he held an edge on Barack Obama on the “Commander in Chief” question, badly overplayed his hand. He taunted Senator Obama on his lack of foreign policy experience and he challenged Obama to go to Iraq. He sneered at Obama for formulating an Iraq policy prior to traveling to the war zone. He even offered to go with him to Iraq, as if Obama needed his hand held by the man with military experience.
Of course Obama went to Iraq. And Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, and Germany. And so far, the trip has been an incredible success. Obama has looked every bit like the President. The images have been striking.
To make matters worse, McCain has made a series of errors in his public statements. The contrast between the two candidates over the past few days has been interesting, to say the least. Littman sums up:
All John McCain has done, with his childish taunting of Obama, is create a situation where Obama has now gone overseas; been seen with General Petraeus smiling, looking Presidential; been photographed with world leaders who seem excited by the prospect of an Obama Presidency, and shown, by images, that he fits in just fine on the world stage; and, of course, Obama has taken all the media attention with him when McCain is desperate for media coverage.
This trip would not have happened without McCain’s taunting — and so, Barack Obama would never have gone on this trip and looked this good if McCain had not made such a stunning mistake in urging him to do so.
Did McCain kill his chance of becoming President? I think it’s still a bit too early to tell. But keep an eye on the polling over the next week or so, and pay attention to where the narrative of this campaign moves from here. The past week may just have been the turning point in this campaign.
by Nick on July 20, 2008
Posted By: Nick
Couple of videos from MSNBC/NBC about Obama’s trip. The first is a general news piece about the trip, with some video of Obama in meetings and with some of the troops. The second is Chuck Todd and David Gregory on Meet the Press discussing the trip.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=mXuAN_5Xr7U]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqCtoREx88I]
The trip is turning out to be quite successful for Obama. It has looked great; so many images of the troops so excited to see him are quite remarkable and can only play to his advantage. Other events that have transpired have only bolstered Obama’s foreign policy positions. Those developments combined with this trip are driving the discussion right now, and it’s all pro-Obama.
UPDATE: Barack Obama is good at basketball. This is a longer clip of the scene from the MSNBC clip above where he sinks a 3-pointer.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/j87k1j4CpOw&hl=en]
by Nick on July 19, 2008
Posted By: Nick
Just 3 days ago I posted about Barack Obama’s Trouble with Iraq. Things looked bad for Obama. The decrease in violence in Iraq was quickly and effectively being framed by the McCain campaign as the direct result of the surge; Obama had strongly opposed the surge, and this outcome looked like it would start to hurt him.
But what a difference 3 days makes. Suddenly the tables have turned and McCain is on the defensive about foreign policy. First, the Bush Administration reversed its “no talks” position and is now holding talks with Iran. The initial round hasn’t gone as well as we might like, but the change in policy has already been made. The move severely undercut McCain’s argument that holding talks with Iran amounted to appeasement.
Second, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki told Der Speigel that U.S. troops should leave Iraq
as soon as possible as far as we’re concerned. US presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes.
Al-Maliki basically endorsed Obama’s Iraq plan. McCain’s argument that Obama doesn’t understand the situation on the ground has gone out the window. Surely Al-Maliki understands the “situation on the ground.”
Finally, the last few days have shown a clear movement among the top military brass in favor of increased troops level in Afghanistan; Obama has been proposing this very same strategy for some time. McCain’s response to Obama’s suggestion that we send two additional brigades to Afghanistan? Send three additional brigades.
Looks like McCain and the Bush Administration are simply moving towards Obama on foreign policy. In a year that so heavily favors the Democrats, Obama will win if he continues to lead the way on major issues like this.
by Nick on July 16, 2008
Posted By: Nick
Barack Obama is starting to take some real heat over his position on the Iraq War. The biggest reason for this is that the surge (which he opposed) seems to have made some real gains in Iraq. The Washington Post hit him for this today in an editorial. Jack Tapper at ABC News says the success of the surge has put Obama on the defensive.
John McCain went after him yesterday as well. He makes the point that:
Where Senator Obama and I disagreed, fundamentally, was what course we should take. I called for a comprehensive new strategy — a surge of troops and counterinsurgency to win the war. Senator Obama disagreed. He opposed the surge, predicted it would increase sectarian violence, and called for our troops to retreat as quickly as possible. Today we know Senator Obama was wrong. The surge has succeeded.
I have made my own position clear. I think the war in Iraq has been a major distraction from our efforts in Afghanistan. It has strained our military, driven us further into deficit, and has hurt our credibility around the world. Osama bin Laden is still at large, almost seven years after the 9/11 attacks.
However, I think Obama is walking on very thin ice right now. And I’m not sure how he can improve his situation. The reality is that violence in Iraq is down significantly since the beginning of the surge. Arguments can be made about the reasons for the decrease in violence (it should be pointed out that a major factor may not be increased American presence, but rather increased American cooperation [bribery] with Sunni tribes, among other factors). But with the simplistic way the average voter sees the war, Obama may be in some trouble here. With the media beginning to turn against Obama on the war, McCain has a real opportunity to pick up some extra votes.
by Nick on July 15, 2008
Posted By: Nick
OK, maybe not everyone. But President Bush held a press conference about the economy and Barack Obama gave a speech about Iraq to follow up on his Op-Ed from yesterday.
The President said the economy really isn’t that bad and any problems we do have are the Democrats fault. Thanks for informing us George. And then he offered up this wonderful insight:
Bush acknowledged it could take years before opening the Outer Continental Shelf to oil drilling would result in increased U.S. production. But, he said, at least it would put the nation on the right track toward reducing its reliance on imported oil.
Brilliant. What is it? 6 more months of this guy? Ugh….
Obama is still talking as I write this, but since the campaign releases advanced copies of the speech (and it’s basically just saying what his NYTimes Op-Ed said) we already know what it’s all about.
“This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century….”
“By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe,” Obama will say, according to excerpts of his prepared remarks.
I’m sure the McCain campaign has an opinion on some (all?) of these issues, but who really cares, right?
