June 24, 2008
Obama's campaign has two powerful things going for it.
- We've had a Republican President for 8 years, and it's unusual to have a President of the same party 3 terms in a row.
- He's Black, and Obama's come-from-nowhere success as a major-party nominee is evidence that America rightfully wants to have a Black President already. Obama's candidacy is welcomed, not just by those on the Left, but by the majority of Americans. From the Washington Post: "In a Post-ABC News poll last month, nearly nine in 10 whites said they would be comfortable with a black president. [.....] And by nearly 3 to 1, those who think Obama's candidacy will affect race relations said it will have a positive impact."
On every other measure, the facts are massively against him:
- He has no experience. Per Rasmussen, "As the general election campaign gets started, 41% of voters nationwide say that Barack Obama is too inexperienced to be President..."
- He has a 20-year history of close ties with people who hate America and say so. His official position is that he had no idea what his close friend Reverend Wright was like ("The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation"), or what his business associate Tony Rezko was like ("this isn't the Tony Rezko I knew"). At times, he'd like us to believe, he doesn't know what his own statements mean. From Reuters: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama misused a 'code word' in Middle East politics when he said Jerusalem should be Israel's 'undivided' capital but that does not mean he is naive on foreign policy, a top adviser said on Tuesday." In short, his official position of excuse after excuse after excuse, is tantamount to admitting that he had insufficient judgment to recognize who he was associating with, or at times, what he himself was saying.
- He wants to pull our troops out of Iraq, and turn victory into defeat, as even the Washington Post now admits. From the Washington Post: "While Washington's attention has been fixed elsewhere, military analysts have watched with astonishment as the Iraqi government and army have gained control for the first time of the port city of Basra and the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, routing the Shiite militias that have ruled them for years and sending key militants scurrying to Iran. At the same time, Iraqi and U.S. forces have pushed forward with a long-promised offensive in Mosul, the last urban refuge of al-Qaeda. So many of its leaders have now been captured or killed that U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, renowned for his cautious assessments, said that the terrorists have 'never been closer to defeat than they are now.' ..... Still, the rapidly improving conditions should allow U.S. commanders to make some welcome adjustments -- and it ought to mandate an already-overdue rethinking by the 'this-war-is-lost' caucus in Washington, including Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)."
- He was raised from the ages of 6 to 10 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and as a result does not have the deep understanding of America and love for it that an American President needs to have if he is to take every possible action for the good of this country and its citizens.
- He claims to have no Muslim background, despite having a Muslim father, a Muslim middle name, and being able to recite the first prayer in the Koran from memory, in Arabic. From the NY Times: "Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.'" Obama also admitted to the Times that as a child in Jakarta he "studied the Koran". (same link). Video is available of Obama saying "We are no longer a Christian nation - at least not just...."
- He wants to meet with Ahmadinejad, giving his support to a world leader who has stated that he wants to destroy America.
- He has no backbone: he backed down within 48 hours when this was demanded by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. From the Washington Post: "Facing criticism from Palestinians, Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged yesterday that the status of Jerusalem will need to be negotiated in future peace talks, amending a statement earlier in the week that the city 'must remain undivided.'"
- He opposes the things that would bring gas prices down, like drilling.
- Obama would leave America open to a future 9-11 style attack. He wants to use the courts only to prevent a future 9-11, somehow missing the fact that those who committed the 9-11 attacks were not deterred by this approach.
- He wants to nearly double the capital gains tax, which would result in lowering tax revenue to the U.S. government, not in raising it.
It would be very good for America to have a Black president. But it has to be the right guy. Being Black is a huge plus for Barack, because it would be a great step forward for America to have a Black president - but you can't elect a President based on that alone. Surely even Barack would agree that a job as important as that of President of the United States has to be awarded based on the ability of the candidate to do the job.
Obama has shown that the majority of Americans are comfortable with a Black candidate for President. But he has also shown that he himself, does not have the qualifications to do a good job of being President of this country. He does not have the qualifications to seek out, identify, and to take every action he can for the good of this nation and of its citizens. He is not prepared to be the Commander in Chief of our military forces.
It would be great if America's first Black President does a fantastic job of leading this country, so as to make the way easier for future Black candidates for the office. Obama has neither the experience, nor the qualifications, to do so.
