How I learned to stop worrying and love like Barack Obama

Jonathan Kay surprised many readers by endorsing Barack Obama for President, and now his mother follows suit. And if the election were held today (assuming I could vote, of course), I would vote for him, too.

No, I haven't drunk the Kool-Aid. I've sipped it, probably, but I'm under no illusions about Barack Obama being some kind of political messiah. When he becomes President, I have no doubt I'll strongly disagree with many of his policies.

But am I nervous about this guy occupying the White House? Nope. All I've been hearing from the McCain campaign lately is the stuff about Bill Ayers, and while I think it's a perfectly legitimate issue - if McCain was friendly with a "reformed" but unrepentant abortion clinic bomber, you can be sure it would be a major story - it's convinced me that the GOP is running scared. They certainly can't beat him on the economy (and let's be blunt: how could Obama possibly be more "socialist" than the Republican President who just partially nationalized the banking system?) so all they can do is throw some mud and hope it sticks.

Most importantly, even if you agree with many of the Bush Administration's foreign policies, you can't deny that the rest of the world will be more receptive to a Democratic President than another Republican. I'm uneasy about Obama's position on Iraq, but as Mark has noted several times on this site, the Senator from Illinois appears committed to Afghanistan. And if that conflict becomes "Obama's war," I believe you'll see America's (and Canada's) allies redouble their efforts.

I still like and respect John McCain, and I even believe Sarah Palin has much to offer once she gets more years of experience under her belt. (Memo to the Trig troofers: I'm endorsing Obama despite you creeps, not because of you.) Ideally, the GOP would control the Senate and/or the House, to keep Obama in check. There's no hope for that in 2008, but the mid-term elections are only two years away. For that long, at least, I'm willing to give him a chance.

Boy, am I going to hear it for this one...

Damian P.

Posted by damian at October 16, 2008 12:21 PM