<p>ff- when Obama voted against the resolution that everyone (except) HRC knew gave Bush the authority to use force, this was in my opinion wise. This took courage to take such an unpopular stand at the time. </p>
<p>from his book regarding this:</p>
<p>"I believed that [Saddam] had repeatedly flouted UN resolutions and weapons inspectors and that such behavior had to have consequences. That Saddam butchered his own people was undisputed; I had no doubt that the world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him.
What I sensed, though, was that the threat Saddam posed was not imminent, the Administration’s rationales for war were flimsy and ideologically driven, and the war in Afghanistan was far from complete. And I was certain that by choosing precipitous, unilateral military action over the hard slog of diplomacy, coercive inspections, and smart sanctions, America was missing an opportunity to build a broad base of support for its policies. "</p>
<p>As a candidate for the United States Senate in 2002, Obama put his political career on the line to oppose going to war in Iraq, and warned of “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.” Obama has been a consistent, principled and vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.</p>
<p>In 2003 and 2004, he spoke out against the war on the campaign trail;
In 2005, he called for a phased withdrawal of our troops;
In 2006, he called for a timetable to remove our troops, a political solution within Iraq, and aggressive diplomacy with all of Iraq’s neighbors;
In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008.</p>
<p>Super Tuesday was very special to me. As someone who grew up in rural Alabama, I can recall the blatant racism that surrounded me when I was a child. I’ll never forget the gas stations with prominently-labeled separate restrooms for “whites” and “coloreds”, or the local movie theater, where “whites” sat on the main level, but “coloreds” had to sit in the balcony. The list goes on and on. Even though things outwardly improved after desegregation, I always felt an undercurrent of racism. That’s one of the reasons I couldn’t wait to move away when I graduated from high school.</p>
<p>Contrast that to today. As I watched the election results on Super Tuesday, I realized just how far this country has come since I was a child. Tears filled my eyes when I saw Obama had won both Georgia and Alabama. My daughter, who is in college in MA and has heard the stories of my childhood, called me excitedly to say, " Mom!!! Obama won Alabama! I can’t believe it! Alabama!!"</p>
<p>I couldn’t believe it, either. Today, I see it as one of the most meaningful moments of my life.</p>
<p>Yes, like Mini, I believe it’s Obama’s “posturing” that’s his greatest asset. Somehow, he has the ability to make us forget our differences. He makes us believe in ourselves. Most importantly, he gives people hope that they CAN change things for the better. </p>
<p>Thank you for posting! Not all change is good!</p>
<p>BTW, Obama is not a conservative! He was vote the Most Liberal in 2007 for his record! He is a great speaker, but doesn’t have much of a record to back what he is saying! He doesn’t have the experience to be President!</p>
<p>“ff- when Obama voted against the resolution that everyone (except) HRC knew gave Bush the authority to use force, this was in my opinion wise. This took courage to take such an unpopular stand at the time.”</p>
<p>You have missed my point. Obama was not an elected member of the senate when that vote was cast. Therefore, he had no access to any information that was used by Hillary or any of the other senators who had to make that vote. He was an outsider who felt compelled to give an uinformed opinion. To me, that is not an indication of “wisdom”.</p>
<p>ff- I stand corrected.
I understand your point that Obama had no access to information, and question Hilary’s wisdom to trust the “Republicans” whom a few years earlier she detested so much.</p>
<p>I reached the same conclusion at Obama, and I, too, did not have access to the intelligence (which, apparently, Clinton did not read-- how many others in Congress actually read it?). The conclusion was based on my understanding of history and of the criteria whereby one could call the invasion a success. I also happened to know a little more about Iraq than most of the people in Congress who voted on the resolution.</p>
<p>“I understand your point that Obama had no access to information, and question Hilary’s wisdom to trust the “Republicans” whom a few years earlier she detested so much.”</p>
<p>The infornation Hillary got was from a DEMOCRAT - George Tenet - but she didn’t need to read it since he had already sold the “slam dunk” case for military action against Iraq to the “experienced Democrats” in the Big Lie of January/February 1998.</p>
<p>I also support Obama. The first time I heard him speak was on public radio. I tuned in in the middle of the show and had no idea who was talking, but I immediately thought “Who is this guy–why doesn’t someone like this run for president?” He is really smart and has great values, in addition to being an incredible, inspirational speaker. These things matter. A smart person with good values will pick the advisors, cabinet members, etc. to get the job done as well as it can be done.</p>
<p>What I haven’t heard mentioned much here is how he’s getting the next generation involved and excited. This is incredibly important.</p>
<p>And I agree with mini re: symbolism. I spend so much time ashamed of our country (really our government) and I have felt so proud of us and of some of the Southern states especially these days. Way to rise above the ugliness of racism!!</p>
<p>I think Obama for president would vastly improve our reputation in the rest of the world. It would just about have to improve race relations here at home and everyone seems to be saying he has a better chance of beating McCain.</p>
<p>His anti-war stance gets my total respect. Even Bush Sr. knew that invading that country would lead to a hopeless quagmire. LTS I love you, but I don’t know how anyone can support anything about this war except the troops who are stuck in it. It’s what concerns me more than anything about HRC and McCain.</p>
<p>And FF:</p>
<p>The Supreme Court gave us the pestilence that is GWB. He has done more damage to our country and the world than even I could have imagined.</p>
<p>Oh, and “conservative” used to mean small government and a balanced budget, didn’t it?</p>
<p>Bethievt, I just had a discussion with a friend of mine, he’s a neocon, a DHS lawyer on the policy side, and his father actually ran for congress once years ago, and we both said we could be very, very comfortable with either Obama or McCain for president, for various reasons. Neither of us can stomach the thought of Billary however. But we also both think s/he is going to lie, cheat and steal a path into the WH regardless…</p>
<p>LTS: I never thought I could agree with neocon but I feel the same way- either Obama or McCain would be OK with me, though I prefer Obama because he is pro-choice. </p>
<p>I was shocked today to see an Obama lawn sign on my Republican neighbor’s front lawn.</p>
<p>Am I the only one who thinks Hillary is morphing from tears to threats constantly? She is looking and acting, to me, utterly furious and desperate. Or is that just my imagination because I don’t like her? She does seem to be at the point where she will stop at nothing.</p>
<p>well lts, no matter what your political leanings, you are solid gold as far as I’m concerned. We think the same way about Obama. We differ about Bush and the war. But you are one classy person no matter what.</p>
<p>^^ If you’re really conservative, please research Obama’s record and stances on the isues - much of it’s available on his website - much of it most conservatives wouldn’t embrace.</p>
<p>I have. No candidate is perfect. None matches exactly what I want. But this one doesn’t embarass me when I’m overseas. This one makes me feel like I can trust him and what he says and that he’s truly doing this because he loves this country, not just for his ego. That’s more important than any of the issues.</p>