<p>Hindoo, you may be right. McCain might well have pursued Osama Bin Laden to the gates of you-know-where, and we might have had a bigger war in Afghanistan (or Pakistan, maybe), but the overall situation might be very different.</p>
<p>Bush’s main problem was not that he lacked the experience. He had plenty of experience in the form of Dick Cheney who was pulling the strings anyway. Pretty much everyone in the “Bush” administration knows by now that it is actually the “Cheny” administration using Bush as a proxy. Dick Cheney started the Iraq war and it really appears that he launched it mainly to help his buddies in the defense and oil industries, who have been making out like bandits for the last 7 years.</p>
<p>Obama’s main asset is his intelligence, wisdom and character. It is rare for those three traits to coincide in one person. McCain has plenty of character, is short on intelligence, and I’m beginning to wonder about his wisdom.</p>
<p>Hindoo - in many ways we are declaring victory in Iraq right now. That’s why we need McCain in office because he - more than ANYONE - understands the situation. He’s BEEN to Iraq many times, he has two sons on active duty, he’s talked extensively w/ commanders, he has a military background, he’s seen combat, he’s suffered as a result of poor decisions made by our government, he’s been educated about the middle east for many years, and most notably I believe, since 2000, he has looked upon the Bush administration with an extremely discernable eye. </p>
<p>He KNOWS all the mistakes Bush has made, and he already knows what he would do differently.</p>
<p>While some may kick aside the notion of “international approval” as irrelevant, it is anything but. Bush has managed in recent years to shamelessly squander the ocean of goodwill toward America that grew in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. … We don’t live in splendid isolation, so it certainly does matter how the world reacts to us. I would rather they respected our duly elected leader, than held him/her in sneering contempt. Having traveled abroad in recent years, I’ve cringed at the disrespect people of other countries seem to have for Bush. In Rome this past March there were stenciled signs on walls near the Colosseum with an outline of Bush’s face and the words “war criminal.” My niece studying abroad in Australia said the Aussies’ view him as a cretin. A neighbor, a Rhode’s Scholar at Oxford two years ago, tells me the Brits still can’t believe we elected and re-elected Bush. The message is always the same: they like, even love, Americans. They loath our swaggering, dangerous leader.</p>
<p>vp - McCain short on intelligence?? That’s a completely erroneous & unfounded assertion!</p>
<p>Furthermore, his lifetime of experiences would have given him wisdom far beyond ANYONE in government today. I hesitate to bring up the POW thing, but when one is held captive & suffers for over five long years, one would have infinite opportunity for reflection & self-evaluation. If/when one were to emerge from a situation like that, one would have more insight than just about anyone.</p>
<p>(BTW - It occurred to me the other day re: McCain’s POW experience - think about your most favorite thing to do - now imagine not being able to do it for five years. Now imagine ALL your favorite things to do & not being able to do them… No sleeping in your own bed, no eating your favorite foods, seeing any of your friends or family, etc. etc. etc. McCain went thru all that for YEARS - afterwards you’d either hate your country and resent all that you were asked to sacrifice - or you’d have a patriotic love so great that few could understand. Yes, a patriot such as McCain is a rare thing indeed!</p>
<p>One thing that George Bush I grasped much better than George Bush II was the enormous need to have our strongest allies with us when we go off on military adventures. The <em>first</em> thing George the Dad did was court our key allies and get them on board, and only then went off to war. George Jr. chose to ignore our allies and go it alone. </p>
<p>Getting our allies back on board with the election of President Obama will be a huge help to us in conducting a meaningful foreign policy and an effective war against the terrorists.</p>
<p>Hindoo - we lived abroad during the Clinton Administration. No one liked him either.</p>
<p>Americans have been seen as gluttonous, ignorant and arrogant for forever. Hence the term “ugly american” - that wasn’t coined during the Bush Administration. </p>
<p>BUT - McCain seems to have been well received in all the countries he has visited. I think he gets a lot of RESPECT & ADMIRATION. He is very well-read & extremely well-educated about other countries & their cultures. And Obama’s been to Europe how many times??</p>
<p>bz2010–I understand your point, but respectfully disagree. U. S. military deaths in Iraq are down these days, and that is undeniably great. But I’m not convinced our interference in Iraq will be a good thing in the long-term. We rid the country of a murderous despot, but at the same time launched an internal war that may last for years and result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives. Plus, I’m not sure it’s our business to “plant the seeds of democracy” wherever we see fit. … Iraq’s concept of democracy may be to elect a group of mullah zealots and warlords who will then repress them in their own special ways. As horrible as life was under the previous regime, at least Iraqi women were free to pursue professions and were not forced to walk the streets covered head to toe in a suffocating burkah. The difference between a secular tyrant and a group of religious-fanatic tyrants is probably minimal.</p>
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<p>McCain would do a MUCH better job of courting our allies. Why should they get behind Obama? He’s an unknown, naive child. He will be completely ignored on the world stage.</p>
<p>Hindoo - whatever is to happen in Iraq, it is only logical to expect that McCain would be better equipped to oversee it. He has a far far greater understanding of the Middle East in general and Iraq specifically.</p>
<p>What does Obama know? He’s never even been there.</p>
<p>This comment will probably draw a lot of ire, but it just occurred to me that electing Obama would be the social equivalent of finding O.J. innocent. You just know it’s wrong, and yet somehow some people think it’s the right thing to do.</p>
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<p>They are <em>already</em> behind him. Reread post #10.</p>
<p>coureur - they are behind him only insomuch as they WANT to see America weakened.</p>
<p>Besides, do you want to give a political victory to people in other countries to the detriment of our own country, or do you wnat a win-win w/ McCain who is better for America AS WELL AS being respected & admired worldwide??</p>
<p>Hmmmm. I’d almost forgotten the term “ugly American.” Still, the impression I got from my trips abroad and those of my family, friends, and neighbors, is that its not Americans themselves who are despised, but our unspeakably inept leader(s). Yes, we can be viewed as fat, spoiled, and self-centered, but not dangerous and despicable–until we launch an arrogant war and thumb our nose at those who disagree with that aggression. … As for no one liking Clinton during his administration, I’ll take you at your word on that, since you lived abroad then and I didn’t.</p>
<p>bz2010,
Obama has never been to Iraq? Sorry, but that’s not true.</p>
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<p>Does cheating on his first wife and calling his second a profane name in public count as character?</p>
<p>“He’s an unknown, naive child. He will be completely ignored on the world stage.”</p>
<p>This is really a nonsensical statement. The President of the United States will be ignored on the world stage?</p>
<p>Let me also add with respect to McCain and his experiences as a POW. I agree that he showed a great deal of integrity and bravery during that experience. Maybe he engaged in self-reflection and insight during that period. However, he did not become a saint. Indeed, shortly after his return, he ditched his wife, who had become physically disabled (and fat) during his absence, and traded her in for a younger, prettier, and richer woman. He’s done some fine things in his life since then, such as his respectful treatment of Mo Udall, and some things that were not so fine, such as vindictively trying to wreck the careers of underlings who crossed him. He’s a complex guy, with good and bad. I think Obama probably is, too. Neither one of them is the second coming of Christ, and neither is the anti-Christ.</p>
<p>“He is a complex guy, with good and bad. I think Obama probably is, too.”</p>
<p>I can see we’re making progress here.</p>
<p>What puts people off is Obama’s holier-than-thou attitude. As one commentator said on one of the Sunday shows: “It’s not his lack of experience that worries me, it’s his lack of humility.”</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s too bad he’s not humble like McCain. Sheesh.</p>
<p>Hey I’m not a big fan of McCain’s personality either. What a choice.</p>
<p>My perception of Obama is of a brilliant, very confident man. I don’t really care if he’s humble or not.</p>
<p>As for McCain’s integrity, have we all forgotten the 1980s Keating Five scandal, which he calls an “asterisk” to his political career? I’m including a link to an interesting 2007 retrospective article on the case. McCain’s involvement doesn’t bother me as much at this point as his incensed comments at the end of the piece. Like Harry Reid said, McCain may not have the temperament to be president.</p>
<p>[The</a> Keating Five](<a href=“http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter7.html]The”>http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter7.html)</p>