<p>interesteddad:</p>
<p>Sure. But I and many other posters have become tired of the frequent, pointless mud slinging and would like to see everyone agree to cease the practice. Do you agree to stop?</p>
<p>No. I have no plans to stop criticizing The One. I’m a Nader/McCain supporter.</p>
<p>Do you plan to stop criticizing McCain?</p>
<p>Calmom:</p>
<p>“but do you really “respect” a leader in a democratic country who would shut his mind to the majority will?”</p>
<p>So are you telling me that lot more people opposed civil war then Linclon should have not supported liberation ofslaves. A true leader is one who does not chnage with public opinion. If they belive in something right, they stick to thier guns. </p>
<p>In south majority of people opinion was opposed to civil rights but Martin luther king was the one who opposed too the wrong theory. He was the torch bearer and opposed the wrong views. </p>
<p>Obama is chaning in so many ways, this is a sign of a demagouge rather than a leader. He may become president but he will loose war by compromising on each issue. Tell mewhat are his basic issues that he will not change even if he will loose elction. I find none, he will compromise on everthing as he believe in nothing but just getting elected. A bad sign for the country. Leaders lead by chaning pulic views not getting themselved change their views by public opinion polls.</p>
<p>aapride:</p>
<p>Offshore drilling and slavery aren’t exactly comparable…</p>
<p>There’s not a lot to be made here. First McCain flipflopped on oil drilling, then Obama did. Obama’s is a little bit more interesting in that it was done in response to a Senate deal that actually provides a little bit of support for alternative energy. But both are supporting what is in fact not a very good idea - not a terrible one, mind you, but one that is pretty close to irrelevant in short-term energy policy.</p>
<p>Higher prices could drive oil and gas companies to drill on the 68,000,000 acres they already have. By lowering prices (even assuming the Senate deal results in that, which I sorely doubt), the incentive to explore and drill on this acreage goes DOWN, not up. So there might actually be less oil as a result. But I doubt either candidate has even thought that far.</p>
<p>newjack88:</p>
<p>They are beacuse last week he was praising AL gore on global warming and now he is chaning his views to fit the public opinion.</p>
<p>Leaders lead by changing pulic views not getting themself change their views by public opinion polls.</p>
<p>I did not talking about Mccain. I am talking about Obama who claims that he is different. Did he change the views beacuse scintifcally it is not bad to have gloabl warming. Scince has not chnaged. If he chnaged his views before public opion polls, I would have said he understand the policy and he is right. But he is changing beacuse ofpublic opion polls. This is is a sign of a politican and not a leader who can lead. Sorry Mcacin is not better either.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The One doesn’t have to think through the issues. His positions come to him inscribed on tablets. As the biggest celebrity in the world, he then spreads the gospel to the yearning masses.</p>
<p>aapride:</p>
<p>Don’t see how the consequences of expanding offshore drilling are similar to the consequences of enslaving and exploiting a group of people simply because their skin was not white.</p>
<p>“I did not talking about Mccain. I am talking about Obama who claims that he is different.”</p>
<p>But there in fact was a difference. Obama changed his position in the context of a very significant (if small) Congressional effort to fund alternative energy. Was that the reason? I wouldn’t know - I can’t read what is in his mind. But it was different than McCain’s context. </p>
<p>As I said, I don’t believe it was a very good move on either of their parts. It might actually result in less oil as a result, not more.</p>
<p>newjack :</p>
<p>offshore drilling and slavery are noton same pedasl. But principal on standing on ones ground is more imoprtant. If our forfathers did not oppose taxation by british we will not be a free nation. They fight for the reason they belived in. I am saying Obama has shown poor judement by chaning views just to fit in. Thus he is showing a sign of not a true leader jsut a demagouge to win the election.</p>
<p>Newjack:</p>
<p>I bet my bottom dollars when Obama will be president he will compromise on each issue. Nothing is sacred cow to him aslong as public opinion are opposed to his views. This is a sign of not a leader but a demagogue.</p>
<p>Mini:</p>
<p>McCain I support more offshore drilling as Oil prices are hurting people like me. But I respect Gore for sticking to his guns even though he is in opposite view camp then mine. I have liked when Obama was opposite camp. But his chaning his views to fit the public opionon is not a good sign. had he taken satnce and told public that offshore drilling is good for America and change public views. He would have been a leader and people would have followed him. Now he is following opinion polls.</p>
<p>But MCCAIN changed his position to support offshore drilling! (I think you must have missed that in the news reports). He didn’t stick to his original position. HE changed to fit public opinion. I suspect that Obama did as well, but I think it is also fair to note that he had a context for doing so that McCain lacked.</p>
<p>And I think both of them have made a relatively poor decision - not a terrible one, but not a great one either.</p>
<p>Schwarzenegger got it right:</p>
<p>[Schwarzenegger</a> criticizes McCain’s offshore drilling proposal - Los Angeles Times](<a href=“http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-arnold27-2008jun27,0,1954634.story]Schwarzenegger”>Governor criticizes McCain's oil plan)</p>
<p>Mini :</p>
<p>I did not say McCain is better. I just not charmed by Obama any more. I was infatuated by him but I am loosing respect as he is turning out to be a politican rather than a true leader who would change the world. he is governed by public opionon polls and public leads him rather than he lead the public. A very bad sign for this country.</p>
<p>If he changed once, it will be okay. He chnaged on so many issues that list is getting very long</p>
<p>And I think that is perfectly fair. For me, Obama is far, far too conservative. His health care plan is a giant giveaway to private health insurers. His immigration plan is inscrutable. He wants a BIGGER military rather than a much smaller one. I could go on and on. </p>
<p>I doubt he has changed positions nearly as much as McCain has, but frankly I’m not counting. I plan to vote for him, though, even though I voted for McCain in 2000. McCain is not the man he was in 2000. His command of facts, of details - important details - has really slipped, and I fear a President who is not in full command of his mental faculties (and I say that with all due respect for him.) From Obama, I don’t expect much except a man I can listen to, and who MIGHT bring back a little bit of the respect the U.S. has lost in the world in the past 8 years.</p>
<p>I recently met in person supreme court justices as my son was working for one of them. Even though they have different views, my son asked them what is the most imporant thing they find about this post. One of the justices told that most imporatnt trait for a leader is being honest and not swayed by public opinion polls nomatter what the price is. Their job is to stick to the views they belive in. They are the last hope for contitution. I was stuck by their wisdom. I respect them even if I may not agree with thier views. This is a quality I admire most, not to chnage frequently just to get elcted.</p>
<p>So I guess you’ll be voting for Nader? He is the soul of consistency. (I’ve voted for him in the past.)</p>
<p>I have voted for him once during 2000. Not a good thing beacuse economically we are in the mess. I do not agree with him 100%. My choice is for a leader who will lead rather than be a popular president. </p>
<p>THis country needs a leader who will take difficult but unpopular decision that will benefit the country most in the long term. </p>
<p>We need to spend on education so our young kids can compete in the global economy. This is the most important area where country needs to focus. We have kids whose future is being wasted by not preparing them for future.</p>
<p>And I do not like teachers union. I prefer that we bring motivated people to teach youngsters not the people who come for a paycheck. I even support the vouchers program so parents can teach theri kids in best environment.</p>
<p>[Barack</a> Obama | Change We Can Believe In | Defense](<a href=“http://www.barackobama.com/issues/defense/]Barack”>http://www.barackobama.com/issues/defense/)</p>
<p>Straight from his web site, and I was wrong on the numbers. More like 90K new troops…</p>