<p>One of the things that absolutely infuriated me about John Kerry was his inability to take a stand on anything. Some called this “flip-flopping”, but I saw it as something worse. He was so politically cautious that he felt the need to straddle the fence and take both sides of a discussion. One day he would be for the war, the next he would be against it. He did not exhibit a whit of political courage or leadership.</p>
<p>Now, it seems that Obama has taken lesson in fence straddling from Kerry. Whether it’s the DC gun ban or whether his Iraq timetable is “fixed” or “based on conditions on the ground”, it is hard to get a read on him. </p>
<p>In yesterday’s Meet the Press, he unwittingly admitted (and seemd proud of) his propensity to speak from both sides of his mouth. Here is the exchange (with a video of his statements concerning the surge from 2007):</p>
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<p>He gives a great speech when he has a teleprompter, but where is his courage to take a stand and exhibit leadership? We can elect an actor to give a great speech.</p>
<p>That is the exact opposite of McCain who gets in trouble when having to deliver a prepared speech and canned answers. The differences between the two candidates interviews this last Sunday were stunning. One candidate clearly hoping the country will remain clueless. </p>
<p>However, there are worse things than electing an actor who can deliver a great speech. Has anyone been able to rival Ronald Reagan for the past decades?</p>
<p>I thought Obama was being accused of having no positions? You know, the empty suit?
He has been saying that his timetable will depend on conditions on the ground, that he will consult commanders in the field for quite some time now.</p>
<p>I thought McCain having to read from a piece of paper some totally innocuous words of praise for the Dalai Lama was rather sad. Could he not have made off the cuff remarks or was he afraid he might not remember which country Tibet borders?</p>
<p>xiggi - to which interviews are you referring? I’d like to find a link as I may have missed them.</p>
<p>McCain off the cuff is usually brilliant - when he gets in those Town Hall meetings it is amazing how much knowledge he has. He can take questions about any subject and expound at length. That’s how his campaigned rebounded last summer - earning votes a few at a time w/ real answers & true authenticity. </p>
<p>I’ve been frustrated with his performance during prepared speeches however. If he’d get away from the telprompter and just talk, voters would see he is clearly in command of the issues. This was particularly evident when he spoke extemporaneously upon Bhutto’s assassination - very impressive. Didn’t sound like he prepared at all, but said just the right thing w/ lots of info included.</p>
<p>“However, there are worse things than electing an actor who can deliver a great speech. Has anyone been able to rival Ronald Reagan for the past decades?”</p>
<p>The difference, of course, is that RR had significant executive experience as well as being extremely well read and well published on international affairs prior to taking office.</p>
<p>For once, the roundtable with Roberts and Donaldson was pretty good as Cokie and Sam dropped their usual leanings and offered reasonable assessments. </p>
<p>Will showed his usual wit and understanding of the real issues when he said that Obama could tell his fans he visited the *57 *states and draw wild applause. He also pointed out that Obama claimed to be responsible for the legislative actions of a Committee he chaired. The only problem was that he was not even a member of *that *Committee. Nobody seems to care!</p>
<p>This thread is amusing. Saying that Obama is a flip flooper or whatever. And that McCain has all this experience, as if “experince” , er, time in office is the criteria for being a good manager.</p>
<p>Just look at Bush Jr. His legacy will speak to what “experience”- gov of texas and some failed businesses can add to the ability to govern.</p>
<p>What is it about McCain, what real leadership, what experience, does he have after all this time that makes him more able to lead?</p>
<p>He can’t even tell the differences between countries, and borders, and he changes his mind if the wind shifts.</p>
<p>Tell me, what is his stance on supporting the troops? What does he mean by that, exactlly. </p>
<p>What does he mean by “win” this war?</p>
<p>What does he want to do about the estate tax, something he was very much for, but not so much anymore?</p>
<p>How do you know he won’t change his mind once again?</p>
<p>Ah, McCain, he doesn’t do well in town hall meetings, he’s all show with nothing there.</p>
<p>While Obama has “flip-flopped” on a few issues - on most, he has a nuanced view on complicated issues.</p>
<p>If you want to talk about “flip-floppers” - let’s talk about McCain - who is virtually UNRECOGNIZABLE from the McCain of 1999/2000 (and I should know, since I supported him back then).</p>
<p>clearly obama is lying out of every orifice he has like no tomorrow and it really sickens me whenever anyone believes one word of the “change we can believe in” tirade. on the other hand, at least he’s not borderline psychotic.</p>
<p>I think you bring up a legitimate concern, FF. But, surly you know that the same criticism can be honestly leveled at McCain. They are both politicians, at the end of the day.:rolleyes:</p>
<p>k&s: If it had been McCain against Gore, I’m not sure I would have voted for Gore. But like you, I do not recognize the McCain of 2000, either in his attitude or in his policies.</p>
<p>And the unfortunate situation facing our country is that having survived the lure of the horrible siren it still has to choose between two politicians that make Scylla and Charybdis very appealing.</p>
<p>Don’t we deserve any better than being content for having avoided even worse?</p>
<p>Just remember how much McCain has fought against other politicians in his quest to eliminate wasteful spending, fraud, abuse of power, pork projects, corruption, & “business-as-usual” in Washington. </p>
<p>He’s also gone up against his colleagues in an effort to keep taxes low for the American people.</p>
<p>And he’s called out Bush (and Rumsfeld) on numerous occasions, even calling for Rumsfeld’s firing!</p>
<p>His entire career has been spent trying to do the right thing - FOR US - regardless of the “political consequences”.</p>
<p>I don’t think he’s your typical politician.</p>
<p>– Now he’s in the middle of a hard-fought campaign. Maybe he’s getting some bad advice about what he has to do in order to get elected (maybe not), but it can’t be easy to try to counteract “Obamamania”.</p>
<p>The retired Chief of Medical Operations for US Air Force in Europe at Ramstein Air Force Base (which Obama supposedly snubbed because he was not allowed to bring cameras along) did not like the McCain ad:</p>