Go and vote for the smartest person


Thursday, June 26, 2008 | 47 comment(s)

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In a recent letter to the editor headlined “Political Pandering is Defying Logic” (The World, June 8), the author stated a few truisms while postulating that if you are black and vote for Obama because he is black, it is racist. In the real world, as we all know, a racist, no matter what color, would indeed be more likely to vote for the candidate with like complexion. But most folks aren’t racist or sexist by nature. People vote for many reasons.

People sometimes vote based on perceptions of shared experience; blacks vote for other candidates who have shared the African-American experience, women for other women and retired military for candidates with like experiences. Despite not-too-distant history, most blacks don’t withhold votes from white politicians because they’re white. Most women don’t hate men. Most retired military aren’t against people who haven’t served their country in uniform. No racism, no sexism, no animus, nothing against the other person; just that “connection” with a particular candidate, sometimes even where the other realities of policy stances are too easily tossed to the wayside. But those voters who choose to consider other criteria might base their vote on the Iraq war, the economy, energy policies, their smile, whether they would like to be at a barbecue with them, etc.

I believe that McCain is a good man. I just won’t vote for him. No, I’m not an ageist. His life story, while compelling, is just not enough to have me ignore his radical one-eighties in policy in the last few years. Flip-flops may be comfortable at those barbecues, but McCain’s recent conversion to Bush’s disastrous economic policies and his embrace of the war adventure in Iraq that continues to stretch our military to the breaking point are just two of several reasons for casting my vote elsewhere. It’s not bias, my friend. It’s the last seven years.

Obama is a good man and has a compelling life story, also. I am voting for Obama because he’s the right person to be president. He was right about Iraq from day one and wants to pursue the people who actually attacked us on September 11. His more realistic world-view, which promotes social justice and strong diplomacy, will serve as a model for other countries, aiding in intelligence gathering and restoring valuable traditional alliances that will lead to a more stable and secure world. His economic policies will promote sound international trade, rebuild our country’s military and infrastructure and promote energy independence. The restoration of our Constitution is what America needs, and is why so many Republicans and Independents voted for Obama in the open primaries.

You know what?

Sometimes it’s just nice to know that you’re voting for the smartest person in the race. That’s the change we should all believe in.

And there’s something else that the author and I believe in: No matter who your candidate is, please vote.

David Ford

Charleston
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Cindy Bingham wrote on Jul 25, 2008 8:41 PM:

Mr. Obama is way out of his league.

He fumbles and stutters when he is not reading from a script.

I personally don't like McCain, but I don't think that he will just give away America and American values, just to play nice.

Thomas wrote on Jul 25, 2008 3:49 PM:

McCain is way out of it ......... Obama is brilliant.

Why is there any quandary???

Checked and double Checked wrote on Jul 25, 2008 8:53 AM:

Professor Norman Dombey, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Sussex, England, has confirmed that Saddam Hussein had more than enough yellowcake uranium to make over 100 nuclear weapons.
First, Saddam continually defied the IAEA as it was; that was a reason for multiple UN resolutions to sanction him.
Second, the IAEA got what little respect it did from Saddam because the U.S. was backing it up with about 150,000 troops on the ready nearby. Third, Saddam was using oil-for-food money to bribe away the sanctions and inspection regime.
Fourth, why didn't the IAEA make Saddam get rid of it?
In short, the IAEA was no guarantee that Saddam would keep his hands off that stockpile in the near future, or that he was keeping away from it even then.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/07/the_550_tons_of_yellowcake.html

Wondering wrote on Jul 25, 2008 8:29 AM:

Why is that the "media frenzy" is not reporting that the large crowds that Obmamania has drawn were preceded by FREE concerts of the area's popular bands? Obama's record is one of a community organizer, great let him organize a Woodstock over in Germany, but what in the world has he Changed?

to unchecked and unbalanced wrote on Jul 24, 2008 4:45 PM:

re. yellowcake - it contained under UAEA seal, continuously inspected/confirmed as such. they had no way of producing weapons from it. they were no surprise.

re. pretending war with iraq was inevitable is nonsense. the US went to war with a country that we "suspected" of having nuclear weapons (Iraq) and didn't go after the one we know does (N. Korea)? pre-emptive wars without proof of imminent threats and throwing out prepared battle plans for the sake of Rumsfeld's ego showed no sense of military intelligence.

Common Sense - no one has flipped more than McCain on so many issues, all for political reasons. McCain is a war hero in that, when shot down, he heroically survived 5 1/2 years of imprisonment. While it denotes great personal sacrifice, it does not indicate greater judgement than obama or his advisors in military affairs, all of whom were right in wanting to finish the job by capturing or killing those who carried out the 9/11 attacks. The real heroes are those who have sacrificed in the Iraq occupation/distraction when we should have been fighting the real war against terrorists in Afghanistan.

Harold wrote on Jul 24, 2008 3:28 PM:

This great nation has been led far off the rightgeous path by the current administration. Heads should roll. Let the housecleaning begin. Vote.

Checked and Balanced wrote on Jul 24, 2008 2:06 PM:

America decided collectively after 9/11 that it would be on the offense against the root causes of terrorism.
Afghanistan was the first response in a long war of attrition that was destined to come. Do you honestly believe that war with Saddam Hussein was not inevitable? Iraq was chosen over the other countries because Saddam Hussein was giving every signal to the international system that he did have weapons of mass destruction. See the following article
"US secretly ships tons of Hussein-era yellowcake to Canada"
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/us-ships-iraqs-yellowcake-to-canada

Common Sense wrote on Jul 24, 2008 2:01 PM:

You and others are asking the wrong question.
It is not whether we should have gone to War in Iraq, but what to do now that we are in a War with Iraq.

You are going to find that the American people are going to trust McCain going forward more than flip floppy Obama who has no military background and has proven he will agree with whatever he thinks is the popular position at the time.

McCain is a War hero who is willing to buck his own party to say what he thinks and has proven the ability to work across the isle.

Hopefully it is not too late to have the Superdelagates change support of Obama to Clinton.

to checked wrote on Jul 24, 2008 11:31 AM:

You state: "The fear of the US leaving led to the "Awakening"."

By stating such, you are giving credit for the Sunni Awakening, which started 6 months prior to the surge (not coincident), to Obama. While interesting, I think that more credit should go to the Sunni sheiks retaliating against Al Qaeda violence.

The poorest judgement was that demonstrated by Bush/McCain in going into Iraq in the first place, thereby abandoning supplys to the fight against the real enemy in Afghanistan and neighboring regions. That action in Iraq initiated sectarian fighting, opening up the borders to Iranian and Qaeda influence, and the displacement of 4 million Iraqis.

Checked wrote on Jul 24, 2008 11:07 AM:

Sen. Barack Obama said it was "fair" to notice that he did not anticipate that the surge of U.S. troops into Iraq would be coincident with the so-called Sunni Awakening and the decisions of Shia militias to reduce their footprints, the combination of which led to measurable declines in violence.
The fear of the US leaving led to the "Awakening". It is a transparent dodge for Obama’s own poor judgment in opposing a strategy that has put us on a path to outright victory in Iraq–an outcome Democrats have long said was impossible.

hi ho silver wrote on Jul 24, 2008 9:33 AM:

Stay the Course,

Your timeline on the Surge, like McCain's, is off. And in your case the timing is off by a full year.

The Sunni Awakening started in September of 2006 (NOT 2007) and was fully independant of the US war effort. The Sunni sheiks were fed up with Qaeda violence in Anbar and took matters into their own hands.

The "Surge" did not start until April of 2007.

Check it out.

Stay the Course wrote on Jul 24, 2008 8:54 AM:

If we had gone with Obama's plan, he would not have been able to GO TO IRAQ!
Sunni Awakening Council was started in Sept 2007, long after the surge started, and it was started because Sunni sheiks saw that US was there to "stay the course" and were there to help the Iraqis while AlQueada was committing crimes against the Iraqis; What HAS worked? The Sunni Sheiks joined forces and started helping US forces.

hi ho silver wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:45 PM:

Giddy up,

Regarding McCain's "...rather lose a war..." comment:

McCain, like Bush has failed for years, unlike Obama and many others, to recognize that the real war is in Afghanistan and the mountain areas of Pakistan where Bin Laden is thought to be, inaccessible and uncontrolled by the Pakistan government. McCain's (and Bush's) insistence on maintaining troop levels in Iraq is causing us to lose ground against the Taliban. While he chides Obama on his strategy, McCain clings to an occupation in a country that wants us to leave, thereby causing us to lose the real war.

Giddy Up wrote on Jul 23, 2008 12:03 PM:

Senator McCain said:
"This is a clear choice that the American people have.
I had the courage and the judgment to say I would rather lose a political campaign than lose a war.
It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign."

TO TAG and others wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:03 AM:

No one is trying to intimidate you. They're just pointing out that insidious insinuations made by comments like "his mother's fondness of Muslim men" and "We will all be kneeling on our prayer rugs and praying to Allah or else" are not only unseemly and scurrilous, but reflect a sick paranoia on the poster's part. If you're comfortable inside your own skin with those feelings and efforts, than so be it. Just don't expect others to pat you on the back for those delusional statements and other efforts to foment hatred and fear. That's what terrorists try to do. Are you joining them in those efforts?

Lurker wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:54 PM:

Hey "Be Scared" --- I am! I am afraid of people with attitudes like yours.

Tag Ur It wrote on Jul 22, 2008 1:51 PM:

Because of the Muslim roots on Barack Obama's father's side of the family and his mother's fondness of Muslim men, the Senator will continue to have to answer the "unmentionable". Intimidation of comments don't prevent the underlying questions.

yes he is wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:50 AM:

While Obama is not a saviour (and tell me the truth, who is? certainly not McCain.) the evidence is right there in front of you that he is smart, a nice guy, and a good speaker.

Regarding "kneeling on our prayer rugs and praying to Allah or else"; comments like that remind me of the hysterics that must have occurred during the Salem witch trials.

Get a grip, people. Vote on the issues, not fantasies or caricatures. And, yes, That includes both parties.

Laughable comments wrote on Jul 21, 2008 4:42 PM:

I really get a kick out of all of you who think you really know Obama and think he is so smart, a nice guy, a savior, good speaker, etc. You really do think this huh ? ? ? ?

Be scared wrote on Jul 21, 2008 4:40 PM:

We better all be really scared if Obama wins. We will all be kneeling on our prayer rugs and praying to Allah or else. We think we are in trouble now with all the bad things going on, just wait until the election and then it will get way worse if Obama wins.

Same old same wrote on Jul 21, 2008 3:54 PM:

Once again Janice has quoted word for word from Democratic dialogues written over and over..zzzzYAWN..zzzzzhave we Changed yet?

E wrote on Jul 20, 2008 10:51 PM:

And you guys think McCain or Obama really gives a care about any of you? REALLY? HAHAHAHAHHAA Wake up America you're being lied to.

Janice wrote on Jul 20, 2008 7:41 PM:

Thom Hartmamn writes:
Carter put in place energy tax credits and incentives that birthed an exploding new industry based on building solar-heated homes, windmill-powered communities, and the development of fuel alternatives to petroleum.

Ronald Reagan's first official act of office was to remove Carter's solar panels from the roof of the White House. He then repealed Carter's tax incentives for renewable energy and killed off an entire industry. No president since then has had the courage or vision to face the hard reality that Carter shared with us.

Because we refused to heed Carter's warning, WE STILL FACE THE NEED FOR ENERGY INDEPENDENCE or we will forever be involved in resource wars. Over the past 20 years the conservative (Reaganomics) has proven to be a failure. We need change.

Tag Ur It wrote on Jul 17, 2008 3:58 PM:

Hey is this "Ted the Gov?"
Why don't you wait and read Mr. Obama's report when he returns from Iraq.
Better yet, watch CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and whatever correspondent is following his entourage around like lap dogs.

Ted wrote on Jul 17, 2008 10:03 AM:

The occupation needs to end. Our military needs to come home. If contractors stay, and they will, then they stay. Will Obama or McCain help us? No. They both have agendas with the elite, not us, the average poor working folk. When have we ever benefited? The last prez who ran with the slogan of "change" was Carter. Didn't see much change then, nor do I expect it now. Find out who the CFR is, who runs the EU, and the UN. Theres more going on that the corporate owned media will ever tell you. Wake up!

Ben wrote on Jul 16, 2008 11:50 AM:

Fred wrote on June 26th
"There are people waiting for an excuse to riot. God help us if Obama is not elected."
GREAT! Now Obama is intimidating all of the US to vote for him OR ELSE?
Obama has never been known to have integrity or play fair.

Military Supporter wrote on Jul 15, 2008 2:56 PM:

No thanks, KBR. I trust the US Military to do the best job. We don't need private mercenaries.

Kaye wrote on Jul 14, 2008 6:58 PM:

Obama is the darling of the Europeans, like a second coming of JFK. If they could vote, he'd be the new pres for sure. The honeymoon would soon end. Obama promises a withdrawal from Iraq within 12 months. That won't work because it would require the Europeans to send more to provide stability. That won't happen, they're big with words, not deeds. And Obama would fall from grace ASAP. So, no withdrawal, more broken promises. The man has no inkling of reality, and his economic plans will be pies in the sky as well.

. wrote on Jul 9, 2008 4:22 PM:

Yep, I'll vote for McCain even
Jesse Jackson knows that Obama is a Political Puppet!!!

Dobama wrote on Jul 9, 2008 4:20 PM:

If Obama says it is rude for Americans to go to Europe and not speak their languages, then..

what does he think of immigrants who come to America and do not learn English?

And how will learning Spanish help us communicate with immigrants who come to America from a hundred countries that do not speak Spanish?

Ayers wrote on Jul 9, 2008 1:29 PM:

Great posting about the yellowcake shipment
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cake6-2008jul06,0,4296828.story

To Janice, Halliburton has had no-bid contracts since the CLINTON administration, and they have lost lives providing services that no other company could do at the time. Now there are other providers, under the BUSH administration?
Sure mistakes were made along the lines, but when you are doing major jobs, major mistakes may happen-that's why pencils have erasers!!

Thank you KBR wrote on Jul 9, 2008 8:59 AM:

THE last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a stockpile of uranium - has reached Canada, ending a secret U.S. operation. The removal of 550 tons of "yellowcake" - the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment - brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents, or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions. It remains only to clean up the remaining radioactive debris at the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex, about 19km south of Baghdad, using teams that include Iraqi experts recently trained in the Chernobyl fallout zone in Ukraine. "Everyone is very happy to have this safely out of Iraq," said a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Janice wrote on Jul 9, 2008 7:23 AM:

McCain has been and will be more of the same criminal corruption and warmongering that we have had over that past 7 1/2 years and more. If you don't mind the fat cats stealing your tax dollars and giving it to Halliburton and others ....I guess you will vote McCain?

But the issues wrote on Jul 7, 2008 7:20 PM:

Obama said about the war:
“Start leaving we must. It’s time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their future.”

Obama on the economy: It's not just businesses that would feel the regulatory hand of an Obama presidency. Consumers too will have to pay, as he imposes new costs on products ranging from homes to automobiles and appliances. In almost everything we do, Obama sees a need for the government to intervene.

McCain on the economy:
A pro-growth, pro-jobs strategy to get our economy back on track. John McCain's strategy includes taking the near-term actions needed to provide immediate help to American families while also taking the longer-term steps necessary to secure America's economic prosperity and leadership in the world.

John McCain has the necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command the United States armed forces and adapt our nation's defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous world.
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/issues/

but also.... wrote on Jul 7, 2008 10:16 AM:

On years of experience, McCain wins.

On judgement, McCain absolutely loses.

He brushes aside the importance of Afghanistan where the Taliban and Al Qaeda are stronger than ever.

He'll follow Bin Laden to "the gates of hell" but apparently is afraid of knocking him out for good in an area of Pakistan that even its own government is afraid to go into.

McCain embraces continuation of economic policies that have been disastrous for the US and its citizens.

McCain has absolutely no plan for Iraq, Afghanistan, or the economy. Just more of the same; billions to Iraq while bridges, dams, schools, roads, ports, jobs and security deteriorate at home.

We could distract voters with inferences on Obama's Rezko and Wright or McCain's Hagee, gambling problems, lobbyists, taxes, campaign finance violations, or we can talk about issues where millions of Americans are affected.

Common Smarts wrote on Jul 5, 2008 8:27 AM:

On experience, McCain wins hands down.

On judgement, McCain wins.

We have been exposed to Obama's judgement, for example his joice of friends:
Wright, Rezco, Phleger, Ayers, Farrakhan and the list goes on.

My opinion, Obama is a Political Puppet.

Maybe but... wrote on Jul 4, 2008 7:53 PM:

1.A Globe review found that thousands of apartments across Chicago that had been built with local, state, and federal subsidies - including several hundred in Sen. Obama's former district - deteriorated so completely that they were no longer habitable. 2.Money from one of the many alleged kickbacks from Tony Rezko's money landering appears to have ended up as a $10,000 donation to Sen. Obama's campaign.
3.Obama's campaign quickly got rid of Jim Johnson as the VP vetter due to "questions" that range from his relationship with the embattled CEO of mortgage lender Countrywide Financial to his more recent oversight roles on various corporate compensation committees that approved hefty executive pay packages.
4. And yes, Sen. Obama did get a "below average super deal" on his mortage.
http://www.floppingaces.net/2008/07/02/obamas-sweetheart-deal-on-rezko-mansion/

Maybe.. wrote on Jul 4, 2008 12:55 PM:

Hey BUT,
Slamming me doesn't make you right.
I don't think a radical liberal that is FLIP-FLOPPING on every issue is going to cut the mustard.
Have a great 4th, and thank you VETS!!

but also... wrote on Jul 4, 2008 10:54 AM:

There's no need to shout, MAYBE.

The Obamas bought the house with the high-bid, on their own, with money from "productive jobs"; later buying a small portion of the adjacent lot for market value.

His job as a community activist helped find housing for union workers who had lost their jobs.

He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago for ten years, a productive job.

He was in the Illinois state legislature for another eight where he wrote and passed several important pieces of legislation.

MAYBE's factually-incorrect distressed all-caps ranting on "civil rights", "affirmative action", and "government-funded" jobs makes MAYBE look like an immature David Duke wannabe. Grow up and talk like an adult.

Maybe... wrote on Jul 3, 2008 8:50 AM:

Hey, maybe Barry O'Bama is the smartest:
HE LIVES IN A $1.4 MILLION HOUSE OBTAINED THROUGH A DEAL WITH A WEALTHY FUNDRAISER. HE 'WORKED' AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST IN CHICAGO. HE HAS NEVER HELD A PRODUCTIVE JOB OR RECEIVED A PAY CHECK THAT WAS NOT GOVERNMENT-FUNDED AND/OR TAXPAYER SUPPORTED.
HE ENTERED POLITICS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND THEN THE NATIONAL LEVEL WHERE HE HAS MINIMAL EXPERIENCE.
THE PRESIDENCY IS NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS POSITION, NOR IS IT SUBJECT TO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION SET ASIDES; ON-THE-JOB TRAINING WON'T CUT IT.

CB wrote on Jun 30, 2008 4:32 PM:

If anyone is reading anything in some real newspapers, and listening to any world wide news, they should know that Terrence is right, all the muslims around the world and especially the extremists muslims are supporting an Obama win. They know something we must not know or are not told, due to the fact people are affraid to say anything bad about Obama in our news, for fear of being called a racist reporter....or racist news organization....or racist TV station....
Everyone is so affraid to say anything negative anymore about anyone not white for fear of the word 'racist' .

George H wrote on Jun 28, 2008 5:05 AM:

Well THOMAS, you're right, things are pretty much the same in that those who are not there bash and blame the troops for doing their job. Are you going to throw tomatoes at us at the airport now as well? Thanks, and so close to Independence day nonetheless... wow....

Thomas wrote on Jun 27, 2008 11:08 AM:

Well guys, thanks for your service, and a vote for McCain certainly will assure job security in your profession, but it is interesting that those ' extremist muslims/al qaeda/insurgent fighters/etc ' tell TERRENCE they want Obama ......... psychology-wise, one wonders why they'd do that?

I recall the majority of us Vietnam-era troops were against that 'war', but didn't bother talking much to those who were for it ......... could be that things are still about the same in today's military regarding that, eh GEORGE H?

George H wrote on Jun 27, 2008 5:13 AM:

Just Saying,

I am serving in Afghanistan and I have yet to meet anybody supporting that muslim guy, Hussein Obama. He doesn't enjoy any support from the dozens of army personnel that I serve with in Afghanistan. He's phony and doesn't believe in the war on terror that we see every day.

Fred wrote on Jun 26, 2008 3:55 PM:

I am neither racist nor sexist. I was ahead of my time promoting both minorities and females in industry. I operate in the real world. Almost 20 extended family members escaped the big cities experience and located in the "Oregon bay area". We experieced the worst of people. There are people waiting for an excuse to riot. God help us if Obama is not elected.

just saying wrote on Jun 26, 2008 3:40 PM:

It's interesting that Terrence polls (or cares to poll, or is even able to poll) the prisoners for their preference.

My daughter has been to Iraq on two tours of duty, working in a prison this last time where she spoke with many prisoners. One of those was an Iraqi who helped American troops fight a militia as a translator and soldier. Because it was winter and all he owned were sandals, the troops he helped gave him a pair of boots. Another unit saw him wearing the boots, thought he had taken them off a dead soldier, and he has been in the prison for three years now. Obviously, there is a mix of criminals, extremists, and various militia (although very few Queda) in those prisons. This is not the only ordinary Iraqi (by no definition a terrorist) in prison like this, however.

My daughter states that most of the soldiers she has served with have expressed Obama as their clear preference. Just saying.

Terrence wrote on Jun 26, 2008 1:26 PM:

I am in Iraq right now working detainee operations. I speak with extremist muslims/al qaeda/insurgent fighters/etc every day. We give these prisoners Arabic newspapers almost daily and all of the terrorists seem to be pulling for Mr. Obama. I just thought that it is interesting that the Muslim extremists would voice their clear preference, like Mr. Ford did, as supporting Mr. Obama.


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