Let me start this article by saying I am a Republican. I am very conservative, and this article is an opinion article. So, if you disagree with my opinion, fine, but please, let's refrain from the petty attacks on character, accusations of lying, and political bashing.
Also let me say that I was a supporter of Mitt Romney in the Republican primaries. I don't particularly care for either of the candidates who remain for President, and I'm going to pull no punches either way. If I ruffle your feathers by hitting your candidate of choice, tough. This is my article, these are my personal opinions, so deal with it.
Barack Obama, as I write this, is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. He has selected Joe Biden as his running mate and has all but secured the nomination.
And I ask why. Why has this man come so far so quickly? Let's look at the history of Barack Obama for a few minutes.
Barack Obama was born, supposedly, in the state of Hawaii. I say supposedly because at the time of this writing he has yet to supply a birth certificate saying he was actually born there. He grew up in the outskirts of Chicago and worked there as a political organizer until he was elected to the state senate. He then ran for and was elected Senator in the United States Senate as a senator from Illinios.
Obama then served less than a year in the Senate before he turned to a higher ambition: to become the President of the United States.
Obama seems to be an excellent target for the Republican Party, and a candidate who could easily be beaten. His message of “hope and change” sounds good at the start, but he never seems to be able to back up his promises with any real substance. Obama says practically nothing every time he talks, and yet he has people fawning over him as if he is the last, best hope for mankind.
Obama's lack of a spoken message is compounded by his political views. He has stated on many occasions he doesn't feel that America is a great nation and that he feels we have fallen before the likes of China and Russia. He panders to crowds in Europe and tells them that America is wrong and only he can fix it, and preaches this message to America's youth.
This is not how a potential President should behave! A potential President should speak of how America got it right, how we've done well, and how we've made mistakes but we tend to fix them. He should tell the youth of the nation that they live in a great country, not a failing one. He should send a message of true hope - not “We're doomed unless I'm elected” but “We've done well, we're doing well, and I'll help us continue to do even better!”
Obama's international doctrine leaves even more to be desired. He never seems to have the same answer to the question of bringing home American soldiers from Iraq, his position changing almost daily. He feels Iran is a stable state that can be talked out of nuclear ambitions, yet Pakistan, an ally of America, for some reason needs to be bombed into submission. Russia needs to be persuaded diplomatically to leave Georgia, even after the Russian government has said negotiations will not solve the issue and has dug its troops in for a stand.
Compounding this strange worldview is his constant need to bash America when overseas. In Germany and across Europe he sent the message of a failed and morally broken America, one that only he could steer back onto the path of international regard.
Obama's inexperience is another hot spot issue that Republicans could attack. He has little to no international experience, having been in the Senate less than two years. He's never been in a position of real leadership like McCain as a squadron leader in Vietnam, Hillary Clinton as a long-term New York senator, or Romney as a businessman and governor.
Lastly, Obama seems to run with a less-than-savory crowd. It's said that you can tell all you need to know about a man by viewing his friends. Obama has gone to a church for years where it seems that anti-American rhetoric and hate speech are the orders of the day. His wife claims she's only begun to be proud of the nation that's given her so much since her husband started to run for the Oval Office. He's been endorsed - endorsed, for the Presidency of America - by the Middle Eastern terrorist group Hamas, whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel and the downfall of Western civilization!
It would seem that Obama would be ripe for the picking for the Republican Party. He's inexperienced, weak on national security, and his friends cast him in a very negative light. And yet, the Republican chances of victory in 2008 are 50-50 at best.
Why? Because, for reasons unknown to me, they picked John McCain to run against him.
John McCain has some major selling points. He's a Vietnam veteran and a long-time Senator. He seems to understand the threat of global terrorism and would likely appoint conservative, Constitution-following justices to the Supreme Court. And yet, he doesn't seem to grasp a few major points that could give him the edge over Barack Obama.
McCain seems to feel that it's best for him to move to the center of the political isle, to move away from the conservative base that has held up the Republican Party for so long. He's a self-proclaimed maverick who prides himself on being associated with no one and attacking both parties. He brags he's opposed the President and reached across the isle to Democrats to bring unity to the Senate.
But is that a good strategy for a man running for the Presidency? It seems that every time he has the opportunity to do so, McCain further alienates his conservative allies, a large base of voters who could likely deliver him the Oval Office on a silver platter. McCain just doesn't get the fact that conservatives are numerous and strong and we don't really want a man who wants to break with our party on every opportunity. We want strong leadership, not someone who takes the middle of the road and tried to please everyone. After all, the true definition of compromise is that everyone is equally displeased with the result and no one gets what they truly want.
McCain needs to realize very quickly that people driving in the middle of the road generally get hit by people going both directions, and he needs to quickly start to get his conservative friends together or he's going to miss a golden opportunity. Obama is vulnerable, is only McCain can realize how to hit him.
