I don’t know if he will or not, but I do know that he has made a key decision: He has decided to run as a candidate for president and not as the leader of a movement.

I think it’s a trenchant observation. I don’t know how much we can surmise about how he will govern from that.

I agree that we won’t find a candidate that matches us on all the issues. It seems to be turning out that he will be a Clintonian style president (one who is willing to compromise on basic beliefs in order to hold office). A little ironic that the candidate that you rejected, Hillary, is exactly what Barack has become.

But I always liked Hillary, so if I turned on Barack for being like her, then I would be the one who would have illustrated irony.

Barack may be a fine president (definitely better than McCain), but he won’t be the new style of president so many had hoped for. (I have to hold my hands back to keep from typing “I told you so.”)

Hillary is now out of the race except for campaigning for Barack, so the Hillary supporters (of which I was one) need to stop fighting these old battles and realize that Barack is the best man left standing.

I could write quite a convincing argument that Hillary was the better candidate, but that is crying over spilled milk. Time to mop it up and support the only guy who can stop the Republican led descent. That’s what Hillary is telling people to do.

I still have some bitterness over the defeat — sorry if I went over the top. Barack is the man. However, if you live in a state that is clearly going to go Republican, a vote for the Green Party wouldn’t be a bad move.

• We’ll have to see on Iraq. I’m for ending the war in Iraq.
• I’m in disagreement with him on faith-based initiatives.
• Agree that it would be foolish to pull out of NAFTA, and knew at the time that his anti-free trade talk was mostly political rhetoric.
• Disagree with him vehemently on capital punishment.

I could list a bunch of other things I disagree with him on as well, so I don’t think there are any scales or that there were any scales in the first place. The only candidate for public office who I’d agree with everything on is me, and I don’t even agree with myself of six months ago on everything or myself of 10 years ago on many things.

I think Obama will be a fine President, and I think he can win. I think if he wins he’ll consistently frustrate me every day he’s in office. What can I say, I have low expectations.

“Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, criticized Obama’s proposed expansion of a program he said has undermined civil rights and civil liberties.

“I am disappointed that any presidential candidate would want to continue a failed policy of the Bush administration,” he said. “It ought to be shut down, not continued.”

… “Obama also talked bluntly about the genesis of his Christian faith in his work as a community organizer in Chicago, and its importance to him now.

“In time, I came to see faith as being both a personal commitment to Christ and a commitment to my community; that while I could sit in church and pray all I want, I wouldn’t be fulfilling God’s will unless I went out and did the Lord’s work,” he said.” http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-07-01-obama-faith_N.htm

Barrack has done what you claim Hillary did. Are the scales off your eyes yet or are you still drinking the Kool Aid? Vote Green Third Party. Barrack is every bit of the pandering politician that you saw Hillary to be.

Actually, we probably still need to vote for Barrack because of the Supreme Court Appointments. At least he hasn’t pandered on the choice issue yet.

It needs a close read since like anything written by a good politician, there are a number of statements along the lines of “lots of people feel strongly about x” written in such a way that it could seem to be supporting whichever side you happen to be on.

Dear Rafe, Your points seem sound to me. And while I wouldn’t support Hillary, of course I would have also voted for for her against McCain. Now it looks like I can vote for Obama, who, while still a politician is a brilliant person who could just surprise us (hopefully in a good way).

Namaste.

I understand that one’s only choice is to pick the person one views to be the lesser of evils.

I was specifically referring to Obama’s support for providing federal funding to faith-based programs. I feel that this violates the separation of church and state. I’m concerned that Obama is more of a fundamentalist than he is letting on and I’m very sensitive to this issue.

As far as the Rev. Wright situation, Obama was probably blindsided and it doesn’t concern me much one way or the other.