Barack the Vote

Obama will bring new direction to nation

By Kelvin Wade | | October 30, 2008 18:09

The presidential choice is clear. Don't buy the fear that John McCain is selling. Barack Obama brings the right experience, judgment and inspiration to be president.

Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University with a BA in political science, briefly worked in the corporate world but then moved to Chicago to be executive director of the Developing Communities Project, a faith-based organization.

After a trip to Europe and Africa, he went to Harvard Law School. He was editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude. Instead of becoming a Supreme Court clerk like most in his position, he went back to Chicago to lead Project Vote in the largest minority voter registration drive in Chicago history.

Obama spent nearly a decade as a civil rights attorney and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. After our current president, we need a president who actually understands civil rights and the Constitution.

He was an Illinois state senator for eight years and in 2002 delivered an impassioned speech opposing the Iraq war. After electrifying the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he was elected to the U.S. Senate with 70 percent of the vote, becoming only the third black senator since Reconstruction.

We've watched him grow over the last two years as a candidate, orator, politician and a leader.

When the bottom fell out of the banking system, we witnessed John McCain's shaky performance. He said he'd fire the SEC chairman, told us the economy was strong, pretended to suspend his campaign and threatened to cancel the first debate.

At the same time and throughout the three debates, America saw a steady, unflappable leader emerge in Barack Obama. In just viewing their actions, demeanor and temperament, you'd think Obama was the seasoned veteran and McCain the upstart.

With the Iraq war, Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and torture (which McCain unbelievably supports) the United States' image has taken a terrible hit in the world. Barack Obama's policies of engaging our enemies and ending the Iraq war are the best hope to chart a new path and restore our credibility.

The McCain camp and their flacks are desperate to distract voters with talk of Obama's alleged nefarious associations.

But two can play the game of guilt by association. Why doesn't McCain explain his relationships with Charles Keating, John Singlaub, Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet, G. Gordon Liddy and Pastor John Hagee?

And McCain certainly didn't put country first when the 72-year-old cancer survivor cynically chose Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Conservatives and Republicans such as George Will, Kathleen Parker, David Brooks, Charles Krauthammer, David Frum, Peggy Noonan, Senator Chuck Hagel and Gen Colin Powell have all deemed Palin unready.

John McCain was a maverick but he sold out to the GOP establishment, changed his positions and embraced George W. Bush.

America needs a new direction, new ideas and hope. We need Barack Obama. Peace.

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Confused as to what to do on those Propositions that call for spending mo' money, click HERE.

Should every kid get a trophy just for participating in team sports? Click HERE.

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George Will put something in perspective for me this morning. There's been a lot of whining about money in politics, especially from John McCain. All told this presidential cycle, including the Congressional races, we will have spent $5.3 billion. That's a lot. It's a heck of a lot.

But I won't complain about political spending again after this: Tack another billion onto that and you have what Americans spend on potato chips in a year.