John McCain is running on history. Obviously, the part of his life that is most influential to his thinking is that which he spent in a Vietnamese prison camp. There is no denying that his time there was probably so awful that many of us would have said or done almost anything to stop the torture and abuse. It is certainly to his credit that he did not. His stand against the current administration on the torture of detainees of the war on terror is a strong statement and is highly honorable However, noble performance during captivity does not mean that he automatically deserves or has the judgment and breadth of knowledge necessary to run this country. He constantly referred to Ronald Reagan’s time in office and his policies and conveyed a sense of the past being more influential to his thinking than is the future. He seems to not be aware of how we are doing out here, where people work for a living, do their best to educate their children and keep food on the table and gas in the car. His long history of supporting deregulation of the financial and other sectors of the economy, to the advantage of wealthy individuals and corporations, has contributed to an economy that today teeters on the edge of a meltdown.
Barack Obama focused his comments on the plight of the Average American in today’s world. The USA faces a damaged and abused economy, the world’s vision of America is to many people that of an arrogant and selfish nation and at this time diplomacy rather than saber-rattling and warmongering is so obviously what this country needs to reestablish our credibility across the globe. Senator Obama seems focused on the future and conveys a sense of understanding what we as American are going through and a sense of where we fit into the new 21st century global economic and political world. His background is one of hard work and service to his country. He is strong with respect to going after those that would do us harm, but is sensitive to why we have become a nation that is not respected by many others. He is committed to diplomacy, willing to talk and work out our common problems with leaders of other nations and he understands that one of humanity’s most urgent needs is to develop energy sources that are not only renewable, but that do not cause damage to our imperiled planet.
I called my 87 year old mother after the debate to get a sense of her reaction. She has been engaged in this and previous political campaigns and even at her age, she commented that Senator McCain seems so focused on the past that he is not what we, as a nation, need right now to confront our future. She understands the importance of electing someone with a new view and understanding of the world and how it works today.
The past is what it was. The future calls us to better times. Barack Obama is the candidate that understands that and once elected he will lead us through our difficult present into a more positive future.
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