The premature debate over the future president of the United States has already spread across the nation. Although this hype is happening historically much earlier than it has in the past, in a way it is warranted.
We are presented with an incredibly diverse and interesting array of potential candidates: A republican from Colorado with a platform dominated by immigration issues; a senator from New York, who is a political warhorse and the wife of a former president; the former mayor of New York City; and a relatively young and inexperienced democrat from Chicago.
It is this last candidate who has critics and fans buzzing with excitement. He is Barack Obama, and whether or not you like him, you ought to have an opinion on him.
Without giving our overall support to him as a candidate, we at the Rip would like to raise awareness about this interesting candidate.
The next president must have a clear vision for Iraq and for the war on terror in general. Without being pessimistic, the next president must be as honest and pragmatic as possible about the conflicts we have been forced into, and those we have forced ourselves into.
While Obama has made clear his dissenting views about Iraq, he has shown himself to be an informed critical thinker.
In a political environment where a candidate must make a firm stance on an issue to present to the voter, Obama has shown that he is a capable listener and considers without being wishy-washy.
In any situation as complicated as a war, there is no hard and short answer, and there is no simple solution. “Stay the course” or “cut and run” are terms that are offensive to any thinking person’s intelligence when presented as the only options for a war in the Middle East.
While Obama has made it clear that he does not support the war in Iraq, he undoubtedly has a more intricate solution than simply pulling all the troops out of the region. Or at least he is still thinking about it.
The fact that he is still so new to the whole political scene has been debated hotly, with both sides of the debate claiming superiority. Those who oppose him claim that he is untested and unskilled. His supporters claim that his newness is an asset that will set him apart from those jaded and corrupted by the whole political atmosphere.
There is one aspect of his newness that has not been explored very much, and that is his honesty has not been tested. All the sincere and moving speeches in the world mean next to nothing when they are not backed by a solid track record of scrutiny by the media and muckraking opponents.
Politicos who have been around for a while have been so thoroughly investigated that the public has at least a vague idea about their true character.
What is meant by this is that if there are accusations or allegations of any kind, and if they have lasted for any amount of time, it is likely that they might be grounded in some bit of truth.
At this point, Obama’s image is largely untarnished. This will force his opponents to either smear his character until he is down to the level of their most polished candidate, or find a candidate who stands a chance at holding their own against Obama’s celebrity.
The Rip will hold off on making any firm endorsement for any candidate until after a thorough examination of that candidate’s character and intentions.
However, we do consider Obama an interesting and strong person who is going to cause the 2008 elections more than a choice between lesser evils.