Tuesday, September 2, 2008

It's About You

[For the Record]
Senator Barack Obama accepts the nomination of the Democratic Party for President (transcript):

This may be a bit late as the blogosphere goes but I was on vacation last week. It's early enough though to await the competing declamation of Senator John McCain (Gustav obliging of course) some time later this week. The GOP is not having as good a week as planned, though it is yet to unfold. But the Republican National Convention in Minnesota seems to have been walloped by Hurricane Gustav even harder than New Orleans itself. There lies an opportunity in this, as well as a silver lining to the overhanging dark cloud, as one probably pro-Obama tv personality noted, in that neither President George W. Bush nor Vice President Dick Cheney will be making an appearance.

I'm sure Senator John McCain will deliver a strong and compelling speech himself, especially after hearing the Democratic candidate show a flash of passion to tangle with him in the forthcoming US Presidential Debates. I'm looking forward to those decisive moments in a pivotal political struggle.

On substance, this blog will be playing close attention to the positions and ideas of both men on four key issues: (1) the war on terrorism and (2) the future of Science, Religion and Education in America; (3) energy and innovation policy; and (4) immigration reform.

Though their views on all these issues have been made known, I think they've both been scrambling around in the expected mad dash to occupy the Center and court undecideds. In some sense these "recalibrated" positions going into the home stretch of the race will be better indicators of what they will actually do or not do in office.

I think now that either man would make a good President, in his own way. It remains only to decide who would be better for America in these, too-interesting times (for that would surely be better for the world). So, I would like to think that this choice is not for the lesser of two evils, but the greater of two goods. It's a luxury never seen in Philippine elections, unfortunately.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Indeed a luxury never seen in Philippine elections........ while, I don't expect the Philippines to come even close to this historic event I am hoping that the stakeholders should realize by now that something has to be done or forever sink in the abyss of desperation.

Unknown said...

"It's a luxury never seen in Philippine elections, unfortunately."

You can say that again.

Ben Vallejo said...

DJB you forgot the following

5) America's role in a mulipolar world.

True we have a new cold war aborning but we have at least three superpowers to deal with, Russia, China and Islam. (not even including the first superpower,heir to Rome, the tiny Vatican. The Vatican has famously tangled with the latter!)

How the USA will handle this is of interest to all of us and should be tackled by Obama and McCain.

I would like to see how the VPs tangle. Sarah Palin's inclusion is a monkeywrench on the Democratic ticket. To some extent it is really a spoof.

The Nashman said...

bizarrely for a creationist religious fundamentalist nutter, sarah palin supports stem cell research...hurray!