Election Update

Not as much going on this time around.  The main thing is an exchange between McCain and Obama regarding Iraq.  I'm not going to bother sourcing this time since these quotes are all over the place; I'll just quickly sum it up for you.  In recent speeches, Obama was asked to clarify his previous statements that he'll pull out of Iraq immediately - would he send troops back in if Al Qaeda established a base there?  Obama said that as Commander-in-Chief (boy, that phrase sends a chill down my spine), he would reserve the right to send troops back in to take out the base and secure America's interests.  McCain, then, pointed out the rather obvious fact that Al Qaeda is already in Iraq (and that they're calling themselves "Al Qaeda in Iraq").  In response, Obama said -- to thunderous applause from his followers, for that's what they've become rather than supporters -- that they weren't there before Bush invaded.

This is a very disturbing turn of events.  Obama is either grossly uninformed about the fact that Al Qaeda had a major presence in Iraq long before 2003, or he is deliberately lying about it.  Either way, it's a problem that this is coming from a potential President!  Perhaps even more disturbing, though, is the reaction of Obama's supporters.  They are so wrapped up in his pithy style and clever wit that plain facts are not penetrating into their minds.  This is much more reminiscent of a religious movement than a political leader, and that's a whole different problem.  Only time will tell whether McCain can hold Obama down to facts and issues, where he is much weaker.  If the debate goes into rhetoric, McCain doesn't stand a chance.

Moving on, we have some other news that affects the election.  First, the New York Times strikes out at McCain again, questioning his legal eligibility to even run for President.  Basically, McCain was born on a military base at Panama Canal instead of inside the 50 states.  The Constitution maintains that Presidents must be 'natural-born' citizens, meaning they had to be born on American soil.  This is just another charge that McCain has already dealt with in the 2000 election.  Legal analysis and precedent says he is on solid footing, though the law has not been fully fleshed out on the matter in the court system.  In my opinion, this is just another slam attack to undermine McCain's credibility.  I doubt it will be the last.

In a major turnaround, superdelegate and civil rights leader John Lewis has switched his support from Hillary to Obama.  Hillary was already struggling with the black vote, and the loss of Lewis has to be a major blow to her support base.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean recently made the statement that while the Dem presidential candidates look 'like America', the Rep presidential field looked like 1950 and sounded like 1850.  That's clever enough, but he also seems to be forgetting that the keys to the kingdom of the Dem nomination are held by superdelegates, which are mostly...wait for it...old white guys.

Some other concerns have surfaced in consideration of an Obama presidency.  First, there are some suspected terrorist connections and rumors that Obama is a Muslim.  Whether or not they are true, I don't know, but they certainly bear some additional scrutiny, especially in the light of his consistent animosity toward Israel.  After all, this is our nation's highest office, and we need to understand the man who occupies it.  As Samuel Adams said, "The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men."

Next, we have some rumors of death threats being reported among prominent black leaders if they don't vote for Obama.  I haven't seen this connected with Obama's campaign at all, but it is a rather ominous suggestion that there are thug tactics going on behind the scenes that are extremely disturbing.  Finally, the military has some reservations about an Obama presidency.  I'm not surprised - Clinton laid waste to the military through slashed budgets and social experimentation, and Obama has essentially the same views as Clinton.

The other scuffle going on right now is incredibly disappointing to me.  Apparently, the Republican party -- led by McCain himself -- is going to handle Obama with extremely sensitive kid gloves.  McCain was introduced by conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham at a recent appearance, and he strenuously chastised Cunningham's use of Obama's middle name, Hussein.  I can certainly understand the argument that using Hussein is a cheap tactic to make people think of Islamic ties, but the fact remains that 'Hussein' is his name!  In addition, the Republican National Committee chastised the Tennessee Rep Committee for doing the same thing.  It would be one thing if Obama downplayed the tactic, but he appears to be encouraging it.  Come on!  My concern is this: if Reps are afraid to even speak Obama's name, how in the world are they planning to attack his policies and positions?  Are they literally planning to lay down an die in the general election??

If the Reps don't grow a spine fast, the 2008 election is going to be an implosion of massive proportions!

There's my two cents.