vailian

Now I want to say, I am a firm believer in democracy. A society should have the means to choose its own leaders, they need to believe they are helping shape their own destiny.

But mygod, at least they should make an effort to make an informed choice! there should be a way to force voters to actally think about the candidates' credentials. Does being a Hockey Mom somehow automatically qualify someone (not mentioning any names here) to be President? Does the fact that she shows good taste in eyeglasses indicate an ability to understand complex issues of national sovereignty? Why is there so much more coverage in the media of this kind of fluff than on the actual issues-- so vital to America's future-- that the candidates must address??

McCaine's view of America is very much based on suspicion and mistrust, and is colored by a military background. Is it too cynical of me to suspect that a great many people who support him believe firmly that we somehow won the war in Vietnam because he was a prisoner? The same people who remember how we won the wars in Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq?

The fact is, there is only one war America has won in the last 60 years. And it wasn't the war in Vietnam or Korea or Granada or Cuba, or the war on poverty or illiteracy or obesity, no, it was the Cold War. And that one was not won on the battlefield, but because at some point the leaders got together and thought, this is a waste of time and money.
And now Bush is trying his best to reignite that war. Is this necessary?

I like Obama because he has a vision of America that reflects the ideals that made America a leader in the first place: Social conscience, youth, energy, faith in the future, integration of immigrants... above all, I like his optimism.
Maybe his vision has not been spelled out in detail, maybe his trust in humanity could get him into trouble-- but I believe he could help the country (and the world) see what is great about America.

My long stay working in Europe has probably turned me into pathetic Eurotrash,
perhaps I am not seeing the situation clearly. I will be in the US in October with my daughter, and intend to see if my view of American culture is jaundiced.

(The BBC posted an interesting set of interviews with American soldiers yesterday)