Why I didn't post Obama's accomplishments

Someone said that I'm such a fan of Obama that I can't see his flaws. Hmmm. Could be true, but I'd say that it's more likely that I consider his balance of strengths and flaws better than any other current candidate for the office, and there are some aspects of his candidacy that interest and inspire me (for obvious reasons.) I didn't respond to the bait to list his accomplishments as a senator for a specific reason.
I could go to his web site and cut-and-paste the long list of stuff, but then what would happen? Those of conservative bent would attack it, those of liberal bent (who support him) would defend it. Demands for a list of Palin and McCain's accomplishments would be made. The same thing would happen. That crap is happening all across the Internet. Why repeat this here? Rather, I'll give you a chance to attack my reasoning, beliefs and values. That would seem to be more to the point. I AM NOT TRYING TO CONVINCE ANYONE OF ANYTHING. JUST DESCRIBING MY OWN PROCESSES. NO FLAME WARS, PLEASE.


Doesn't it make sense that I would back him, given that I think that:

1) The Iraq war is the greatest foreign policy blunder of my lifetime.

2) George Bush is the worst president of my lifetime. (and no, this isn't purely ideological. I didn't feel that way about Reagan or Bush Sr.)

3)Experience isn't the issue, and never was. CAPACITY is the issue. Experience is merely an indicator of capacity. If you KNEW someone had the capacity, you wouldn't care about their level of experience. And if someone had the experience, but had lost the capacity (due, for instance, to senility. No, I'm not making a dig) you wouldn't care about their experience.

4) I consider running a campaign to be executive experience--if you build the machine from scratch, and don't inherit it from your father.

5) If a local schoolteacher battled her way to National prominance, survived twenty debates and countless interviews, motivated millions of people to donate money and countless Washington insiders said that they were favorably impressed by her savvy and capacity, and won the nomination--I would consider it a Cinderella story, and cheer her on.

6) I consider that he ran at a minimum 5% handicap because of race. This makes his accomplishment all the more amazing to me.

7) I recognize habits of thought that I myself cultivate and admire.

8) I consider him balanced in all three aspects: physically fit, financially successful, happily married.

9) As an isolated tactic, the Surge seems to have succeeded--but that doesn't make it a good idea as part of an overall strategy. As I said, the cost in lives and treasure has not, in my mind, been worth it. Still, if the violence is dying down, I very much want to see something positive come out of this clusterfuck. If my uncle squandered the family millions buying a donkey, yes, I would take that donkey home. Doesn't mean I think the purchase was a good idea, even if it turns out to be a damned fine donkey.

10) I have no problem with Biden. If Obama wants to float high above the fray, it makes good sense to have an anchor. Hillary on the ticket? I would have gone for it, but white males, already frowning about the situation, would have been even more disaffected I think. A Washington outsider? How much change do you think America can take at one time? The goal is to get elected. He already represents a STAGGERING, historic amount of change. His partner needed to be safe and "conservative" in comparison, or he would have had no chance at all. He was going to be attacked by the Right no matter WHAT choice he made, so this argument is pure b.s. to me.

11) The Reverend Wright situation doesn't bother me. One goes to church to contribute to the community, as well as receive. This was the community he chose to serve. Anger is a mask over fear. If you heard tremendous anger from Wright without asking

a) did he represent his constituancy and

b) if they are so angry, what have they, historically, to fear?

you are at least unconsciously assuming that they are somehow different from you. My position is that no, they're not--you would have felt the same, had you had their experience of America. I believe that like me, Obama has the perspective on human nature and world history to avoid the tunnel-vision us-themism that creates racism on either side. It makes sense to me that he would want to make the dream of America, the best dream that has ever existed on this planet, work more equally for all her children. I can see that because I have known countless intelligent, hard-working, law-abiding black people who have expressed similar frustrations and fears--those fears masked with anger. I get it. If he avoided black people who felt that way, he would have only white people around him, constantly whispering "see? there's no problem! You made it! Come on...admit it. There's something just a little wrong with them..." just as I have whenever I've been in Conservative Republican gatherings. If I hadn't experienced that, I'd probably be a Republican myself.

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There is more there, but those are the basics. Feel free to attack me: I'm a grown assed man. As to his flaws,

1) Lack of resume. Of COURSE I'd like him to have a deeper resume. I would consider his accomplishments PRIOR to the primaries roughly comparable to Palin's, given the relative number of his constituents and hers--except that his education far exceeds hers, of course. But again, if Palin had entered the primary and excelled, I would be cheering her on. Wow! What a woman! But if, for instance, he had NOT been in the primary, had never been on the national stage, and Clinton (for instance) had chosen him as a running mate...I'd wonder about her judgement.

2) He plays politics. How many times have I said that I HATE politics? I hate what people do to get into office--they have to bend and duck and weave and almost break their backs. They have to shade their comments, knowing that anything they say can be taken out of context and used as a weapon against them. Since everyone has to do this, the question isn't whether he does...it is whether he can do it and keep his soul. So far, I haven't seen a decision that strikes me as out and out cynicism, although I do see decisions that I don't fully understand. Unless I am willing to reject the entire political process, I have to groan, sigh, grit my teeth and say "that's just the game."

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Anyway, that's the core of my thinking, first draft, without revision. It annoys me when I occassionally hear Democrats speaking of Obama in Messianic terms, but then it annoyed me when I heard Republicans speaking of Reagan or Bush that way--and I did, both before and after their elections. Some people just pray to be rescued. That ain't me, Babe.