by Gary Sacco

Created on: October 01, 2008

Many experts still believe that the Presidential Election will wind up very close. I predict a 5 percentage point margin of victory. Recent polls continue to show a large faction of undecided voters. This I find unfathomable. After a lengthy, and for the Democrats, bruising, primary season, the electorate should be very familiar with both Barack Obama and John McCain. For me, a Democrat, the choice was arrived at many months ago. Candidate McCain disavowing Republican Party policies, then crusading for change and a Washington shake up seemed disingenuous for the 26 year Senator. Sure, McCain has broken ranks on a handful of issues. More often, though, he has towed his party's line. Barack Obama is my candidate for many reasons. Ironically, his theme of change alone didn't convince me. Holistically, Obama is more appealing. I commend the consistency of his positions contrasted by McCain's revolving embrace and repudiation of various Bush policies. Like a never ending Polka, his message leaves the voter dizzy and confused. Interestingly, Obama's moral fiber stands up very favorably versus the so-called straight talking Arizona Senator. In this challenging climate, voters must also evaluate who really is the more solid decision maker. Again, Obama is the runaway choice here.

As the propaganda machine kicked up hubris and smoke, insisting to the American public that we must invade Iraq, for a bunch of suspect reasons, Barack Obama publically disagreed. While many war dissenting elected officials were scared into silence, or else have their patriotism questioned, the young Illinois State Senator did not flinch. He boldly declared that Iraq invasion was the wrong course. John McCain wholeheartedly supported it. Who was right? It is very apparent now that Saddam Hussein could not produce the degree of threat ginned up by the Administration. The WMD hunt turned up nothing. Like sand during a whipping windstorm, the supposed Al Qeada connection just, well, blew away. The great debate, now regards the troop surge. McCain has seized on relative calmness, in Iraq, to suggest that Obama was completely wrong about this strategy's effectiveness. Yet, McCain's attitude is very smug. He seems convinced that we've won there. In reality, too many factors are still tenuous. Americans may not be able to examine the real outcome for many years.

The second component of Obama's war position lamented that the adventure in Iraq detracts from the Afghanistan campaign. McCain's comment

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