McCain/Obama Debate 1: War vs. Peace

Once you sort through the rhetoric that political campaigns impose on us, the debate on foreign affairs in this presidential election comes down to a clear choice:

• One political party promises to battle it out on foreign soil until we win – at a huge human and economic cost;

vs.

• A political party that proposes to seek more peaceful alternatives and offers the hope of bringing our troops back home, placing greater emphasis on restoring our nation's focus on domestic and economic priorities.

I prefer the latter although I acknowledge there are many who believe the McCain/Bush model is the superior choice for the future. I can't impose my will on them any more than the United States can impose its will on the rest of the world. I can't defend my opinions and beliefs to those who are diametrically opposed to a planned withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, but I can hope that undecided voters at least understand the future they are choosing when they pull the lever.

There are perhaps ten fundamental, overly-simplified and overlapping campaign issues this election, of varying importance based on individual priorities.

• War vs. Peace


• Government dictated right to life vs. Individual reproductive rights


• Supreme Court Conservatism vs. Supreme Court Centrism/Liberalism


• Wall St. Deregulation vs. Greater governmental oversight of Wall St. profiteering


• White Senior Citizen/Military Education vs. Harvard educated youthful Black American


• Resistance to climate control issues vs. Aggressive Green initiatives


• Medical Conservatism vs. Stem Cell and other research initiatives


• Acceptance of religion as political platform vs. clear separation of church and state


• Independent maverick vs. Successful establishment operator


• Voted 90% with Bush/Argued for surge vs. Early foe of Iraq War and surge…

… which brings me back to the core issue of support for aggressive warfare and confrontation vs. untested political solutions that seek a more collaborative global coexistence.

There are, of course, several other issues such as immigration, the economy, off-shore resourcing. But the debates should focus voters on their own priorities and the key dimensional differences between McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden. The bottom line is leadership. The selection of Sarah Palin vs. the selection of Joe Biden can be debated, but one speaks to a commitment to thoughtful leadership and one, to me, speaks to a commitment to shock and awe politics and reinforces my conviction that a Mccain administration will mean at least four more years of shock and awe warfare and shock and awe economics.

I personally prefer hope, and I hope the debates will focus on the core fundamental differences between the candidates and not the rhetoric that camouflages these differences.

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