Obama has the Judgement to Lead
I was privileged to attend a foreign policy forum today in Portsmouth, with Barack Obama and his very impressive panel of foreign policy advisors. "Judgement to Lead" read the banner on the podium from which Obama spoke.
Our next president faces huge global challenges, and he or she must possess sound judgement. Obama certainly has it. He spoke out against going to war with Iraq when it was unpopular to do so. He opposed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment and its challenges to Iran. He doesn't take a stand because it is politically advantageous, but because it is right. Every time I have seen him, either in person or on TV, he has answered questions thoughtfully and candidly, not with a canned speech that evades the question, but with the confidence of his convictions.
He works with Republicans in the senate, because he knows that reaching across the aisle is how to pass legislation and get things done. As a nation, and politically, we have become so divisive, and Obama means to get us beyond this. He reminds us that diplomacy, and the imprtance of engaging our enemies in dialogue, are as important as tools of foreign policy as our military force; that the security and prosperity of America is linked to the security and prosperity of other countries around the world.
He is all about hope and change; he has vision. In his campaign speeches he does not resort to the fear-mongering rhetoric that we have heard from the Bush administration for the past seven years and from some of the other candidates, which is their way of sounding tough: tough on terror, tough on immigration, just plain tough. We don't need tough! We need smart!
To accomplish anything, our next president must unite us. Obama intends to bring us together to achieve his goals. After seeing him several times I belive he is more capable of doing this than any other candidate. He is truly inspiring. I urge voters of all parties to check out his policies, listen to some of his speeches, and to get hopeful about politics.