My two cents on Obama

Let me first state that I think Obama will make a good president in 8 or so years. Now, let me explain why it is I don't think he is ready for the job in 2008.

After learning about his use of a teleprompter to give these seemingly spontaneous impassioned speeches "from the heart", his proposition of numerous pieces of legislation and his inability to build coalitions to get them passed, I believe he is more talk than action. It is a roll of the dice with him. There is nothing in his past to convince me that he is capable of making hard decisions--he abstained from voting on numerous controversial pieces of legislation, even though he was present at the voting. I do not trust him with making foreign policy decisions if he would not make a decision at the state level on a bill that would allow certain victims of sexual crimes to petition judges to seal court records relating to their cases. Obama also voted present (the only Senator to do so) on a bill that effortlessly passed the Senate that would require teaching lessons on respecting others in schools. He also voted present on a bill aimed at prohibiting sex-related shops from opening near schools or places of worship. ("It’s Not Just ‘Ayes’ and ‘Nays’: Obama’s Votes in Illinois Echo", New York Times, by Raymond Hernandez and Christopher Drew, December 20, 2007) Whether you agree with these measures or not, his job as a state senator is to make hard decisions on these issues. He repeatedly failed to do so. Another important job requirement is proposing bills and then building coalitions to get those bills passed. Since Obama became a United States Senator, he has only sponsored two bills that have become law. One of these bills was a bill to name a post office. Do we really want a president who fails to take hard stands when not politically expedient and who does not have the experience and history necessary to build bipartisan coalitions to get the job of Congress done?

I firmly believe that Senator Clinton is the best choice to get us out of the mess George W. Bush put us in. She has the ability to get things done in Washington--not just propose that things get done. Her national security policy and foreign policy can match strength with John McCain's. Obama appears soft on these issues. If you were enticed by his anti-war sentiment, it is prudent to remember that he was not even in the Senate during that time and when he finally did get to the Senate, it was much more popular to be anti-war. Recently, a resolution was passed on America's relations with Iran. Obama criticized Hillary's vote, but he did not even cast a vote on it. He was off campaigning somewhere. The fact is that so far, he does not take hard stands when necessary. I do not trust him to be a strong leader of our nation during this precarious time. He has pretty words and he is charismatic, but he does not act.

What is the reason why we are overlooking Obama’s inexperience and unwillingness to take hard stands on the issues?