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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

What an interesting thread. I hope it's okay if I chime in.

I'll be voting Obama in the upcoming election, and I'll be doing so with more passion and enthusiasm than any Presidential election has ever stirred in me.

Why? Because Obama's positions mirror mine, in virtually every instance. I like his position on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and on foreign policy in general. I like his position on education, and how he wants to tie tax incentives for secondary education to community service (a plan that could save me a considerable amount of money when my kids are of college age). I agree with his philosophies on social issues, and support his desire to encourage more young people to become teachers. His tax plan is favorable to people in my income bracket, as well as in most others. And while he is a proponent of a strong defense and proper equipment for our troops, he seems to be less hawkish than his opponent. Equally importantly, his opponent is on record as being in favor of a military draft - something that is important to me, considering my oldest son will be 17 when the next presidential term ends. Plus, as an added bonus, Obama has the ability to inspire and mobilize millions of people, which he has demonstrated during his entire campaign - that is a skill I don't take lightly.

I also have to consider the potential Supreme Court appointees during the next term, and whether a candidate will make appointees that he feels are best for the country, as opposed to appointees that serve a political objective. During this campaign, each candidate has had to make precisely one appointment that has had to take into consideration the question of what is right vs, what is politically prudent - the selection of their running mate. In my mind, the right political move for Obama would have been to choose Clinton, and yet he chose Biden - someone with immense experience and foreign policy knowledge. To me, this shows he's making decisions that he feels are in the best interest of the country, as opposed to furthering his political agenda. His opponent, in my opinion, chose his running mate with the exact opposite goals in mind.

In my opinion, all the rest is just background noise that distracts people from the actual issues - I've often found myself distracted by it as well.

Just my opinion.

-Al