3rd Post

Obama, he seems to many to be a symbol of hope for the future. His address at the Democratic convention made him something of a celebrity, his books have been huge sellers, and he gained the endorsement of Oprah, something no one thought possible. While giving a speech in New York, to one of the biggest crowds of this campaign season, Obama attempeted to seperate himself from his Democratic counter parts. He said, “There were folks on the stage [at the democratic debate] that said Social Security is just fine, we don’t have to do anything about it...There are those who will tell you that getting out of Iraq will be painless, we’ll do it in a snap, not acknowledging that there are no good options in Iraq. There are folks who will shift positions and policies on all kinds of things depending on which way the wind is blowing. That’s not the kind of politics that will deliver on the change we are looking for." I am not sure who I am supporting in the Presidential race, that is mostly because I will not be able to vote when it comes around but I think I do agree with Obama on this point. Politicians often times avoid the problems because they want votes. They promise tax cuts when in reality the only way to keep social security is a raise in taxes. They promise a swift withdrawl and speedy recovery from Iraq when in reality the current administration has screwed up this war so much that there are no swift or speedy ways out. Obama is not trying to gloss over the issues. He is confronting them and admiting that solving them will be dificult. Even if he is not the symbol of hope that everyone has been trying to make him out to be, at least he is honest.