OBAMA CLOSING IN ...

To the chagrin of almost every democrat and liberal I know, Senator Barack Obama is closing in on what would be considered a monumental victory in becoming the first black president in United Stated history. I can say with certainty that this is a large and definitive step forward for the civil rights movement. I would say that this ranks as a defining moment, right up there with Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement of the 1960's and the womens suffrage movement.

Although Barack Obama is a man of captivating stature, I believe that he is not qualified, not now anyway, to lead this country for the next four years. Not one person can argue that Barack Obama is an eloquent speaker and a person who can mesmerize an audience with thrilling speeches on "change". He has rallied thousands of people into raucus frenzies at his political rallies and campaign stops all over the US. He has poured millions into this campaign, newspaper and television groups fall over themselves to capture just small pieces of the audiences that he holds. To what end do we finally stop and ask about substance. He rose quickly from his position as a state senator in Illinois. He blasted onto the political scene with a very fiery speech at the 2004 DNC convention. I have tried to be very open about seeing the man that is Barack Obama, and I find him no different than any other politician.

Senator Obama has yet to answer many questions. Questions about his past relationships with some individuals that many, like myself, find concerning. He has yet to make a definitive stance concerning the war in Iraq. He refuses to admit that while he has opposed the troop surge, that it has worked. He has yet to spout anything more than pure rhetoric when it comes to his tax policies and foreign relations. He has yet to defend his positions concerning Roe vs. Wade, and his beliefs on abortion and stem cell research. His health care policies are nothing more than a cry for reform. He preaches "change" and appoints a long term bureaucrat as his running mate in Joe Biden. Yet, he is given a free pass concerning all these issues.

For eighteen months he has been able to survive on his image and generic policies alone. He stepped into the ring knowing he was going to be able to dodge the big hits because he had most of the major media outlets and pundits in his corner. Think I'm being biased? Just ask Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in twelve years. It's like watching a boxing match that you know has been rigged. Based on pure policy and experience, Clinton and Biden both had more than Obama. So how did Obama get the nomination? Image. Much like JFK did when running against Nixon. He caught the attention of the masses and watched the followers pile on.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't know what the future holds for this country. I don't have a crystal ball to tell you and the rest of America what is in store. What I do know is that this country will be no better off in the next four years whether Obama is in the White House or not. The economy has been a mess since 1992. Social security needed reform since the 1980's. We've needed tort reform and healh care reform for as long as I can remember. These things will not get fixed magically in the next four years. The miltary will always be responding to hot spots the world over and the US will continue to take the lead in UN and NATO operations. Insurance premiums will continue to go through the roof. Education standards will continue to plummet and the consumption of oil by our country will not decrease either. These issues are not controlled by who's in the White House. They are controlled by the people in Congress, and as long as we continue to let the greedy politicians stay in office, we'll never see "change".

These are just my views, so call me what you like, at least you know where I stand.


Jordan Fleck