Interactive Graphic: Swing States on the 2008 Electoral Map

It's amazing to me how fired up people get when talking about politics and religion. But it's really amazing how people forget about their religious teachings, values and beliefs when talking about politics to people who disagree with them. I don't see how insults and name calling is very christ like, i.e. christian. Maybe that's why our founding fathers wanted to have a separation of church and state?? To try to keep the idiots from killing each other??

d_calvosa - the word is IGNORANT - maybe you should use a dictionary and then YOU won't seem IGNORANT

all i can say is i have been going back and forth with the issues and the candidates. both hold very good arguments. My thing is a woman's right to choose should be just that. i don't believeANYONE should judge a person for what they do or who they believe in. That is what God or your higher power is for. I have faithfully served my country and respect ANYONE who has done so. i want our brothers, sisters, mother, and fathers to come home from far away places too but there is a reason why we are the BEST country in the world. lastly anyone who is opposed to gay marriage is a fool. i mean its the millenia for petes sake, what does it matter. i mean if gay/lesbians want to go through all the same cheers and woes that hetero couples go through who are we stop stop them? doesn't it say in the bible that love is kind and forgiving? If you are about the issues and not the political bs i STRONGLY recommend for anyone to listen to DEAR MR PRESIDENT by PINK. It WILL open your eyes to what we are going through. whoever takes over in office dem or repub, support them. we are one of the only countries that actually get the opportunity to vote. Stop being so ungrateful and be proud of who come to term!

I believe that just the fact that he was raise by a white family (that's sterotyping within itself) does not making him a better choice... I believe is the person he truly is smart and educated and we need a change. So, people, please look beyond the color of the skin and vote for change.

Has no one heard that the whole world is watching this election....this means All of the USA's enemies are watching this just waiting for the key to be passed along to the wrong person so the gates of hell can be opened for them to come on in.... Obama has already said in his OWN book that "He will stand with the muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction"..... this is not the kind of president that we need protecting this country.....he is not going to protect this country he has already showed that for gods sake he has already made up his own flag since he will not stand in front of the one that our forefathers have fought and died for.And for all the Obama supporters out there it is quoted in his The Audacity of Hope book. He is going to tear this country apart and all of his supporters have their blinders on thinking he is going to CHANGE this country for the best ...he will Change it alright...but be forwarned it is not going to be for the better....Remembering 9/11 will not compare to what this country is in for.... I say to all of you start buying your chemical warfare suits now before you can't find them.

I don't agree with John McCain on everything - but I am utterly convinced that he is qualified to be our next President, and I trust him to do what's right. I know in my heart that he has the best interests of our country in mind. He doesn't simply want to be President - he wants to lead America, and there's a huge difference. Factually, there is simply no comparison between the two candidates. A man of questionable background and motives who prattles on about change can't hold a candle to a man who has devoted his life in public service to this nation, retiring from the Navy in 1981 and elected to the Senate in 1982.

Perhaps Obama's supporters are taking a stance between old and new. Maybe they don't care about McCain's service or his strength of character, or his unblemished qualifications to be President. Maybe 'likeability' is a higher priority for them than 'trust'. Being a prisoner of war is not what qualifies John McCain to be President of the United States of America - but his demonstrated leadership certainly DOES.

Dear friends, it is time for us to stand. It is time for thinking Americans to say, 'Enough.' It is time for people of all parties to stop following the party line. It is time for anyone who wants to keep America first, who wants the right man leading their nation, to start a dialogue with all their friends and neighbors and ask who they're voting for, and why. There's a lot of evil in this world. That should be readily apparent to all of us by now. And when faced with that evil as we are now, I want a man who knows the cost of war on his troops and on his citizens. I want a man who puts my family's interests before any foreign country.

I want a President who's qualified to lead. I want my country back and I'm voting for John McCain.

For me, the choice is clear. I've looked carefully at the two leading applicants for the job, and I've made my choice. Here's a question - where were you five and a half years ago? Around Christmas???2002. You've had five or six birthdays in that time. Five and a half years is a good chunk of time, about 2,000 days, 2,000 nights of sleep, 6,000 meals, give or take. John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.

When offered early release, he refused it. He considered this offer to be a public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer than he should be released first. Did you get that part? He was offered his freedom, and he turned it down. A regimen of beatings and torture began.

Do you possess such strength of character? Locked in a filthy cell in a foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of your fellow man? I submit that's a quality of character that is rarely found, and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.

Unlike several presidential candidates in recent years whose military service is questionable or non-existent, you will not find anyone to denigrate the integrity and moral courage of this man. A graduate of Annapolis, during his Naval service he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. His own son is now serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq. Barack Obama is fond of saying 'We honor John McCain's service...BUT...', which to me is condescending and offensive - because what I hear is, 'Let's forget this man's sacrifice for his country and his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more about change.'

J23G..see my comment below. I do not feel like my or my battle buddies (lost in combat) lives went for none. However, until you walked in our (the troops) shoes, how can you comment about our sacrifices and losses??? The problem is that I don't want to see anymore lives taken away for no reason. Is your son, daughter, wife, husband or loved one over "there"? Most of the people calling for the withdrawl have a vested stake in the war (a loved one or two). How about you??

IGNORANT! That is all I can say to these unresearched COMMENTS>>>OPINIONS>>>>NOT FACT!

Put it all aside. Then ask yourself, what qualifies this man to be my president? That he's a brilliant orator and talks about change? CHANGE WHAT?

Friends, I'll be straight forward with you - I believe the American voters who are supporting Barack Obama don't have a clue what they're doing, as evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT ONE of them I've spoken to can spell out his qualifications. Not even the most liberal media can explain why he should be elected. Political experience? Negligible. Foreign relations? Non-existent. Achievements? Name one. Someone who wants to unite the country? If you haven't read his wife's thesis from Princeton, look it up on the web. This is whose lining up to be our next First Lady? The only thing I can glean from Obama's constant harping about change is that we're in for a lot of new taxes.

I <3 obama

No, no, that part of the system's okay - we just need a lot of change. And so it goes. 'Change we can believe in'. Quite frankly, I don't believe that vague proclamations of change hold any promise for me. In recent months, I've been asking virtually everyone I encounter how they're voting. My closest friend that lives in Illinois, also says most folks are voting for Barack Obama. But no one can really tell us why-only that he's going to change a lot of stuff. Change, change, change. We have yet to find one single person who can tell us distinctly and convincingly why this man is qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nation on earth - other than the fact that he claims he's going to implement a lot of change. We've all seen the emails about Obama's genealogy, his upbringing, his Muslim background, and his church affiliations. Let's ignore this for a moment.

What TRULY amazes me is the astonishing number of people who spell the word truly incorrect. (truely)

I <3 obama

We are in the unique position in this country of electing our leaders. It's a privilege to do so. I've never found a candidate in any election with whom I agreed on everything. I'll wager that most of us don't even agree with our families or spouses 100% of the time. So when I step into that voting booth, I always try to look at the big picture and cast my vote for the man or woman who is best qualified for the job. I've hired a few people in my lifetime, and essentially that's what an election is - a hiring process. Who has the credentials? Whom do I want working for me? Whom can I trust to do the job right?

I'm concerned that a growing number of voters in this country simply don't get it. They are caught up in a fervor they can't explain, and calling it 'change.' Change what?, I ask. Well, we're going to change America, they say. In what way? I query. We want someone new and fresh in the White House, they exclaim. So, someone who's not a politician?..I press. Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we're voting for Obama, they state. So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that has enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine education, raise incredible amounts of money and dominate the news and win his party's nomination for the White House - that system's all wrong?

I believe our government should help those who are legitimately downtrodden, and should always put the interests of America first. The purpose of this message is that I'm concerned about the future of this great nation. I'm worried that the silent majority of honest, hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been passive for too long. Most folks I know choose not to involve themselves in politics. They go about their daily lives, paying their bills, raising their kids, and doing what they can to maintain the good life. They vote and consider doing so to be a sacred trust. They shake their heads at the political pundits and so-called 'news', thinking that what they hear is always spun by whoever is reporting it. They can't understand how elected officials can regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending. They don't want government handouts. They want the government to protect them, not raise their taxes for more government programs.