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The Case for Barack Obama

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By contrast, Barack Obama has been steady and reasoned throughout his campaign. After careful deliberation, he endorsed the administration's decision to intervene in the financial industry but with caveats—not to score campaign points but to make the program work better. These modifications were adopted by the administration and employed last week by Secretary Paulson.

Obama's broader economic agenda—health-care reform, infrastructure investments and a major push for alternative energy—are large solutions to the growing problems of our times. They are not radical, but neither are they overly constrained by the fear of seeming liberal. Bill and Hillary Clinton were always careful not to stray too far from the country's comfort zone. Obama is pushing to change the parameters of that zone. That's leadership.

On foreign policy, Obama is cool to McCain's hot, discriminating about the fights he wants to pick. He argues for greater international cooperation and the aggressive use of diplomacy. He sees a world in which America doesn't have to get adversarial with everyone and tries instead to work with other countries—of whatever hue—to solve the common problems we face.

Let's be honest: neither candidate has past experience that is relevant to being president, except that they have now both run large, multiyear, multimillion-dollar, 50-state campaigns. By common consent, McCain's has been chaotic and ineffective, while Obama has run a superb operation, and done so with little of the drama and discord that usually plague political machines.

This is the case for Obama on substance, which is the most important criterion. But symbolism is also a powerful force in human affairs. Imagine what people around the world would think if they saw America once again inventing the future. And imagine how Americans would feel if they saw their country once again fulfilling its founding creed of equal opportunity, if they saw that there really were no barriers in their country, not even to the highest office in the land, not even for a man with a brown face and a strange name.

I admit to a personal interest. I have a 9-year-old son named Omar. I firmly believe that he will be able to do absolutely anything he wants in this country when he grows up. But I admit that I will feel more confident about his future if a man named Barack Obama became president of the United States.

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Posted By: 771979 @ 11/13/2008 11:17:56 AM

Contd)
Why does not America use its big muscles to find a reasonable resolution between Israel and Palestine in the logic of two sovereign states whose territories could be defined by international law recognising the legitimacy of Israel with the borders drawn up before 1967 and not as envisaged by the Zionist Israeli politicians and American Jewish Lobby: unilateral demarcation of Israel borders? The grabbing Zionists believe that they would be doing a big favour in giving what was left over after the breakfast to the Palestinians their sovereignty. President Elect Barack Obama has to retrain himself in the future by making impetus silly statements that Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Zionist Israel but should offer negotiations to resolve this thorny issue.

It is about time that the USA finds a new direction leading to peace and harmony in the world, and an end to blood shedding, blood letting, death and destruction and killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children in the Muslim world. 1.87 billion Muslims are peace loving people and wish to live in peace and dignity in their homes and countries without the fear of being annihilated by cluster bombs, cruise missiles, F16s???, B52 bombers and by land invasion by the mighty tanks of Israel and USA. President Elect Barack Obama must stop behaving in future as the judge, jury and law of the universe and show humility, humbleness and wisdom when dealing with global sensitive political and diplomatic problems and issues. Mr Obama is a father and a parent, and should remember that it is the most painful and hurtful thing to see one???s children and loved ones perish in senseless wars, act of stomach atrocities of violence and ugly terrorism.

Do we need to recall that before the creation of state of Israel, the same land was inhabited by another people, which it knew was their home? It was the realization of the Zionist dream that created the Palestinian nightmare. This is the truth that will have to make its destined way into Israel???s consciousness. Israel should realize the fact that their country was created when Islam suffered the most unfavourable balance of power in its history. Why does not America use its influence to make Israel realize its moral wrongs, the dangers and harm done to the Palestinians? Barack Obama must address these issues with fair and impartial mind, throw away the opaque glasses made in Israel for the Zionist Israelis, prescribed by American Jewish Lobby and worn by every US administration from the time immemorial.

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Posted By: 771979 @ 11/13/2008 11:15:48 AM

I enjoyed reading your article, Mr Zakria but I disagree with you that it was election boredom or the dubious and duplicitous tactics that lost the Republicans and John McCain the election. I believe that American electorate of every colour, race, origin, ethnicity, status and political affiliation were sick and tired, and fed up from eight years of President G W Bush???s abject political failures in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as inept handling of Hurricane Katrina, US finances that led US to economic disastrous recession and global economic collapse. American simply wanted a change as the British got wanted to kick out Margaret Thatcher.

One thing most certainly that John McCain resisted that ???I am not George Bush??? but forgot that he stood on the Republican platform, agenda and manifesto. It was not his dubious tactics or picking Sarah Palin as his running mate or her duplicitous religious morality that put off majority of the voters but it was G W Bush and his inept administration caused the Republican lose the election so ignominiously. John McCain was doomed on the day he was nominated on the republican ticket.

On the Other hand Barack Obama youthful exuberance, energy, vitality, sincerity and exorbitant intellect inspired almost every American except die-hard, thick-skull, white racists, neo-cons, fear and war mongers, and the Obama machine exploited it exceptionally efficiently. I also believe that besides his clarity of mind, skilful oratory, it was his sex appeal that attracted female voters to him as he tickled their fancy. Unfortunately, John McCain failed to raise the libido in the race and became impotent as the race progressed into the final laps.

President Bush used power that authorized him to be the judge and jury of the universe and decided to apply his principles of justice. The question of Iraq and Palestine point to the politics of duplicitous standards that his arrogance of justice expressed, which in turn fed rage of resentful men. Even the tragedy of 9/11 was not enough to open the eyes of America and enlighten its discernment about the reasons for the hatred it aroused. The fact of the matter is that even the tragic event of 9/11 was used by Bush administration for economic strategy in order to re-colonize the oil resources of the Middle East and Central Asia as well as Afghanistan.
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Posted By: Philynphily @ 11/10/2008 9:41:14 AM

i'm just glad the yanks proved me wrong. They did the smart thing: listened to reason, understood policies, recognized that the supremacist attitude of the republicans wont get them anywhere, didn't refer to a colour palate, and made the right choice on voting day! well done 'dudes'. probably the best decision you've made since you broke away from the mother land...