ain't 2008 great?

barack obama has been said to be the reincarnated john f. kennedy. i should preface that statement by saying it was said by my aging political science professor who live through kennedy's 3-year term and is still in mourning over his assassination. his statement has been in the back of my brain since it woke me up as i was drifting away in my constitutional politics class.

let's compare. both men are handsome. by any standards the charisma of kennedy and the spirited voice of obama are attractive to most americans. but the attraction of kennedy was combined with his 1920's gruff hollywood looks and his articulation of how to change the world. kennedy is my second favorite president (no one trumps wilson). he had imperfections that made his presidency and campaign appealing. granted i was not alive when he ran for the presidency but through transcripts of speeches and old black and white presentations of debates i can say i would have voted for kennedy.

situationally the political climate seems similar to the 1960 election. the economy seems to be stagnant and falling faster and faster into a recession - similar to the 1960 economy. the shaky relationship of nixon and eisenhower can be compared to the relationship of mccain and bush or bush and the republican party. the challengers to the bush campaign do not seem to have the desire and the want to defeat the existing party. kennedy had the ability to look into the camera and passionately say, i want the presidency. our democratic candidates do not look the camera or the american people in the eye, instead clinton gives her infamous death stare to obama and obama bickers with clinton. instead of arguing with eachother why not attack the bush administration. why not attack their previous employers or the house for not utilizing the separation of powers and passing bills that would help the american people they allegedly work for? why not charge dick cheney for treason for the way the iraq war has been fought?

obama is not kennedy. clinton is not roosevelt. mccain is not lincoln. and huckabee does not deserve to share a sentence with a great man. i can't type romney without gagging. i do not know who to support. the beginning of this campaign season i was with mccain. i thought he was the only powerful candidate that would rise above the bickering and become a leader. he has disappointed me. mccain's iraq plan doesn't sit well in my stomach. i support my troops and i disagree with a withdrawal but permanent stations are not the answer. i wish i could support clinton's politics but i just can't. i cannot ignore the blank check she gave president bush in the senate for the iraq war. i don't enjoy basing my vote on one vote in the senate but this is my generation and i can't support the woman who votes one way and then demands immediate withdrawal.

i want to support and back obama. i want to with all of my person. he represents my state. he's a family man. he doesn't support universal healthcare. but for some reason maybe its the tax increases that prevents me from saying lets barack and roll. it's the iraq thing again. obama demands complete troop withdrawal in 16 months. i can't support it. i can't consciously support leaving a country in a little bit over 2 years with a defined plan of how we are leaving a country we invaded. then there is his experience. but that i'm ok with. i think the inexperienced will save this country. cheney had a beautiful resume and well we all know how that worked out.