Obama's Candidacy

Obama offers a great alternative but I don't think that he is ready. He needs to wait another four years or maybe even eight years.

Obama is not a strong candidate he lacks gravitas.Obama is not a viable candidate for me. Unfrortunatly the Clinton machine cannot be stopped and she will easily get the nomination.Obama does not get in her face at debates, why? i don't know. If i read your post properly are you saying that because Obama is black it shows progress in American politics?. If so does that infer that if a white person refuses to vote for Obama, is that person automaticaly looked at as a racist. As a conservative voter i wiil not vote for Obama, but i would gladly vote for Michael Steele, Condi, Shelby Steele, Colin Powell,. How about the first Italian American pres?- We have to get away from the thinking that if i refuse to vote for someone like Jesse, or Sharpton its because i'm a racist.

For me, Barack Obama symbolizes everything America has become and can aspire to. Unlike Clinton- who is now the Democratic parties version of the Bush's dynastic rule of the Republicans (we still have Jeb Bush to consider after the Democratic cycle concludes)- Obama is a true citizen of the world; he is an American in the best sense of what is means to be American. It is as if his DNA is the DNA of what America is. America is no longer a white protestant land owning class of its founders, nor is it Ozzie and Harriet of the post-world war era, but an accretion of diverse religious, cultural, and racial heritages. America's DNA has absorbed the DNA of the global citizenry, and Barack Obama is an expression of this American DNA. America needs a leader who is of the world, seen the world, and understands the world. Only a leader who has seen the world can pull us from the morass this present administration mired us in. My fear is that the fear of Obama, promulgated by the right and the Democratic machinery, will make Americans vote for what is "safe", but in the end just as polarizing as the Bush Administration.

Imran, Obama is no better a symbol of America than is an Irish kid running for pres. whose parents were immigrants to America and lived and learned the American Dream. It seems you are suggesting that merely by the color of his skin he is somehow the perfect person to lead America. Millions of people come to this miracle of a country for a better life and freedom for all.That is Americas DNA. People coming to America now seem to want America to adopt the DNA of their former country, that is what is not safe for America. Is it safe to surrender to a bunch of terrorist be-headers who want to kill anybody who disagrees with their sick philosophy. As a member of the "right " I welcome the day a person of color is elected to run America, Barack is not the one for me. In todays America there are many who would just say that proves me to be just another -White Protestent - Racist. The true American DNA is its "CONSTITUTION". Imran, during the good old days of Ozzie and Harriet- there were black American ,Ozzie and Harriets as well.

I'm undecided, but I do appreciate the fact that he can laugh at himself, as evidenced by his little appearance on SNL last week.

I have been a Democrat my entire adult life and I am almost to the point I won't vote for any of the current crop. Sorry.

n the hour-long discussion of Obama on On Point, Nov. 6, 2007, it was noted that he, unlike Clinton, was unambiguously opposed to the war against Iraq. In view of this, it is curious no one mentioned that, just like Clinton, Obama went before AIPAC March 2, 2007, and declared that to prevent Iran from making atomic weapons military action is not off the table . (http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/03/obamas_aipac_speech_text_as_pr.html)
Saying this and releasing it to the press beforehand to make sure he does not "forget" may have been a condition of getting prime time from AIPAC, but the fact is he said it, and such a statement is a green light for Bush and Cheney to do what they please just as the 2002 Senate resolution was a green light for attacking Iraq.

Peter Ungar, New Rochelle, NY, peterungar@yahoo.com.

I think we need a change in this country and Hillary Clinton represents the same old divisive politics of the past. Hillary can win the blue states, but this is about winnig the White House and Obama can do that. Obama's lack of experience, hell the man can't do any worst than George Bush

Brian think Jimmy Carter, Barrack maybe the black Carter.

I just don't get what is so great about Obama. Has he actually DONE anything with his life? Where is his experience? What has he done to deserve to be President of the United States, historically the most powerful person in the world (though that power has been eroded considerably by the current baffoon in office). If you were hiring someone to run your business, company, non-profit organization, etc., would he qualify based on his EXPERIENCE? Yah, he's a charasmatic, intelligent, BLACK guy who wants to be president, and who is not a Bush or a Clinton, so let's vote for him? That's not enough for me.

And please don't use the "well, Bush didn't have any experience, either" line. Look what that got us. Do we really want to do that AGAIN?????? Can we not learn something from that fiasco? I'm sure a good chunk of the reason the caliber of the field isn't all that impressive has something to do with whoEVER gets elected, Democrat OR Republican, is going to have a grandiose MESS to clean up (we don't know the half of what's been going on in this administration, ' cause they ain't talkin'). Who'd want to do that?

Micky D.

No doubt the Irish experience in America is part and parcel of America's DNA, but the Irish experience was largely a turn of the century phenomenon, now in the 21st century, Barack seems more representative. I was not referring to his skin color as being a qualifying criteria, but that he is the child of a white mother and a black African father, and thus symbolizes overcoming America's difficulty with race. As much as we like to hold up the Constitution, it did not give women the right to vote, and blacks were 3/5's of a man. I don't see the connection between Obama and emigration of Iraqi insurgents to America and killing people, or their philosophy taking root among immigrants- if that is what you are implying. Certainly during the 50's and 60's there were blacks (the Ozzie and Harriet era), but they were still being lynched in Jim Crow parts of America. As an independent (leaning towards the Democrats), I certainly could not vote for Alan Keyes as a representative for conservatives. And I could not see why the Republican machinery put him out there. Neither could I have voted for Al Sharpton on the left either, I wouldd have voted for C. Powell had he run. My main point with Barack Obama, however, was that he directionally represented the American make-up; more so than George Bush, Mitt Romney, or Hillary Clinton.