The Things I Like About Obama

Well, the election is all but secured for Obama. I don't think McCain has a chance in heck to win this election. He's made far too many political mistakes while Obama has made far too many correct moves. If Obama loses this election, it will be his own fault, I don't think McCain alone can stop him.

Having said that, I want to prepare for an Obama presidency. Though I disagree fundamentally with many of his policy stances, and while I still hold reason to question his judgment with regards to the people he's associated himself with, there are some things I like about him - and they are things that in my mind are of substantial importance to a president.

First: he's a powerful communicator. Obama has a way with words that is unmatched in recent political history. He is a fresh departure from the disjointed bumblings of our current president. And I think that a president cannot be great unless he is first a great communicator. Effective leadership cannot happen without effective communication. While great communication skills certainly do not also automatically beget great leadership skills, great leadership (whether for good or ill) does entail great communications skills.

Examples of this are many and diverse. With the Gettysburg Address President Lincoln gave one of the greatest speeches in all of recorded history and its effect on our country and the world is still being felt. President Washington led with integrity and honor and inspired his legion of followers to do the same by his words and his deeds. President Kennedy, FDR, Ronald Reagan, and yes even to an extent Bill Clinton all had a way with words that not only solidified the nations allegiance to their leadership, but also helped them solve some of the most challenging national and global problems. George W. Bush has not had that ability and as a result has suffered dearly in terms of political clout and influence.

A strong command of words is an essential asset to any president, and it is his greatest weapon to use in solving challenging problems. Obama has that critically important command of language.

Second: He's smart. I like that Obama has a law degree from Harvard University. That tells you something of his ability to think critically and analyze problems on an intellectual level. I like that. I don't want a president who doesn't read the newspaper and doesn't understand the basics of critical thinking and analysis. And I know that so many conservatives will cry out that because of his Harvard background he must be an "elitist intellectual," well I've got news for every conservative who thinks that: Mitt Romney is the exact same way with a similar Harvard background. Yet conservatives would never label him an elitist with the same vim and vigour as they do Obama.

Third: He's an optimist. As I read his book "The Audacity of Hope" the thing that stood out to me the most was an impressive hope for the future and an outlook that saw the possibilities amid the problems. As cheesy as it may seem to some who'd rather wallow in their own depressing cynicism, hope for the future helps to illuminate a bright path through a dark challenge.

There you have it. Despite this list of things I like about Obama, I must re-emphasize that the things I dislike about Obama far outweigh my likes. He's lax on abortion, gay marriage and tax hikes. He's got less management experience than I can possibly be comfortable with. He's "palled around" with characters who put a new definition on the word shady. He's a smoker, something that screams poor judgment (sorry to any smokers out there, but I mean, c'mon, smoking is dumb, most smokers are the first to admit that). In short, he's an enigma - while he has certain characteristics that are appealing, he has a host of liabilities that I cannot ignore. That's why I'm still planning to vote for McCain.

But I will say this also, given Obama's strengths I do see potential for him to be a good president. But I don't think it's worth risking his unknown side.