Obama's Shift?

Much has been made recently of Obama's supposed shift to the center since his victory in the primary. Some of the critcism has been fair and some of it has not been.

Barack has positioned himself as a 'new kind of candidate', one who acts out of conviction rather than a concern for how the political winds are shifting. Given the enthusiasm he has generated thusfar from this approach, it is incumbent upon Senator Obama to live up to these ideals.

Despite the fact that I wholeheartedly disagree with the recent positions Senator Obama has taken on the Supreme Court's rulings on the possession of handguns, the expansion of wiretapping powers, the death penalty, and the Iraq War, I do not believe Barack has truly radically shifted positions (with the exception of the immunity for the telecom companies that engaged in wiretapping-which he vowed to oppose).

After eight years of Bush, who has neither the intelligence nor courage to understand the nuance of issues while sticking to his priciples, it is refreshing to see a man who refuses to view the world through a rigid prism but can still maintain his core values.

That being said, Obama absolutely cannot deviate from his promise to have all American troops out of Iraq in 16 months after he takes office. Progress in Iraq is non-exsistent (despite what conservative media outlets have purported) while Afghanistan and Pakistan have seen significant rises in terrorist activity and buildup. The Iraq war was started on lies, supported by lies, and has been horribly managed.

It is time we direct our gaze towards fixing our health care for working class and poor Americans, restoring lost jobs, building up our domestic infrastructure, and investing in meaningful energy saving solutions. We have sacrificed far too much already based on the lies put forth by Bush and his conservative 'Chicken Hawk' cohorts. A McCain presidency would signal the continuation of the same failed policies we have been saddled with for the last two presidential terms.

In conclusions, Obama may not be the ideal 'progressive' candidate but any deviations or supposed backtracking he has shown are not the result of political pandering, but his true convictions.




http://our-pursuit.blogspot.com/2008/07/obama-symbol-of-national-security.html




http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/obama-addresses-critics-on-centrist-moves/index.html?hp



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/opinion/08herbert.html?hp