The US Election

[Govinda]

Obviously, the Economist's map is biased in many aspects. And for me, enemies of the United States wanting Obama to win is yet another reason to vote against Obama, not for him.

Maybe they want to stop being your enemies, and want to stop fighting with you? Macedonia want McCain, like a lot of the eastern bloc, because they think he's their best shot at getting America to go to war with Russia, which would benefit nobody, but would make them feel a little less victimised.

Bush didn't just screw America over; he screwed us over too. You are the hegemon, and for the past 8 years have been an irresponsible hegemon; as such, your standing in the world has sunk and sunk and sunk. Even the UK holds America in contempt now. The 'special relationship' exists only in government chambers these days. China are about to take over as the primary military power, and the Western economy has been hit far harder than theirs in this recent economic mess. Obama is the man to negotiate America's way out of being pushed into second place; McCain is the guy who'd start a war over it. And nobody wants that.

always fail to discuss how Palin is still more qualified than Obama, who would be IN the office of President. And let's not talk about how old Biden is, or the fact that Obama is a middle-aged black man with a smoking habit.

Palin's more qualified? She managed to balloon the debt of a tiny little town, and then of a state with a population less than many continental American towns. She appears to have experience in wasting money, getting indicted for abusing power, and being manipulative. She's a good 'un.

I get the (frankly tiny) smoking habit. But what does Obama being a black man have to do with his health?

The problem with Obama is that he has done absolutely nothing in his career except advance it. And he hasn't changed -- his entire platform isn't designed to help the country, it's designed to gather votes.

What can a presedential candidate do to help a country? Nothing. All they can do is try to gather votes so that they end up in the place where they can change things.What's the use of gathering votes once in office? He's already stated on many occaisions what he'll do once he's there. He has advanced his career, yes, while taking a few years to work as a grassroots community organiser on $50,000 a year. This shows his lack of experience; but the thing's he's said, the way he carries himself, and the fact that he picked Biden to make up for his shortcomings show that he's ready. The President and VP should be a team.

I still think McCain's choice of Palin had nothing to do with her strengths. It was a Karl Rove choice designed to bring the rank and files Republicans into the fold, and to attract scared independents. And a completely failed attempt at wooing Hillary manaics. They wouldn't be a team in office. Europe would weep.