Cheri

I cant distinguish if its Miles, Coltrane or Cannonball...any feedback would be great....

Both Palin & Obama are accomplished - but political novices. Both are under 50, have no legacied "connections" & are passionate about their views. Do you think these 2 are paving the way for a NEW government - one filled with more average Joes & Janes who represent the backbone of our nation?

I'm not saying give the village idiot control of the nation, but bashing Palin & Obama's "inexperience" & "newness" sounds alot like the rhetoric of folks who bashed the cell phone & computer long ago. Sure there was resistance, but has it really been so bad?

Since there is no "Be The Next President" bootcamp - passion & verve shouldnt be discounted - considering wise old McCain gets canned for his age, is the new formula to be president a movement for the "unknowns" ,mavericks, WA outsiders, etc etc?

Okay - we know Repubs want LESS government & DEMS tend to want to MORE. Repubs stick to a "zero tolerance" classic conservative values whereas Dems are more tolerant & acknowledge changes in our social norms. McCain is regarded as "wishy-washy" for being too flexible on some issues. Obama is considered mega liberal to a fault....whether we like it or not - more & more folks are ending up in the middle - advocating SOME Repub ideals & SOME Dem ones.... is that sooooo BAD? If the objective is truly unity & harmony for our nation - then who thinks its time for an INDEPENDENT president - maybe then our government will achieve a "happy medium" for our nation. What do you think?

How do you think the media would have covered him? BO & HC provided ammunition for the pundits to play with BUT surely Edwards doesnt have those "skeletons" - He has an ill wife, a hatred for the lobbyists, and he looks out for the little man....I guess we'll never know his specific plans but does anyone think the media would have ripped him a new one the same as BO & HC?

AND if it was a McCain vs Edwards battle - do you think there would be LESS crap about wives, associations ,age, exeperience & fear mongering?

NO CANDIDATE HAS EVER been without flubs, missteps & mistakes. Is the election simply a tally of candidates' past trangressions & whomever has the LEAST amount wins?

Character DOES matter- we dont want molesters & psychos running the country - BUT if you put ANYBODY's life under a microscope, you'll find SOME unpleasantries. WHY is the rhetoric about his personal/private associations, wife's thesis, Muslim relatives so poignant? If you dont like his plan for the USA - thats a VALID reason not to vote for him. But allowing this other stuff to influence you proves that what we truly want is some "manufactured" glossy "ideal" - that's not TRULY attainable. God forbid we elect someone beautifully human & imperfect!

(If your claim is that Obama=racist regime; please explain HOW such an agenda will pass through CONGRESS - which is still 90% non black!)

Remember high school - "cool kids" & "not so cool kids" & how you decided which one to join? This election seems almost the same.

Isnt "Electability" supposed to mean "the candidate that represents the issues that the American people are MOSTin tune with"?

Now it seems that "electability" is all about which candidate that can get them into all the "cool kid parties". We have only a few months left to hear PROPOSED policies, solutions & ideas from McCain & Obama. But the MEDIA claims that age, associations, spouses, previous interview responses, & campaign personnel could ALL play a role in their "electability" - Poppycock!

So my question is this - if Mcain or Obama are in tune with your political ideals - if what they say makes political SENSE to you - would you NOT vote for them because of these other non political "issues"?

CONGRESS has the last say anyway - and I dont think Congress cares about tax returns, old thesis papers, pastors, age etc - or am I being naive?

I HOPE we know AA was created for ALL WOMEN & not just minorities. I HOPE we can admit that even if your relatives owned no slaves, they WERE apart of a society with social norms that weren't nice to many non-whites. I HOPE we can admit that the USA seems to have had prejudice against almost EVERY ethnicity-except one. Until Now?

I hear whites say AA is unfair, because of the quotas. AA recipients dont wear special t-shirts, so how can you verify that you WEREN'T beat out by another white person or white woman? Are Chris Gardner, Tiger Woods, Condi Rice, Colin Powell underqualified/undeserving minorities that hindered a white person from the opportunity to achieve?

All whites arent racists, all minorities arent tokens who shouldnt be in a certain school or job-no one will be in 1st place ALL THE TIME. So when rejected, why so quick to scream you're a reverse racism victim?

"Setbacks lead to Comebacks" - Did you really think you'd live life "rejection/disappointment -free" ?

I hear alot of sincere concern about the man's age - he seems to be a battleaxe to me. No signs of any debilitating ailments & unless he becomes diagnosed with Amnesia/Dementia, why do we care about his age? Last I checked the president wasnt required to do the 100-yard dash or even yardwork for that matter. :P

Do you honestly think he's gonna be "Grandpa Simpson" & just fall asleep mid sentence while talking to world leaders?

If Health was a real concern, have we not paid attention to Cheney these last 8 years - obviously the finest docs known to man have done what's necessary to keep his ticker going - so what makes you think McCain's age will be a detriment?

Or is this "age debate" just more sprinkles on the "anti McCain" sundae?

Is it because Mexico is closest & our borders are so shoddy? Granted, plenty of Mexicans have crossed illegally, but I'm sure Asians, Arabs, Cubans, Europeans, have too.

OR is it because people from the other countries tend to have money to start AND finish their citizenship process? All of the rallies have 99% Mexican participants - but what about everybody else? Shouldnt we be striving for an immigration reform that benefits ALL persons from ANY country?

OK- People say he's hypocritical for campaigning togetherness but following/knowing/consorting with an offensive preacher - but if Obama's true ambition is to "get rid of whitey" or somehow tear this country apart, why did he spend soooo much time helping the people that have the smallest impact/influence on this nation?No offense, but poor uneducated urban folks arent exactly the next crop of CIA operatives. If he got elected, do you REALLY think he would appoint that cooky unpopular pastor to the supreme court or something? Do you think he has a secret militia of angry bitter frustrated minorities just waiting to overthrow the government? I mean IF he got elected, we have a such thing as CONGRESS and if Obama even TRIED to pass some crazy laws ( like extending presidency terms, wire tapping on a whim etc) CONGRESS would shoot it down. So WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE AFRAID OF HERE?

WE ALL KNOW this pastor is angry, bitter, & extreme. Is it not his right to feel that way? The USA is not without error throughout history. Michael Moore painst unpretty pics of the USA in his movies, why cant a pastor? Plus, whose listened to the WHOLE sermon; not just soundbites? The "God d**n America" was a segue into karma & how its not Christian to treat others {countries} unfairly and not expect God's wrath. If the pastor believes that God's wrath was the 9/11 tragedy (however obtuse that is)...so be it. I dont agree with his "planted AIDS theory", but the Tuskeegee experiment is very true & very parallel. 90% of what this former Marine says is spirtual & uplifting. Remember a baptist preacher said the teletubbies were sorta gay? Wright NEVER said "down with whitey", "lets destroy whitey" He did say he didnt LIKE some of the things "whitey did and/or DID NOT do" Is that a crime? Is that racist? How does this "magically" transform Obama into a racist? He's not Obama's running mate