Thank you. I have made this point to people who have said both that they would vote for McCain if Hillary didn't win, or vote for McCain if Obama doesn't win. It just doesn't add up, for if you've chosen that person for any substantive reason at all, you would vote for the person who continues to pursue the ideals and issues that are important to you, and your candidate.

Not to mention the delicate balance of the Supreme Court hangs in the balance.

By the way, guess it's obvious from the avatar but it's me, Destor. Whenever I blog it seems to come up as Mike M. How do I fix that?

I am one of the Hillary supporter who will not vote for Obama in the fall. I have considered all the points that you have raised and Obama's lack of the moral compass required to put the nation's needs above his own political well-being disqualifies him for the Presidency. As much as I dislike and despise McCain's positions I do believe that McCain would put the nation's needs as he sees them above his own. Obama seeks his own political well-being above all else.

I first reached this conclusion watching Obama headline Donnie McGlurkin (and I do see a major distinction between accepting support from all and sundry and indicating that their positions are acceptable.) Obama's willingness to use Donnie as a dog whistle to homophones in South Carolina was appalling. His cynicism was the more complete because of Obama's reasonably good record on gay issues. It was topped off by Obama first blaming the arrangement on staff only to have his own direct role in it revealed. So Obama lies. And then he went to repair relations by giving a well-publicized speech. (I'm guessing but don’t recall that this speech was not in South Carolina and was after the primary -- correct me if I'm wrong.)

What dawned on me was that I would never even consider voting for a Republican who behaved in the same manner with regard to race so why should I support Obama who was behaving this way in regard to gays?

Obama then went on to seek his own political advantage by portraying a series of gaffes as a planned strategy by his opponent. Now that the strategy has caused a racial division in the party and has almost worked he is willing to denounce it. Too little too late and no apology for using it coupled with an unfounded attack on Geraldine Ferraro for a political analysis which was correct.

Oh, yeah. And the disdain for democratic principles shown in his unwillingness to work to see that the votes in Florida and Michigan are counted.

So as to your particular points:

1. I have no objection to leaving a garrison in Iraq similar to those kept in Korea and Germany. McCain is far less likely than Obama to involve us in future adventures -- say in Pakistan -- and far more likely to conduct them competently that Obama would. I thought I was letting my dislike for Obama mislead me until I discovered that the neo cons agreed with me on the likelihood of Obama exercising miliary might -- they were for it.

2. Obama would negotiate some watered-down compromise on health care trying to make it conform to the principles of right, left and center. I'd rather take a 4 year postponement with McCain and see it done right when we retake the Presidency.

3. McCain has been profoundly anti-choice throughout his career just quiet about it. He does however recognize the perniciousness of the Religious Right in ways that Obama doesn't. Obama cuddles up to them and a good portion of the Audacity of Hope amounted to apologies for hurting their feelings. Any nominee from McCain would for SCOTUS would be fought tooth and nail by what I believe will be Democratic majorities in both houses. Any nominee from Obama would be virtually unscrutinized. Given Obama's glowing words about Joe Lieberman and Obama's desire to vote for Roberts (google Rouse, Obama and Roberts)I have no confidence that he would appoint good Justices. Also Obama according to Illinois Now adopted a strategy of voting present on choice issues not at the behest of Illinois Planned Parenthood but in order to protect fellow Democratic members by allowing them to avoid taking a visible stand for choice. I have stood my share of escort duty so I know the risks being run.

3. McCain's age. This does mean that who McCain picks for vice-president does matter. That could be a deal breaker. But given that I disagree with the vast majority of his policy positions the less energy he has to pursue them the better.

The mess that Obama made of the Nuclear Leaks legislation also tempts me to support the installation of a failing Republican administration over the prospect of a bungled Democratic one.

As far as I can tell from Obama's book The Audacity of Hope he supports Democratic positions in spite of his religion not because of it and spends far more time apologizing for those positions than explaining their merits. Once stripped of the banal and often incorrect recitals of history and pomp there is really very little meat to that book. You could read that book and not know that the man claims he's a Democrat. If he is elected, he will owe his election to independents and Republicans and will cater to them.

So, I'll vote for politician whose policies I despise but whose willingness to put the well-being of the country ahead of his own political needs I admire and hope that he is a placeholder over voting for a politician who has shown he is willing to destroy the Democratic party and whose penchant for compromise could well lead to a completely bungled Presidency.

This should be a recommended post.

Farq this place.

I agree. Recommend this post!