Introduction
Born of a Kenyan father and an American mother on 8 August 1961, Obama presents the first real opportunity for America to have its first black president ever. His biography works well for him: he was raised in the dynamic, multi-ethnic cultures of Hawaii and Indonesia; he was the president of the Harvard law review and worked in community organizing in Chicago. This is clear evidence to the millions of US voters that Obama possesses a wide range of experience needed in American leadership. This article that follows discusses the reasons that place my candidate of choice Sen. Barrack Obama, in a better position than his rival. The discussion focuses on his stand regarding the Iraq war, foreign policy and health care.
Main text
The world view about the US has been put in jeopardy following some questionable activities by the Bush administration. The most prominent ones are the Iraq invasion and the vocal threats to Iran, Syria and Somalia. Obama advocates for the use of nonmilitary options to confront the threats of terrorism and nuclear possession by unfriendly states which have been underutilized by the present administration. He says the refusal to apply diplomacy makes the US look arrogant denying us the opportunity to progress and move forward. Obama is committed to ending the Israel- Palestine conflict which contributes largely to the instability of the region thus hampering development and worsens the humanitarian crisis associated with war.
The invasion of Iraq drew various reactions from different quarters of the world. At first, almost every American citizen was for the war, as he/she had been made to believe it was all for a good cause. As the war dragged on, some people became apprehensive about the time it was taking the US government to bring to an end the war in Iraq. From the very beginning Obama had been against the invasion saying it was unnecessary and uncalled. He has promised to carry out a gradual withdrawal of troops once elected president.
On his withdrawal plan he states that he will engage representatives from all levels of the Iraq society to emphasize to the Iraq leaders to reconcile and take responsibility for their future. The withdrawal will take approximately 16 months if one or two combat brigades are withdrawn every month. To ensure minimal interference with domestic issues in Iraq he is against the setting up of a permanent military base in that country but provide adequate security to American interests in Iraq. The war in Iraq will only end if a national accord is reached addressing issues such as sharing of oil revenue and federalism which are the main causes of insurgencies. The UN shall be involved in the negotiation of such an agreement.
Contrary to the reasons for going to war with Iraq, no weapons of mass destruction were found in that country and such promises to carry thorough investigation if such action is to occur again. With the high number of casualties of the war, the affected families have been pleading with the government to withdraw the troops. Obama has found favor with these citizens as a result of this campaign pledge.
Another issue that counts in his campaign platform is the plan that he plans to carry out regarding the health care system in the US which at the moment requires an evaluation. In his plan he talks of providing health insurance to all children in the US for his capabilities to win the democrats ticket is his eloquence. He speaks with clarity and directness exuding a lot of confidence. Some of his speeches on different issues have been touted as extraordinary.
To cap it on his speeches, Obama won this years Grammy award for the best-spoken word album for his audio version of his book “the audacity of hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”. His oratory prowess has seen the Portuguese premier, Jose Socrates, quoting him by adopting Obama’s phrase “yes we can”. From this we learn that the man has the capability to convince the democrats why he deserves to be the Democratic Party presidential candidate by putting forth his speeches expertly.
His contribution to debates in the Congress and the introduction of very trivial bills shows that he has a knack for democracy and he holds the wishes of the ordinary American citizen deep in his heart. As the Illinois senator, he has sponsored and co-sponsored over 120 bills though not all of them have made it past the committee stage. On February 8, 2006 he sponsored a bill on the provision of an enhanced refundable credit for families who resided in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area on August 28, 2005. This has given him needed support.
The fact that he is black has played a great role to his advantage. 66% of the black voters are behind him. Obama has come out clearly telling the voters that they should not see him as a black candidate but rather as a leader the American people have all been waiting for. His campaign slogan “change that we can believe in” has caught on like a wildfire. He promises the American people that with his election as the democratic candidate, beating his republican rival will be an easy task.
The kind of honesty and discipline displayed by Obama is quite unnerving. Negative attacks from his rival have drawn no hostile replies from him, what this has done and unknowingly to Clinton, is that he is going to win sympathy votes and wider support from the masses. For example, he was confronted with the question about his earlier drug use as a teenager, the man did not deny this but went further ahead and confirmed it. He has come out strongly denouncing the politics of fear and speaking frankly about pressing issues and going as far as giving audience to leaders of hostile nations which the present administration treats as enemies of the state.
Summary
His endorsement by very influential personalities such as Oprah Winfrey has given him more appeal. The Oprah Winfrey show has a huge following across the globe almost like a movement. If by working together they can turn these fans into Obama supporters then he is in for a big win which was demonstrated by his winning the overseas primary.