After reading all the laments regarding Senator Obama's tacking to the right or shifting to the center or whatever you want to call it I have got to speak up.
A little background...I watched Barack Obama deliver his wonderful and inspiring speech at the last Democratic convention and jumped up and pointed at the TV exclaiming..."Next President! Next President!". I was basically sold from go.
Senator Obama gained my trust early in the primary season with his excellent campaign strategy and subsequent execution of said strategy. I am still 100% behind the candidacy of Barack Obama for President and my support hasn't wavered in the least. I am one of the most cynical people I know, especially regarding American politics but I am supremely hopeful about the Presidency of Barack Obama and that hope has not fluctuated in the least during the recent FISA debacle.
I'm not sure if this constitutes a diary but I am publishing because I see a need for balance on the board today. I will delete if the consensus is that my words are unhelpful.
I've read here and in other liberal strongholds as of late about the dissapointment with Senator Obama's tack to the right especially on the FISA issue. I fully agree that the 4th amendment is being danced around and under any other circumstance I would be quite worried about the votes taking place in Congress today. But that being said and after almost 8 years of constant trampling of the Constitution I find it odd that such disgust and dismay is being expressed about Senator Obama's stance on FISA.
I've seen criticism of Bush and the Republicans in Congress over the last 8 years but not much approaching the level of scorn being heaped upon Barack Obama for his position on FISA. I shudder to think of what could have been had the thousands of people organizing on the myBO website had done as much when "Shock and Awe" was being executed on Iraq or when we first saw those images from Abu Ghraib or when Habeus Corpus was laid to rest, even when AG Ashcroft covered statues in the halls of the Department of Justice. What could have been if we had organized so well against the current administration.
I'm not trying to detract from fellow Kossacks feelings and beliefs regarding the Constitution, I just want to express my support for our presumptive nominee and hopefully remind people what we have here in the candidacy of Barack Obama.
When Senator Obama became the presumptive nominee he immediately instituted a policy at the DNC that refused money from corporate entities and lobbyist. This is absolutely shocking and the single most positive policy that a politician has proposed with regards to party politics in my entire lifetime. I know that's a strong statement but the implications are shattering. I have felt for the longest time that the single most debilitating problem with our government is the "permanent campaign", politicians in a perpetual money chase to be elected. The real problem being that the money has been coming from entities that expect something in return, thus shackling our politicians to the desires of their beneficiaries. Senator Obama's refusal of lobbyist/corporate money means that the party and the candidate owes their election to us and are beholden only to the people.
Senator Obama ran a primary campaign the likes of which we have never seen before. This campaign will be studied forever for it's innovative strategies and excellent and sound decision making. As I watched the primary campaign unfold I decided that I trust Senator Obama to do the right thing-he's smarter than me and smarter than most politicians out there.
So what I'm trying to say here is that I for one am going to trust Senator Obama in this general election to do what he and his campaign feel is the right thing to do in order to get elected. He is a Constitutional scholar so I'll defer to him with regards to Constitutional issues such as FISA. I know that sounds un-patriotic on it's face but the stakes are too damn high now. We need to get Senator Obama elected at all costs. We simply can't have a President McCain if we value and love the America we grew up in. We can clean up the mess after that glorious winter day when Barack Obama puts his hand on that bible and proclaims.....I, Barack Obama.......