You must have run into McCain's web banner ads with photos of Senator Obama next to photos of Iran's Ahmadinejad. The questions posed by these ads are irrelevant and they simply try to get the scare votes by implying that Obama is foreign and a friend of terrorist states. Though I think it's wrong to compare a democratically elected presidential candidate with foreign leaders of a rogue state, seeing how McCain has done just that, I thought it's fair game to do the comparison.
By now you must have seen Sentaor John McCain's web banner ads on Drudge Report and beyond that juxtaposes a picture of Senator Obama with that of the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The banners ask a yes or no question pertaining to wether a US President should talk to Terrorists? It doesn't matter if you click on yes or no, you will be redirected to John McCain's website and will be asked to donate. You don't have to be a nuclear scientist to figure out what they're trying to do. This is indeed yet another pathetic attempt by the neoconservatives to paint Obama as "foreign," a friend of the terrorists and a weak candidate in the face of "evil." It's usually a low blow and an act of desperation to compare a democratically elected candidate for the President of the United States with leader of a foreign country that is hostile towards the US. But now that John McCain's campaign has repeatedly done just that, it means it's fair game to do raise the question: Which candidate shares the same set of values as that of President Ahmadinejad of Iran?
Considering the major differences between the way the two governments of Iran and the United States of America operate, it is safe to say that there is no sense in comparing issues related to governance. For example, in it's worst days, even after eight years of George W. Bush, the U.S. economy is still light-years ahead of Iran's most prosperous times since the 1979 revolution. So regardless of who ends up in the White House, US has and will always have a better economy, military, healthcare, freedom of speech, freedom of press, etc. So that leaves us with the option of comparing ideologies. After all, with Palin's selection, McCain has put ideology first (followed by politics second and country third).
Since Governor Palin's selection, real issues such as national security, Iraq war, economy and healthcare have taken a back seat. Instead the alleged "excited base" has pushed talks of abortion, sex education and gay marriage back to the front where Karl Rove likes it.
So where does Ahmadinejad and by extension the Islamic Republic stand on these ideological "moral values" issues?
- Abortion: Abortion is illegal and can be punishable by death.
- Sex Education: When Ayatollah Khomeini first came to power he outlawed all contraceptions. This caused a baby boom in the early years of the Islamic Republic with families having as much as 5 or more kids. The Iranian authorities soon took notice and saw dangers of a rapid population growth. They started what has become one of the best family planning programs in the world. Needless to say, they have learned from their mistakes and now have sex education courses that not only help prevent spread of AIDS and STDS, also help prevent teen pregnancies. Read Sex and the ayatollahs...
- Homosexuality: Gays and lesbians don't have any rights in Iran; homosexuality is punishable by death.
- Religion: It is no secret that Iran is a theocratic country where there is no seperation of church and state (in their case mosque and state). Even though Christianity and Islam are different on many levels, they share the same set of core values and are both equally damaging when mixed with politics. By nature, theocratic rulers believe they are here on earth to serve God and carry out his missions. For years, the official stance on Iran's own war with Iraq for example has been: "A task from God." Sound familiar?!
These were the major issues. I can't think of any familiarities between Obama and Ahmadinejad. But the Republican candidates share the same values and in some cases they are even to the right of the ayatollahs that run the Islamic Republic! Sounds to me that by virtue of moral values, Obama is the clear American choice. So next time you see the infamous McCain banner, stop what you're doing, go to Obama's website and donate money. Last thing we want is a Christian Republic of America.