Character

Character is doing what’s right when no-body’s looking.

J.C. Watts

And it is precisely why I will not vote for Obama. People near and dear to my heart have been swayed by his rhetoric and don’t understand how anyone could vote for his opponent given Obama’s “clear stand on the issues”.

I take exception to that statement as neither candidate can demonstrate a clear and consistent stand on many of the important issues that we face. I don’t need to make a pro/con list of issues to help me decide – all I need to do is look at their character. It tells me how they will react in times of crisis, who they will appoint to actually run the government machine, and how our neighbors on this planet will behave (or not). People (especially the media) seem to have forgotten that the Clinton administration’s mismanagement of credit got the world into our current financial meltdown by dictating affirmative action for lending – everyone deserved to own a home regardless of their ability to make the payment. W actually tried to correct the situation but the pork was already out of the corral and the Democrats refused to act.

Is McCain perfect? No.
Is his wife perfect? No.
Is Palin the perfect pick for VP? No.
Look in the mirror – is what you see perfect? No.

We’re all human, and as such come with flaws, so we must ignore the sales pitch and look at character because that is what the President will draw on to make the critical decisions he inevitably will face.

Obama pulled the flag off his lapel, off his aircraft, and only occasionally shows proper respect when the national anthem is played. Add his habit of voting “present” instead of actually casting a meaningful vote while a member of the Illinois state legislature and you have a disturbing indication of his character. Would Obama have kept the faith with his fellow Americans had he been offered early release from the Hanoi Hilton? I doubt it but there’s no way of knowing because all I have to go on is two autobiographies covering 47 years. No executive experience, no trial by fire, just self-promotional propaganda.

Is McCain the best man for the job? No, but out of the two left in the ring he is. One went straight into politics with a law degree, the other is a battle-hardened warrior who, without question loves this country. I know the type, I’ve served with them and that love of country, sense of serving a greater cause than one’s self, can be trusted in the most trying circumstances.