As the election is coming closer and closer, those of us who are still undecided voters are looking for some final decisive action by either of the candidates to persuade us to vote for one over the other. Many are reeled in by Barack Obama's charisma and plans for change; others are looking towards John McCain's more conservative, traditional ways of handling our current situation.
In spite of recent comments that have been made about the McCain campaign, I still trust Senator McCain. This is not to say that I am trying to persuade you to vote for him; after all, both senators have their merits and flaws, and one should vote based on his own beliefs. Rather, I don't think that the recent criticisms have been a fair and rational assessment of his campaign.
One of the primary concerns of those hesitating to vote Republican is the portrayal of McCain as being an old, crippled, knocking-on-death's-door candidate. Yes, McCain is old; yes, he has injuries from his days as a POW and from his battle against melanoma. But Senator McCain is healthy, and was confirmed to be in "excellent health" by a panel of Mayo Clinic doctors earlier this year. Despite his seniority in years, he has not suffered any heart problems and does not have evidence of any compromising health problems; contrarily, if you consider many other politicians, who are working under the same stress levels, you will find that quite a few have suffered these problems.
On the contrary, Senator McCain's seniority is an advantage. He had a 22-year, highly decorated career as a captain in the U.S. Navy, thus being exposed to political and international issues from a direct, military standpoint. Today, we are in a war, whether we like it or not; McCain has the experience to help us end this war safely and efficiently, and clearly Obama does not have nearly the same level of experience. Furthermore, since 1981, McCain has been a congressman, today considered to be one of the best in the Senate. He supports his party, but is also willing to cross party lines for the betterment of our country. Senator Obama does not have this level of experience as a politician; can he handle the magnitude of stress that comes with a long career of politics?
A key difference between these two senators' political stances, currently, is their views on how best to deal with the situation in the Middle East. Many Obama supporters will argue that the Iraq war was one we should never have gotten involved with. I'm sure quite a few McCain supporters will agree. But regardless of whether we should have been in the war or not, the fact is, we are. During the first presidential debate this September, Senator Obama kept mentioning that he did not support this war and that we went into Iraq for the wrong reasons; okay, so maybe we shouldn't have been there. But we need to look forward instead of looking back and pointing fingers at the Bush administration. McCain has the military experience to know the realities of how best to deal with a war; he supported the 2007 Surge, which has been successful in countering the terrorist forces and stabilizing the new Iraqi government. If we just take a 180 degree turn and leave the war too soon, there is a chance that the infant local government will once again fall into the hands of terrorism, and our efforts there would have been in vain.
Many undecided voters were swayed away from McCain after his pick of Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate. The most vocal critics - including many liberal media - see the Alaskan governor as inexperienced, unprepared and incapable of serving as the second-in-command. The same argument is being thrown at Senator Obama for his youth, yet Democrats are willing to overlook that for their own candidate. Governor Palin provides the perfect complement to McCain's campaign: youth vs. experience, an everyday woman vs. a long-time politically enclosed senator. Governor Palin, in just her two years as the leader of Alaska, has catalyzed the passing of landmark laws regarding energy, the environment and budget control. Her experience in those areas adds holistic strength to the McCain administration; and where Governor Palin may have a lack of expertise, such as in foreign policy, Senator McCain has considerable experience and strength.
Whether you believe Senator Obama's or Senator McCain's message for the next four years is better, that is a personal decision you must make. But the liberal juggernaut of the media has consistently attacked the McCain candidacy. If an undecided college student wishes to make the choice to vote, he should be given equal perspectives on both candidates. So make your choice, and vote next week.
