Barrett Wrote:As for whether the troops will be out of Iraq within a couple of years, who knows. Certainly Obama would like for them to be and has stated that as a primary goal. However, should he, upon working as President, decide that a quick and total withdrawal is unwise and that a longer occupation is necessary, why is this a moral/leadership flaw on his part? I believe Obama earnestly wants to get the troops out as soon as feasibly possible. But if, upon deeper reflection and understanding, he decides that a longer occupation is necessary, then I'd rather he change his position than stubbornly hold on to his initial plan.

Barrett... your response is EXACTLY what McCain has said all along about Obama's 16 month plan. Everyone wants them out as quickly as possible, but it is unwise to manage a war by a timetable. IMO, Obama stubbornly clung to his timetable, until fairly recently. The only difference is... and I'm using YOUR description of Obama's primary goal... McCain's primary goal is not to simply get the troops home... it is to make sure that their efforts and losses are not wasted... regardless of whether one thinks they were necessary... they are what they are... make them count.

Barrett Wrote:the end of the day, it's not so much about results for me; rather, it's about process. If the process is right, then I think that tends to deliver results I agree with. I simply trust the Obama process (or what I perceive to be the Obama process) more. I agree with the premises and the values the Obama process employs. Premises such as: science is good, cool and dispassionate analysis of problems is good, leaving open the possibility of dialogue with foreign adversaries is good, less governmental interference in civil liberties is good, understanding that there is nowhere near enough oil sitting beneath America to fuel our petro-energy appetite is good, having our agenda dictated by smart and educated people (as opposed to plumbers) is good, avoiding a politics that demonizes those who disagree with us is good, etc. McCain (personally, if not his campaign) shares some of these traits to be sure, but Obama strikes me as having more of them.

So it's hard to predict what the next 4-8 years will bring. But I am optimistic about the manner in which the Obama Administration (should Obama win today) will engage and deal with what those years will have in store.

as to the rest of this... other than degrees, I generally agree.

I don't think your comment about the dictation of an agenda is fair or proper... as I know some plumbers I trust much more than some extremely smart people with zero common sense. If you watch "The Big Bang Theory"... Sheldon is brilliant, but I wouldn't want him running a business... or a country.... much less negotiating a treaty. As to dispassionate analysis... the ONE thing I HAVEN'T seen from Obama is a dispassionate anything.

Personally, I'm more worried about the crazy effers in this country. If Obama loses, there will be some crying racism. If he wins, there will be some out to "get" him. I don't think that represents but a very small portion of either party... but ALL members of that party will be unfairly painted with the same brush.