Obama offers us hope.

John McBush offers us the same ol' same ol'.

Our least experienced president was Abraham Lincoln. Richard Nixon had tons of experience. Which one would you prefer?

In President Bush we have an incompetent businessman who believes he is God's instrument on earth. I've had enough of this guy, so what does Obama offer? Well, we know he's smart academically. Of the big three candidates he's the most likely to get us out of Iraq - that's a plus, but is he tough enough to handle the Washington establishment? I'm not sure.

On NPR the other day Ron Paul was interviewed. He made the cogent comment that the major parties are alike in that both are committed to maintaining the empire, which is breaking our backs. I'm afraid he is right. But if I had to choose one of the big three, I'd pick Obama. If McCain or Clinton is elected the war will be vastly expanded and our sons will be slaughtered in the middle east.

Looking at the list of "requirements" cited by the writer, the two most important are "leadership" and "vision" which Barack Obama personifies more than any presidential candidate in the last 48 years.

The president gets a circle of advisors to assist in formulating foreign and domestic policy. In addition, there are the various Secretaries who administer the different departments.

Meeting a payroll or position on women's choice is of concern only to the letter writer. There is nothing there necessary to being a president. Nor is it important to have been in the military. Neither of the past two presidents had any real military experience of any note.

Being identified as the most "liberal" member of the Senate is irrelevant because it is of issue only to the wingnut fringe who don't like Obama anyway. They choose that phrase when they would probably like to use a more powerful slander like "socialist" or "terrorist sympathizer".

Finally, political expediency? Were you not listening when Obama gave his much-heralded speech on race relations in the United States? The much-publicized comments of Rev. Wright are insignificant, at best. Again, it is a non-issue except for the Right-Wing talking heads and the letter writer.

It would be great to see change in the White House and yet I feel any of the three left won't change a thing. While Hillary and Obama have been beating each other up McCain has been sitting back reaping the benefits. Either way we will end up with 2 choices for our next president and sadly most will vote for the lesser of two evils because the american political scene is corrupt.

Obama is talking windfall profits on big oil.
Jimmy Carter did it.
Obama is talking of increased taxes on the rich.
Jimmy Carter did it.
Obama has said he would meet with Iran - an enemy of the U.S.
Jimmy Carter met with the USSR's Bresznef (sorry for the spelling). Kissed him on the cheek even (in this country it was taken literally as a kiss on his face. The rest of the world looked at it as a kiss on another cheek)

Two points:

Obama is not new. Most of what he says has been tried before.
What he wants to do didn't work then. Won't work now.

Same ol': You have to have a long memory to make your comparisons while one only needs to read the papers to see the McBush comparisons! "No, Veto, and Status Quo" won't do this time. Do us a favor and write in Mitt.

Same ol' sounds like the same old Bush/Cheney game that's been running this country into the ground and the conservatives voted for them.

All things considered, Obama is the clear-cut best candidate to lead us out of the darkness the neocons and their terrible authoritarian philosophy has put us in.

How much experience did Jesus have when he impressed the priests at the temple when he was 12 years old, or Abraham Lincoln when he became president?

Obama will get us out of Iraq. The same people who are telling us that we can't leave Iraq, were the same ones telling us we had to go in. Obama voted against going in, in his Senate vote.

So far as his preacher. What about all the preachers who say that 80% of Americans will spend all eternity suffering in hell, because they don't believe in "the same Jesus" that the preachers do? Huckabee falls into this category. We swallow this camel and strain at Obamas preacher.

If Obama hated America, he would want us to stay in Iraq. Depleting our treasury, chewing up our young. He loves America and I am willing to give him a chance.

And what experience did George W Bush have? Draft dodger, cheerleader in college mmmm oh yes and gov of Texas where the truth has been told he did a losuey job. Obama, is as qualified as any other candidate and he is striving to unify America and get the people to come together to get it back on track mmmm the people involved in rebuilding their country? what a novel idea -- GO ABAMA

Anyone who has read even ONE of your right-wing rants KNOWS that you voted for Bush TWICE! Bush supporters are culpable in the huge catastrophy that has been perpetrated in our name.

Especially because of people like Frank, I just can't wait until Obama is our next President.

Obama is demonstrably intelligent and has vision. Head and shoulders above the shrub. These are the qualities of a leader. Leadership is, to me, the most important quality a president can have. Not a shopping list of talking points.
Go Obama

If not having experience is so bad, how did Lincoln save the Union? And why was Obama the only one who voted against going into Iraq?

Experience brings the herd mentality. We need a new fresh approach.

It is said that being crazy means you keeping doing the same things but expect different results. If you believe staying in Iraq is good vote for McCain. If you think there were no weapons of mass destruction, so why are we there anyway? Vote Obama

Anonymous 12:09
That is all Obama has to offer is "Hope" not "Reality".

Same ol'
Do you really want to compare Obama to the worst president?

President Carter,
Highest interest Rate 21%
High Inflation Double digit
Ecomony moving slower than tar.
Iran takes control of embassy, Carter "rescue" attempt turn into a debacle.

Shall I go on?

Please I would hope Obama is smarter than Carter.

It truly must be agonizing for a culture, that only recently deemed black men "worthy" enough to hold their religion's priesthood, to accept the reality that a black man may soon be in The White House.

What exactly were Bush's qualifications?
Record setting deficit?
Never ending war, the reasons for which were fabricated?
Enriching the rich while adding 5 million more families to the poverty level?
Responsible for the deaths of over 100,000 innocent Iraqis?
What were Mitt's qualifications? Was he responsible for the quotes of early Mormon leaders with regards to race, women's rights, etc?

The Democrats are apparently going to control Congress after November elections. Do you really want a Deomocrat Congress and Executive branch? Think Republicans went buck wild? See what happens with the Democrats -
@ anonymous 12:09 - obama doesn't offer me hope. To me he inspires fear and despair. It keeps me awake at night worrying about what this empty suit will do. Can he even talk without having a teleprompter?

He's managed to shut down America's most formidable political family, the Clintons, and do it while maintaining a big bank account, meanwhile bankrupting them. With the economy the way it is, I'll take him any day.

You're right! Let's not risk anything on a new guy. It won't work. Nothing can or will change. Mc Cain will make sure we continue on the same ol' path.

Frank Overfelt: using "genius" and "President Bush" in the same sentence is a dangerous proposition. A leftover slice of meatloaf could give George Bush a stiff challenge in brain power.

And please be rational. The previous posters are correct. Look where "experience" has gotten us. GWB has run us into the ground. Good thing he had all that business experience.

As much as I respect John McBush for his role in Vietnam - he appears to be a loose-cannon with a score to settle. A red-button pusher for sure.

Cooler heads always prevail. Especially in these tumultuous times.

Go Obama!

A quick persual of the postings above is more evidence that the modern American conservative movement is in a heap of trouble.

The DMN has met its' obligatory, bi-weekly quota of publishing Mr. Overfelt - now let's look at his letter.
Despite the efforts of current occupant, the Executive branch is just one -third of the 'corporate structure' that runs the country. As Gus correctly states, the metric of being president are not necessarily those that Frank lists. I could use the same list of qualifications to assess Mr. Bush, but the backlash from readers would be predictable.
I find it interesting that time and effort is being spent by some to attack Obama before the nomination has been set - Sophmoric attempts to push a devisive Clinton nomination. Why? Because Republicans are scared of Obama's appeal, his ability to do what leaders should do - inspire.

"Our least experienced president was Abraham Lincoln. Richard Nixon had tons of experience. Which one would you prefer?"

Not Abraham Lincoln, for sure. He was the cause of over a half million deaths for basically nothing in return. He shoulda sat down with the south and worked things out.

I'm sorry, Frank, but even in a face-off with my neighbor's cat, President Bush would not look like an "absolute genius." "Slightly smarter" is the best Mr. Bush could hope for.

Bush Jr. makes Carter look like a genius.

Boy, the things we learn here. Obama and Carter are members of the same Party? That's about as relevant as McCain being from the same Party as Bush/Nixon/Cheney/Thurmond/Rove/Libby/Gonzales.

To Confused: If Obama is smarter than Carter why is he proposing the same type of stuff Carter did? Stuff that failed when Carter did it.

And I'm confused. To all of you who hate Bush, just because Bush is a Republican and you hate him why does that excuse the dems for putting up someone just as poor on the other side? That is the kind of childish logic that my parents would not tolerate. Frankly, I don't think it matters who we vote for this fall we will be stepping into something smelly.

@Anonymous 12:09.

Obama offers us hope? I have a bottle of hope worth $1,000, but I'll give it to you for a $500 because you spell well.

Anyone can offer hope. This letter writer was pointing out exactly why Obama's offer really looks like a sham.

Now, we don't know a lot about how Obama might perform. I'll admit that Obama MIGHT turn out to be fine, if he wins in November. But looking at this rationally, that's not likely, and we have little reason to hold out that "hope."

McCain is my man. Has been since 2000. Where was Obama then?

Frank,
Your assertion that we are electing a "CEO" is a flawed assumption. "CEO" is a business term. While it is important to have executive and administrative skills to be president, there are other skills, knowledge, and talents that are similarly important. A business exists to make money. Effective government should not operate in the red and should attempt to operate in a financially responsible way. But, the primary concerns of government are very different.

I wonder why the people of Utah prefer their politicians to be conservative but they worship a liberal God?

Just curious.

To Confused: Obama invites the comparison by purposing what Carter did. If he gets his way we will suffer the same type of results. My point was that Obama is not original. He is not new. His proposals are (in many cases) Jimmy Carter. I don't know why we should expect any better results the second time around.

And to the Bush haters. Any questioning of Obama (or Clinton for that matter) is often met with, "You called my guy stupid, well I'll show you, your guy is stupider. So there." My parents would never have tolerated that type of childish response. I don't think yours would either.

I don't think Bush has done all that well in many areas, but he was smarter than both of the guys the dems ran against him. All went to Ivy League schools, and I believe Bush out performed them all. He may not be a poster boy for an Ivy League education, but Gore and Kerry are not exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer either.

Bush is smarter than Al Gore?
Hmmm...
Sorry, don't think so.
Has Bush ever said a word that you don't understand? (I mean a grammatically correct word). Al Gore's vocabulary is a lot bigger...and he even says his words correctly. Unfortunately, many people feel threatened by people that are smarter than themselves.

RE: Same ol'
Was I right about the knee-jerk defense of Bush??
I was critical of Bush's attempt to establish a dictatorial empire (signing statements, manipulation of judicial appointments through the Attorney General) and his bungling administration (Katrina, FISA), not his intellect. And while I'm thinking of it, I don't believe Obama will be giving Chancellor Merkel shoulder massages.

I'm sorry, Mr. Overfelt, but I don't think there is anything in the world that would make George W. seem competent, let alone 'an absolute genius'. It doesn't appear you know anything about his resume. Perhaps you should check it out. Even the least of us are as qualified as he is to be in his position.

You'll have to get used to the fact that you and whatever your religion is, are in the minority on the abortion issue. You obviously don't understand about a woman's need to have control over her own body.

You apparently don't know of the corruption of this administration and the devestation it has caused both in the U.S. and around the world.

You have access to the Web. You should use if for research sometime. It's a fabulous tool!

So a large vocabulary and correct grammer is the measuring stick for smart. In the first place I was speaking about their college performance. Its and inconvenient truth that Bush did better than Gore. I watched Gore as VP and as a presidential candidate and was never impressed by his brain. He can communicate better than Bush, but I don't think he is any smarter. He's never had to do anything that required him to be smart (you don't need brains to be a Senator) so we really don't know.

This country is filled with men and women who have done more than talk. This country deserves more than a "talker" who has not walked the "walk".

If we are to be enchanted by someone with a "golden" tongue, are we no different from Germany in the 1930s?

To Murray Dad; I don't think Obama will be giving shoulder massages to Chancellor Merkel either. Its what he might be giving to that crazy guy in Iran that worries me.

I wasn't defending what Bush has done. Your knee jerking must have gotten in the way and you couldn't see that. I just think that bashing Bush and calling him stupid adds nothing constructive to a discussion and destroys the credibility of the person doing it.

Having a person who voted for Bush writing about Obama being qualified to be president is like taking financial advice from someone in bankruptcy.

Timj@ ok now let me preface this by saying that I am no fan of Bush...or Kerry or Gore or Obama or a long list of other people who make thier career out of telling people how, where, and when to do what they themselves are unwilling to do. That being said, your argument of large vocabulary and correct word usage just elevated your nemesis Rush Limbaugh to genius status! Obviously vocabulary is a wonderful thing but it is not necessarily a valid reflection of a person's intelligence. To be honest, the whole political establishment makes me want to quietly slip into insanity.

Come on people.
Let's get real.
Do you REALLY think America wants 4 more years of Bush and Cheney?

"Obama offers us hope."

B. Hussein Obama's "hope" is that he hopes to get elected.

Sorry Overfelt, but supporting the right to choose when it comes to abortion doesn't mean they LIKE abortion... they just support having the choice. So don't try to say Obama likes the idea of girls/women killing their uborn child. Do I like abortion? Not at all.

One of the first to reply here, Roland, made an excellent point. Look at Lincoln... despite his lack of experience one might think a President should have he went down in history as one of the greatest and most popular U.S. Presidents. Obama very well could do the same, especially if he accomplishes most or all of his goals. He could very well be the "Uniter not a Divider" that Bush claimed to be, but never was.

Just because Carter had a similar goal set/mindset or way to approach Washington and failed doesn't mean Obama will also fail. So to the person in here who keeps replying with comparissons to Pres. Carter in every Obama article... get over it already. Is that the best you can do?

To all the naysayers... I predict, like it or not, you should get used to hearing and saying "President Obama" come January of 2009.

Milke Richards wrote

"This country is filled with men and women who have done more than talk. This country deserves more than a "talker" who has not walked the "walk"."

Proof positive that you speak the truth is George Bush. He never walked the walk with much success as a business person and look what happened to us when we elected him president.

If we fully comprehended and understood the slippery slope the malfeasance and incompetence of this administration has put us, on all of us on the board, Democrat and Republican alike, would unite to drive him from office Today.

Tomorrow would not be soon enough.

The most vocal of his opponents would be those who call themselves Republicans and conservatives. This administration has corrupted the principles and value conservatives hold dear and has single handedly caused the collapse of the Reagan Revolution and the modern day Republican Party. Where is your outrage?

Forget about Obama and McCain. I want to know is it it knowledge, understanding, wisdom or courage that you conservatives lack?

History will not and should not be kind to this man or his friends.

wrz -
Judging by the record-breaking number of people registering to vote Democratic, it appears it is more than just Obama that are hoping he gets elected.

Now in backwards, backwoods Utah (with a well-known history of racism) they probably don't even know who Obama is and what he stands for.

I remember reading a essay in the New York Times about hoe the reelection of George W. Bush would be the best time that happened to the Democratic Party since Nixon. I realized that winning can start events leading to greater looses.

Please stay the course. Elect McCain. He can finish the job W. started.

Look at the trend lines. Things aren't getting better in the next four years as trickle down economic's strangle hold gets tighter on working Americans. Bread will cost twice as much. Gas will be over six bucks a gallon. There will be huge layoffs.

Electing a democratic is giving conservatives a much needed fall person.

Pleez, pleez, pleez do NOT put Obama in the White House.

Anon 1:40 p.m. I know who Obama is and what he stands for. That's what absolutely scares me to death.

"wrz -
Judging by the record-breaking number of people registering to vote Democratic, it appears it is more than just Obama that are hoping he gets elected."

Half of the Dems don't. They voted for Hillary.

"Now in backwards, backwoods Utah (with a well-known history of racism) they probably don't even know who Obama is and what he stands for."

Well, we know two things...

B. Hussein Osama loves (or once did) his pastor who weekly spewed racism and hatred for America in his church.

And he thinks that Utahns and other "fly overs" use their religion and guns as fall-back security blanks.

I agree that none of the current candidates are what we truly what as a president but good grief when was the last time we had a GOOD candidate? Can anyone remember?
No matter who is in the white house that person needs to find one dang smart economist to get our country back on track.