Thirteen Days
So I am in the middle of watching “Thirteen Days” for the second time for a paper that I have to write for my history class. Yes, I said in the middle of, because I tend to watch movies like people read books, I don’t have the ability to stay awake through an entire movie. It is a great film, but it has really got me thinking about the upcoming election.
The movie is about the Kennedy Administration’s response to the Cuban Missile Crisis and if you haven’t seen it and are worried about spoilers in this post…shame on your US history teacher! I have been trying to predict what either Obama or McCain would do in a situation like the Cuban Missile Crisis and it has confused my deciding who to vote for or even the desire to vote even more. Here are my conclusions/predictions:
Disclaimer: I am speculating about Obama/McCain and realize I could be completely wrong.
Let’s start with McCain. I know his a hero for being a Veteran and POW, great, however that doesn’t qualify you to be a president, so maybe find a different platform during your speeches. If he were in JFK’s shoes during the Cuban Missile Crisis I am afraid he would be a bit too trigger happy and would have bombed the heck out of Cuba, most likely ushering in WW3. I can respect his decisions about staying in Iraq as much as I disagree with them, but I think that his POW experience might even hurt his ability to be President, rather than help it.
On to Obama. My problem with this guy is that I can’t imagine him even being able to deal with this type of a situation, so I have no idea what he would really do. This sums up my overall opinion of him. I think he is very vague, which isn’t always bad, he could really surprise us for the positive, however, not to jump on the lack of experience bandwagon, but when it comes to foreign policy and protecting American citizens what would he really do? I don’t know…can I vote for someone that I don’t know how would respond to these situations?
Conclusion, I still have no idea what to do. I wish Hillary was still an option, I am more convinced she would have been the best choice, but that ship has sailed. I am ready for someone with the guts to do what he or she thinks is right (like George W. Bush) and have it be what is actually right (unlike George W. Bush). I want a candidate that is bold. One that stands for human right’s, whether that be for the unborn, women, the poor, the foreign, or sick. I want someone who can acknowledge things like poverty, AIDs, torture, healthcare, and education. But mostly I want someone who isn’t afraid to depart from party lines to do the right thing. So here it is:
Lieberman 2008
P.S. Just kidding, I do like Lieberman, though not for President. I am hoping that either Obama or McCain can shine in someway by November so I can feel comfortable in voting.
September 18th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I acknowledge things like poverty, AIDs, torture, healthcare, and education. But I don’t know what to do about any of them. I guess I won’t run for president.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Leslie,
That is precisely my point and why you should run for President. Why is it that we (the USA) and its leaders can only acknowledge certain things which we can or feel we can fix. I would love to hear President Bush say “we unconstitutionally tortured people, ruined families, and deported people out of the USA with no proof of them being terrorists and me and my administration is to blame.” That doesn’t change that it happened and it doesn’t allow those people to have normal lives again, but it is honest and a humanly thing to do. I can’t remember (maybe Lincoln was the last) a president that was willing to stand up for what was right when it wasn’t easy. I would love to hear a president say we have to deal with our national debt and poverty and do something about it, even if they don’t know what it is. I know we hear every candidate say this stuff, but it is always to get elected and they never mean any of it. No one would ever pay any taxes if every candidate kept their word. I guess I am just really disappointed that McCain and Obama are the best that this country can come up with.
Leslie 2008!