For the last several weeks I've been chewing over who I would vote for should Edwards drop out of the race or not reach the 15% threshold in my precinct. Obviously, the rate of chewing has gone up in the last few days. There are things about both Clinton and Obama that I like, and things that make me uncomfortable. But ultimately I coming down on the side of Obama for three important reasons: His policy on the war in Iraq, what I believe to be his ability to work across the aisle without diluting our party's key beliefs, and the opportunity for change he brings to both the nation and the party.
In October of 2003, I was training for the job I would eventually do in the army. I had joined the military in the summer of 2002 because of 9/11, and was hoping to be a part of accomplishing something important. After work on that fateful day, I went up to the tv room in the barracks to watch the President's speech, knowing deep in my gut that I wasn't going to enjoy it. I didn't. On that day, the president sent the US Army over the border of Iraq and began the morass we find ourselves in. I knew then that it was a mistake. So did Barrack Obama, and he said so. Do I think he could have done more then he did about the war in the senate? Maybe, but he has been on the right side of this since the beginning. Hillary Clinton has not. If the young, fiercely patriotic soldier that I was in 2003 knew that the invasion was wrong, I find the naivety that Senator Clinton exhibited on that vote disgusting. We need somebody who has been solid on the war from the beginning. Barrack Obama is that person.
But beyond the war in Iraq, I believe that Senator Obama has the ability to lead more effectively then his opponent. On day one, I believe that a President Hillary Clinton would set out to find the most tenable positions politically and move the administration towards them. A President Obama would set out to find the right positions on America's challenges, and move his opposition towards him. That is the kind of leader we need in the White House right now. The damage that has been done in the last couple of decades is far to severe to trust the repairs to the DLC.
But more important then either of those things for me is the opportunity that Senator Obama represents for the party and the country as a whole. I was not alive for the John F Kennedy presidency, but there is no doubt that he was an incredible, inspiring man. He brought a whole new generation of voters into the democratic fold, and that generation is still with us today. I sincerely believe that we have the opportunity again. Presidential primaries are about more than the resident of the White House to me. They are also about the party's future. Generally speaking, those two goals are inclusive, but it's helpful to remember that they both matter.
Either of our two remaining candidates can win the general. But there is a pretty striking difference between the type of victory each would have. Because of so many reasons, Senator Clinton would most likely continue to operate in a divided nation. Senator Obama has the personality and charisma to pull the nation together behind the Democratic banner. In my opinion, the choice has never been change versus experience. The choice is between a mediocre win with poor down-ticket results, and a huge win that starts a movement.
President Obama is the movement.