Obama or McCain? You Decide.

Barack Obama is the only candidate that has been successful at reaching across party lines in the presidential election.

I as well have not had much to say on The Dirt. It is unfortunate that I no longer consider myself in tune with life in the Delta and can no longer comment as such. My free time (what little of it I have) has also been dedicated to following both the presidential election and American Idol like a hawk. That having been said, I am not afraid to admit that my name is on Amy's list of previously sane people who are seriously considering Obama in November.

Now, my consideration depends on a lot of future events to fall into place. First and foremost, Obama will have to beat Hillary for the Democratic nomination. If that were to happen, my pick between Obama and McCain would also depend on who each picks for their veep candidate. As a self-proclaimed independent, I find myself torn between these two candidates and refuse to make a blind decision based on what certain political parties or ideologies tell me I should do. I think Americans as a whole have reached a point at which we are educated enough to vote on issues, rather than a person's political affiliation.

The main issue that will eventually affect my decision is the War in Iraq. And based on polls I have seen, I am not the only one who feels that way. John McCain has been quoted as saying that he would not be against spending the next 100 years occupying Iraq, if that's what it takes to "win". I respectfully disagree. I am of the belief that the war has gotten out of hand under the (lack of) leadership of President Bush. I see this war as our generation's Vietnam. There is no end in sight, no winning strategy as of yet, and it is being fought over oil.

I don't think that we need to pull out all of our troops immediately, as that would cause even more trouble in Iraq. I do, however, think that we should have a firm timeline to turn control back over the the Iraqis, and to get our troops home. You don't hear of any major successes in Iraq any more. All you hear about are the bodies that are coming home to meet grieving parents, spouses, and children. The fact is that the Middle East region has been fighting over oil since oil became a major source of fuel. We jumped in the middle of their war, with no real support from other nations, because for some reason America feels that we need to be the World Police.

In my humble opinion, we should be spending our nation's resources devising ways to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, rather than fighting to maintain control over a fuel that has been steadily increasing in price and continues to pollute our natural environment. At the risk of sounding like a bonafide tree-hugger, I think it is of paramount importance to start really looking into green energy -- energy that doesn't produce a filthy brown haze in the air above our cities and energy that doesn't get us into wars we can't win. Obama agrees with me.

While I realize that this is just one issue in the grand scheme of things, and I don't agree with every issue that Obama supports, this issue is the most important to me. Everyone has a right to their own opinions; it just seems that as more and more Americans begin to think about who they want to lead this nation over the next four years, they are beginning to see that Obama is not a bad alternative. He is young, inspiring, and is reaching out to both sides of the political spectrum. And that is an accomplishment that neither Hillary or McCain can claim.

I am not completely sold on Obama just yet. And rest assured that if Hillary gets the nomination, I will be voting for John McCain. But that has less to do with my excitement for McCain and more to do with my disgust for Hillary. At this point in the game, Obama seems like a good alternative to the same old song and dance. I will be looking forward to the first presidential debate, to be held in Oxford in September, to further help me decide who will eventually get my vote.