There is no question, at least to me, that having Obama beat McCain is vitally important. But so, too, is the way that victory is achieved and what Obama advocates and espouses along the way. Feeding distortions against someone like Wesley Clark in order to please Joe Klein and his fact-free media friends, or legalizing warrantless eavesdropping and protecting joint Bush/telecom lawbreaking, or basing his campaign on demonizing MoveOn.org and 1960s anti-war hippies, is quite harmful in many long-lasting ways. Electing Barack Obama is a very important political priority but it isn't the only one there is, and his election is less likely, not more likely, the more homage he pays to these these tired, status-quo-perpetuating Beltway pieties.I try to be a political realist* and I understand the need to win the election before you can bring about change, but some of the more recent pandering by the Obama camp to the middle is disappointing to me ideologically, as well as confusing to me with regard to these moves electoral soundness. I'm not sure how backpedalling on every major issue is going to help get you elected, because the Obama campaign had it right from the beginning -- America wants change... but not a lump of cold remanufactured beltway bullshit change.
All that said, McCain is still a very scary candidate. His hawkishness combined with his temper don't seem to me to be the best way to avoid more armed conflict in the Middle East (i.e. Iran). Additionally, his lack of any serious economic policy (other than give the business world more tax breaks) is troublesome. McCain's disdain for universal health care is also a major problem and his new method of repackaging himself as a "green" candidate are laughable, given his desire to go headlong into perpetuating our oil addiction by adding supply instead of working towards alternatives.
* A term that is completely legitimate, but unfortunately has been overrun with muddled middlers.
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