Dissecting Barack Obama

My last post about “Saint Obama” certainly generated some passionate comments. Thanks to you all.

Some, like Burt, think the report from Insight Magazine is another conspiracy from the vast right wing, but I believe that is far-fetched. After all, who has the most to gain from trashing Obama?

The completely obvious answer is Hillary and Bill and their pals to whom Obama’s candidacy is a genuine threat. Republicans, on the other hand, would love to run against him. SactoDan at the Sacramento Republicrat said “as Hillary gets desperate, look for her henchmen to pick through Obama's trash, and by the time they get through with him, he'll nostalgically remember when smoking and minimal experience were his only negatives.” Dan mentioned a GOP scheme to have us register as Dem’s in the primary in order to vote for Obama. I may do it.

No, I do not think that Obama is a threat to beat a Republican in 2008, but I do think he is charming and intelligent and hope he remains in the Senate.

So let’s take a more detailed look at what I do not like about Mr. Obama as president.

In his recent autobiography The Audacity of Hope, Obama says, “I was not raised in a religious household” but that his Kenyan father was “raised a Muslim, but by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist....” He says his Indonesian stepfather was “skeptical” about religion and “saw religion as not particularly useful in the practical business of making one's way in the world ....”

This secular philosophy, rather than Islam, seems to have permeated the young Obama, and explains to my mind the radical attitudes he has about life. He voted against the “Induced Infant Liability Act.” That’s a dealbreaker for me.

I found a web site called On the Issues where each politician is rated on a liberal-conservative scale. This graphic describes the scale and Obama’s place on it (the red dot).

Here are the other items that are troubling to me. Obama,

> Opposed the Iraq war.

> Voted NO on extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretap provision.

> Stated that the US has never had so much power but so little influence to lead.

Obama is on the appeasement side of the war against Islamo-fascism.

> Voted NO on confirming John Roberts for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

> Voted NO on confirming Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Justice.

He believes “activist judges should interpret the Constitution through a left-wing prism.”

> Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program.

> Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.

> Would extend welfare and Medicaid to illegal immigrants.

Obama is an open borders advocate, more internationalist than American.

> Opposes the death penalty.

> Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

> Voted NO on reforming bankruptcy to include means-testing & restrictions.

> Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

> Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

> Believes health care is a right.

> Believes the Bush tax cuts did not create jobs.

> Would strengthen unions.

Obama is a light-weight socialist and a lover of government control. He is not my cup of tea for president of these United States.