Friday, February 15, 2008

Fair-Minded

This week, I have been thinking a lot about Barack Obama.

I have been thinking about Senator Obama and what it would mean for the United States if he gains the Democrat Presidential nomination and what it could mean if he wins the White House.

As a pro-life, libertarian-minded Republican, there are obviously many issues on which I do not agree with Senator Obama -- most notably on granting legal protection for unborn children.

But, I am ready to concede that he may be the best American orator of this generation. And, I have to say that his message of hope and the tone with which he is delivering that message do inspire with me. The possibility that this could be a "transformative" moment for our nation is important to consider.

Below is a video of a 40-minute speech Senator Obama delivered in 2006 on the crossroads of politics and faith. I do not agree with some of the things he says in his remarks but, for anyone who cares about faith and public policy, it may be a valuable thing to watch in order to learn more about the Senator's thinking in this area.

If you check it out, be sure to watch until the end when Senator Obama talks about correspondence he had with one pro-life doctor.

For your consideration:

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brilliant.

Scott E. Crawford said...

Well, Obama is far from perfect, but right now he's about all we've got. I like his foreign policy, I think he's charismatic and would bring honor to the White House. He's open-minded, too, and is the least partisian.

At the same time, as an economically conservative Taft-Republican, Obama is far too liberal on healthcare and social security.

However, we must consider the alternatives. Clinton uses socialist rhetoric. She goes completely against the Kennedy adage "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." We need to reduce the welfare state, not encourage it. Meanwhile, John McCain has an aggressive foreign policy that would be disastrous. He voted against the Bush tax cuts. His campaign finace reform bill obliterated the 1st Amendment and cemented a two-party establishment. He brings nothing to the table.

Thus, Obama, though flawed, seems to be the best of the three.