Who will you gamble on?

It’s always interesting to hear two sides of the story. It’s provides perspective.

The question is which candidate will you gamble on? It is a gamble because I believe nothing in this world can predict how well an individual will perform as president. I believe nothing can prepare you for the position of POTUS and the responsibilities that come with this job. However, without a doubt, I believe the individual must be learned and have in their arsenal sophisticated analytical skills to properly evaluate situations presented to them and have the ability to make an educated decision to the best of his her ability. Life is not black and white and many problems do not have a perfect answer. This is why the office of POTUS is such a difficult position. Having said that, I believe both candidates are qualified for the position.


With Obama’s classical education in an internationally recognized university, I have no doubt he would be able to tackle the problems presented to him. With a good broad knowledge of the modern world and his years of service in his community, I believe that he will be able to adapt to the dynamic national and international political environment. Clearly he is gifted, as he had to work and study extremely hard to attend Harvard Law, one of the most prestigious and internationally recognized law schools in the world. I have no doubt he has a command of the language and will be able to converse and negotiate comfortably with other educated men and women around the world.

With McCain long service to this country and his years of hands on experience in politics, I have no doubt he will also be a competent leader of this nation and will be able to go toe to toe with international leaders. It is frankly shameful to question his character and his loyalty to the people of this country and I believe that his intent has always been for the good of the country. Although some of the people he had to court to win votes reflect badly on him, I still believe that when you pull the Republican machine aside, he is a decent and intelligent man.

But all of that do not matter to me at this point because my problem lies with Mrs. Palin. Although it is indeed true that one cannot judge a person’s intellectual and political prowess solely on merits written on paper, I can’t help but take a wary look at her credentials. Palin attended several community colleges with variable attendance rate. In between her attempts to receive a general studies degree, she took time off to enter beauty pagents. She did a semester here and a semester there until she finally graduated with a communications degree from University of Idaho. She seems like a decent human being with a modest knowledge base. But therein lies the problem. She IS the poster child for mediocrity. There is nothing wrong with that in the microcosm of Alaskan politics but there is no room for mediocrity on the international stage when billions of lives are at stake.

My problem is that voting for McCain\Palin duo is a big risk. He has had melanoma (please look at the statistics with regards to five year survival) and his health is not what it used to be. This is why the position of vice president comes into play much more in this election. If heaven forbid, McCain dies in office, how will Palin lead the country and the world? Picture in your mind’s eye any scenario between President Palin and say…PM Putin. Pit PM Putin, an ex KGB and former leader of one of the most powerful nations on earth against Gov. Palin, a former beauty queen and moose hunter who currently leads 675,000 citizens in Alaska. Picture in your mind’s eye dinners involving the leaders of various countries around the world and try to predict her ability to converse with them in a sophisticated manner.

Folksy talk and a simple mind may be cute for a few minutes but when millions or billions of lives are at stake, I cannot tolerate such unprofessional behavior. Just look at the devastating impact George Bush the dullard had on the world.

Americans have the unique privilege of not only electing the leader of this great nation but also a leader of the entire free world. I hope that people will take this into consideration when they vote in November.