Caucus 2008: Our endorsements
Issue date: 12/21/07 Section: Opinions
DEMOCRAT: Sen. Barack Obama
Barack Obama was elected to the Senate in 2004 after serving eight years in the Illinois Senate. Prior to life as an elected official, he took a hands-on approach to civil service. Obama passed on high-paying jobs in the private sector and instead became a church-based community organizer in Chicago after graduating from Columbia in 1983. He returned to Chicago again as a civil-rights lawyer and constitutional-law professor after graduating from the Harvard Law School in 1991, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. Through his life and career he has demonstrated a passion to serve and a commitment to bringing people together to solve problems.
From the start, Obama was viewed as charismatic but lacking in substance. Now, fewer than two weeks from our state caucuses, this is no longer the case. Obama's commanding oratorical abilities should not distract voters from his policy proposals, objectives that outline a return of "united" to the United States. We believe his judgment and ideas are the best fit, not just for a party but for a people. We believe Obama represents the best of our polity and a better future for our nation, which is why he is receiving The Daily Iowan's endorsement.
- When talk of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction mutated into the push for invasion, Obama had the courage and prudence to oppose the war, pointing out that military action at that juncture would begin "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undetermined consequences." No other serious candidate stood so strongly against popular opinion at the time. Five years later, Iraq has not made enough progress to release us from our current open-ended commitment. This war has cost us nearly half a trillion dollars and - more importantly - thousands of American lives. Obama's plan would remove troops at the rate of one to two brigades a month, leading to a complete withdrawal of forces by the end of 2008. He would require the beginning of a new constitutional convention organized by the United Nations, not to end until a new reconciliation agreement is in place. Most importantly, we believe strongly that Obama would employ something the world hasn't seen from America in years: diplomacy. Stronger alliances can be formed to secure regional stability by opening new dialogue and assuring Middle East nations of the vital role their involvement can play in future peace. A strong and independent Iraq will not only free America of a burden, but contribute to harmony in the Middle East
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