Two days ago, The Daily Campus featured an editorial entitled “A Case for McCain” that explained why John McCain is the best choice for president. Although I respect the author’s decision to choose McCain for the presidency, I want to take this opportunity to provide a counterpoint on why I choose to disagree on some of the points made, and to clarify some of the statements made against Barack Obama.

One of the first and foremost points I would like to correct is the misrepresentation of Obama’s health care plan, represented as “socialized medicine,” comparable to that of Western Europe. Let me state this clearly: Obama’s health care plan does not entail health care becoming a government program or bureaucracy. Simply put, Obama’s plan is making sure that every American has health insurance. More than 50 million people in the United States are uninsured, and as medical costs are one of the chief reasons why people declare bankruptcy, 50 million people uninsured is a national disgrace, and a detriment to the middle class.

Obama’s plan is simply this: if you enjoy your existing health care plan, keep it; if you don’t have health insurance, then you may choose Medicare or Medicaid, or a health care plan similar to the one a member of Congress enjoys. Although Obama’s plan is more expensive, the long run affects will exceed McCain’s plan. McCain plans to give each family a $5,000 credit for health insurance, but as health care costs are approximately $12,000 per family, the difference is still difficult for the working poor. Experts at the Tax Policy Center, an independent think-tank in Washington D.C, estimate that Obama’s plan will quickly reduce the number of people uninsured (18 million by 2009, and 34 million by 2018), while McCain would only reduce the number of people uninsured by 1-5 million by 2013.

Regarding the War in Iraq, “Case for McCain” makes the correct and accurate statement that McCain’s support for the 2007 troop surge has helped improve conditions in Iraq by quelling the violence and reducing sectarian violence. Depending upon who’s elected, both candidates need to be flexible. As of now, President Bush and President Jalal Talibani of Iraq have discussed plans to decrease troop levels in Iraq. If elected, McCain will need to respect the sovereignty of Iraq if the leaders truly believe the country is ready to function independently, and Obama will need to carefully evaluate the situation and responsibly end this war rather than pander to populist appeal. However, Obama nevertheless demonstrates some very important assets that will strengthen our international position in the world.

First and foremost, Obama plans to refocus our troops in Afghanistan to make this our central front in the War on Terror. As Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden is directly responsible for 9/11 and other terrorist attacks worldwide, it is very important that we focus our presence in Afghanistan and finish what we started before we got caught up in a war based off false pretenses. Second, multilateral diplomacy is crucial and that same diplomacy with rogue states such as Iran does not constitute naiveté. This rings true when our allies and several former Secretaries of State such as Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Madeline Albright, and Colin Powell have already endorsed these same talks that Obama would undertake. The truth is that in the past eight years, the Bush Administration has engaged in unilateral foreign policy that has severely damaged our standing in the world. It is time that we mend our international reputation. When Sarah Palin even suggests with a hint in an interview of hypothetically going to war with Russia if it invaded Georgia, this demonstrates not only a lack of pragmatism, but downright carelessness.

Regarding economic policies, McCain not only wants to extend Bush’s tax cuts; he wants to make them permanent. Bush’s tax cuts are some of the chief reasons why our nation is in a trillion dollar debt due to the fact that we have allocated much of our deficit spending in our prolonged war in Iraq. Obama’s tax plan does not represent redistribution of wealth; it’s a tax break for working Americans making less than $250,000 a year, while the tax rate for those making more would simply return to that during Bill Clinton’s presidency, a period when we experienced unprecedented economic growth. The Democratic Party is not even a hairline close to the socialism of Western Europe, and the United States is one the most deregulated countries in the West, and it will never have the mixed economies to the extent of France, Germany, and Great Britain.

Obama has already demonstrated that he will surround himself with intelligent, experienced, and competent people, as witnessed by his selection of Joe Biden, a centrist Democrat who has been in the Senate for over 30 years and concurrently serves as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Who does McCain choose Palin, a politician without any educational credentials in politics, law or international relations. She claims to be a “maverick” and a “reformer,” despite the fact that she left Wasilla, Alaska (the town of which she was mayor) in millions of dollars of debt on top of legal fees; in fact, an investigation by the Alaska Legislature found that she abused her powers as governor by pressuring subordinates to fire the state trooper. Now when McCain is said to have only met her only once before appointing her as his running mate, doesn’t this represent a lack of careful consideration? Especially when there is a plethora of well-qualified Republican women to choose from, most notably Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Senator Elizabeth Dole?

In conclusion, although McCain has been notable in going against his party regarding issues of torture, global warming and campaign-finance reform, he has not been a “maverick” on key issues such as health care and the economy. Although different in 2000, in recent times he has courted ideologies of the far right that have alienated many independent voters including this one. When two former members of the Bush Administration, Colin Powell and Scott McClellan, endorse Obama, that’s an indication that our country needs transition. Do I expect Obama to deliver “revolutionary change?” Hardly, but I expect competency that steers our nation into the right direction. That is why I have decided to vote for an Obama-Biden administration.

Drew Hoeffner is a sophomore business and international studies double major. He can be reached for comment [email protected].