While this year’s presidential campaign has brought to light countless disagreements between the two candidates, almost everyone can agree that the American people will face a distinct choice in six days that will have a profound impact on the future of our country. With a faltering financial infrastructure and a dangerous global climate consisting of rogue nations and the expansion of extremism, the next president will face perilous economic and diplomatic realities. And while Barack Obama has undoubtedly inspired millions with his message of hope and change, now is not the time to entrust the most powerful office in the world to a woefully untested and unproven candidate. As his running mate, Joe Biden, said last August of Obama’s candidacy and inexperience, “the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.” In contrast, John McCain has a lifetime record of strength, courage, and sound judgment, which will serve him well in the White House.
Whoever the next president is, he will face a far more dangerous world than when George W. Bush first took office in 2001. Islamic extremism has presented itself as a realistic threat to our way of life, and unscrupulous nations in the Middle East such as Syria and Iran seek the destruction of our ally in Israel and are attempting to undermine the progress made by the American military in the last six years. In other parts of the world, North Korea threatened earlier this week to turn South Korea into “debris,” and Russia continues to move closely resemble the old Soviet Union rather than a responsible democracy. To compound the problem, many of our traditional allies in Europe are woefully na’ve towards the changing threats to global stability, and have found it easier to blame America for the world’s problems rather than taking any tangible action to try and solve them.
Fortunately, John McCain knows firsthand the consequences of war, and he realizes the importance of winning the ideological war in the Middle East over radical Islam. As a prisoner of war for over five years in Vietnam, McCain declined an offer to leave the prison camp early and endured unspeakable torture, all while the United States executed an uninspired battle plan in the face of political pressure at home and ultimately lost the war. While McCain’s tenure as a POW alone does not qualify him to be our next President, it does provide us an insight into his character, and the emphasis he places on honor and service to one’s country. Since leaving the Navy and entering politics, McCain has been a member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee for over 20 years, and his foreign policy experience and credentials are rivaled by members of Congress today. Even when it was extremely unpopular and damaging to his political career, McCain argued for the “surge” tactic in Iraq, which has been overwhelmingly successful in quelling violence in the region and defeating the culture of extremism which persists in that country.
The alternative to a McCain presidency is a frightful proposition on the foreign policy front. As Joe Biden explained at a fundraiser in Seattle last week, “Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama…we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy…I guarantee you it’s gonna happen.” While Biden may have momentarily forgotten which ticket he’s running on, he makes an excellent point nonetheless. At a time when our nation faces challenges from Iran to North Korea to Venezuela, Obama’s inexperience sends a message of American vulnerability to the rest of the world. John McCain will face no sort of an international “test” because he has already projected his decisiveness to the rest of the world.
As crucial as the foreign policy decisions of the next president will be to the future of our country and many other nations around the world, it appears as if the economy is the dominant issue which will likely determine the 2008 race. Many have placed blame on President Bush and the Republicans for their handling of the economy in the wake of the recent crisis, and have extrapolated such a premise into declaring John McCain ill-suited to fix the problem. However, the economic crisis is far too big of an issue to pin solely on the Bush Administration or six years of a Republican Congress, and the implication that McCain’s economic policies are flawed because of the Bush Administration’s supposed poor economic performance is a flawed assumption.
The truth is that over two years ago, McCain argued in the Senate for more government oversight of home lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which potentially may have weakened the effects of the current crisis. In a May 5, 2006 letter signed by McCain and 19 of his colleagues, the Senators wrote, “Congress must ask itself who would pay this debt if Fannie or Freddie could not?” Obama, interestingly enough, did not sign the letter, although he has accepted campaign contributions from former Fannie and Freddie executives.
McCain also realizes the impending challenges America will face as our energy options become dangerously limited. By advocating for the exploration of oil in Alaska and along our coastlines, McCain has a plan to keep energy costs down in America while we simultaneously research newer, cleaner methods to meet our increasing energy demands without sending more money overseas to foreign oil producers.
Obama has a plan for the economy as well, but it is one which would be devastating to our economy in its current state. While Obama pledges to cut taxes for 95 percent of working Americans, he will in fact raise government tax revenues substantially in his effort to implement a socialist redistribution of wealth policy similar to that which is found in Europe today. Obama’s proposals punish financial success, and are counterproductive to the American ideals of innovation and entrepreneurship which have come to define our nation.
The choice in this year’s election is clear. We are living in uncertain times, and uncertain times do not call for an uncertain candidate. John McCain’s record of service, strength and decisiveness is what we need at a time when our nation is at such an important crossroads.
Joseph Goddard is a senior political science and economics double major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
