catholicsphere

Barack Obama, Democrat and junior senator from Illinois, has taken the first steps toward running for President of the United States in 2008. While it is going to be a crowded ticket for both parties, I have to say that, on the Democratic ticket, I’d like to see Obama win the nomination.

Of course, there will be those reading who have nearly fallen out of their chairs at the title of this entry, who have now probably fallen completely to the floor at reading the last sentence. There will be those who will then jump up to show me the Senator’s record on moral values issues. But, bear with me.

See, I think Sen. Obama’s short political career is a good thing. As one who witnessed his race against Alan Keyes for the US Senate seat in Illinois, I saw that he didn’t run a particularly dirty campaign — although there were those who slammed Keyes as a “carpet-bagger” since he wasn’t a resident of the state until shortly before the Illinois GOP declared him to be their candidate to replace the previous candidate who “fell from glory”. (I liked Keyes; I voted for Keyes — I think he was too radical-right for the moderate-to-left-leaning Illinois majority). Sen. Obama would hopefully bring a freshness to federal politics that hasn’t been seen in a long time, and which is sorely needed.

With the recent false report that he attended an Islamic school in Indonesia when he was 6 and 7 years old, which basically just rolled off his back like a raindrop on a freshly waxed car, it appears that the “dirty politics” of the past 15 years or more might be tougher to continue if Obama was the Democratic candidate.

And that is just what America needs.

I want to see a race that talks about the tough issues facing this nation. I want to see a race that doesn’t have opponents simply slamming one another. I want to hear … ideas and plans and details — something heard very little in the latest State of the Union speech.

Perhaps having such a campaign and election race might turn the nasty tide of American politics. One can only hope … and pray.

[tags]Election 2008, Barack Obama, politics, president[/tags]