Column: McCain Offers Stability, Obama Offers Radicalism

This story was written by Michael Warren, Vanderbilt Hustler

With America still suffering a crisis in the financial market and the threat of radical Islam still present here and abroad, the best choice for president is Sen. John McCain.

McCains judgment on the surge in Iraq shows he is capable and knowledgeable on issues of the War on Terror, andhis measured and direct response to the Russian invasion of Georgia indicates a breadth of knowledge about foreign policy that considerably dwarfs that of his opponent.

McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, have demonstrated an understanding that restoring market confidence includes returning money to taxpaying consumers and freezing wasteful government spending. On other important issues, including the right to life and strict constructionist judges, McCain and Palin have proven themselves in their rhetoric and their records. McCain certainly has his faults, from campaign finance reform to comprehensive immigration reform, but ultimately, these issues are superseded by the more pressing problems our country faces.

By contrast, Sen. Barack Obama fails to inspire confidence in this time of volatility and insecurity. Obama wows massive audiences with soaring rhetoric and appeals greatly to young, college-age voters, but what is known about this rather unknown quantity should disturb anyone who wants to succeed in America.

Obama claims his judgment has been tested with his initial opposition to the war in Iraq, but as an Illinois senator from a comfortable seat, he was never tested on this with a vote on the war. When the chance to use his judgment did come in the form of a vote on the surge, Obama voted against what has turned out to be a successful strategy that is allowing us to win the war.

On the economy, Obama misrepresents his own tax plan. While saying he supports tax cuts for the middle class, Obama defines the middle class as those making less than $250,000 income annually. This places a large number of individuals and families in the $100,000-200,000 range all Joe the Plumbers of America in a position that will punish them with a higher tax bracket if their income pushes above this range. Making upward mobility a disincentive is simply the wrong way to encourage growth, and it shows a lack of understanding about how wealth is defined by assets and not income.

Most disturbing about Obama is his radical record of issues of life. His opposition to an Illinois senate bill that would require hospitals to provide medical care to infants born alive from failed abortions seems like a minor issue with an economy is crisis, but the vote is telling about Obamas position on life. The federal version of the bill was supported by even the most pro-choice of senators. This places Obama so far out of the mainstream that it calls into question his judgment.

The Obama allure is largely symbolic, seen as a break from the Bush tradition that, despite the prevention of domestic terrorist attacks since Sept. 11, is perceived largely as a failure. Young Americans yearn for change, but radicalism in the face of insecurity will only make the United States less stable for the future. McCains hard-nosed realism about the challenges we face at home and abroad will offer sobering solutions, while the untested Obama has radically left-wing politics that will only move America toward higher taxes, more government control over our lives and more defense insecurity on the world stage.