How does a war veteran, an experienced, moderate, well rounded, and well supported politician lose an election?

That’s a good question. Undoubtedly, Obama is a good candidate. He’s charismatic, he’s making history, and he brings a message of change, which is something this country feels it desperately needs. Still, comparatively, Obama is unproven, has no gubernatorial experience, and no experince with the military (which will prove relevant in the coming term).

McCain, during his senatorial years, earned my respect. He was a republican, yes, but a good one. He was smart with his issues, supporting them with logic and not bending toward extremism. Then, he ran for the presidency. Like any republican (alright, to be fair,any politician), he bent to the will of his constituency. With the republican party, that means the religious right. His moderate views turned extreme. Overnight his logical discussions turned into typical fear inducing inflammatory republican rhetoric. It was all too familiar. McCain became a sellout. I held him in very high esteem before he ran for the presidency. I watched him fall. He gave up his persona for the sake of the campaign. That has to tear at you, not being yourself every day. His campaign managers were ridiculous. I submit Sarah Palin as my case in point. Here’s a snippet about why they thought that was a good idea. I can’t believe McCain let them push her on him. He had a chance, at least until his campaign became a running joke.

Are American voters stupid? The cynic in me says yes. The democrat in me says no. Honestly, i’m undecided on it. Regardless of my opinion, they definitely aren’t stupid enough to think Sarah Palin is a good idea. I don’t care how “mavericky” she seems. A VP that doesn’t know anything about the issues she hasn’t trained on is NOT a good VP. A politician’s job is to have educated opinions on relevant issues, not to restrict her comments to 2 issues and hope no one notices.

So there you have it. When running for president, stick to your guns, don’t let someone else make your campaign, and definitely don’t spew BS you don’t completely believe. You won’t pull it off.

We saw the old McCain again tonight. That’s a good man speaking from his heart, something we didn’t see enough of during the campain. Cheers John, you made some mistakes, but it was a good fight. I don’t think you deserved to win, but I still respect you.

Obama’s speech was also emotional. My eyes watered as he spoke of the American dream and hope for the future. Of the strength of youth and the challenges ahead. Of uniting a country divided by passions and the power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

Barack—no—Mr. President elect, the voters of these United States have vested in you the greatest responsibility on Earth: leader of the free world. We’ve elected a congress with both majorities amenable to your platform. Opportunities don’t get much sweeter than this. Don’t disappoint us.