Boater wrote:


EDITORIAL: Barack Obama for president

Sunday, October 19, 2008 6:42 AM EDT
In terms of experience, political courage and
willingness to work with political opponents, McCain's record towered
above that of Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate.

Obama, 47, has been a senator less than four years. McCain, 72, was
first elected to the Senate in 1986. McCain famously bucked his party
and the president on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
global warming, Iraq policy and the torture of terrorism suspects. Obama
has a nearly perfect party line voting record, one of the most liberal
in the Senate.


McCain worked with Democrats to enact campaign finance reform, end a
logjam on judicial nominees and on a failed immigration compromise.
Obama skipped the work on the judicial nomination stalemate and helped
undermine the immigration bill.

On top of his political record, McCain is an American war hero — his
character tested and proved during the five years he was a prisoner
during the Vietnam War after being shot down while serving as a Navy
fighter pilot.

On Iraq, McCain deserves credit for arguing for the troop surge that has
brought a fragile stability to the country. Obama's 16-month timetable
for withdrawing combat troops is too rigid.

Neither candidate has dealt seriously with how to save either Medicare
or Social Security from insolvency. Indeed, fixing the two entitlement
programs is not even among their top priorities.

Neither candidate has indicated how the government's spending of well
over $1 trillion on financial bailout measures will affect their plans
for new government spending.

If Obama met all his campaign spending promises, it would add $286
billion to $413 billion to the national deficit; McCain's spending would
add $167 billion to $259 billion, according to the Committee for a
Responsible Budget.

In their second debate, McCain said he would go forward with all his
programs. Obama, at least, suggested a need for priorities.

That seems like a pretty fair assessment.