Trust but verify still works fairly well for us. McPall, yeah, dump with the trash. Pure & simple. He’s got the backup he needs for his fragile ego (good lord, was it 13 houses, 4 adoring kids & a wife who will apparently put up with… more than I would. i have no idea where the apallin partner is headed.

Obama. He’s our shot at improving things this time around. He won’t get a free ride. He knows that, I’m sure. I would never call you wrong. All these candidates have to shave details of substance or risk boring everyone to death while campaigning.

Have you ever looked deep into Michelle’s face? at those kids? and the interactions among them and dad? It’s instructive. There are things that cannot be scripted.

To me, those “little” things, on through his superb and totally relevant education credentials, positions on issues and plans for the future, even including the annoying vagueness about certain areas of planning. Translated from what I’ve heard, read, and seen of him, he’s worth my vote, and some considerable hope. You bet. That doesn’t mean we must sit quietly, hands folded politely, if he achieves that high office.

Campaigning skill does not equal leadership qualities. Just as years in office do not necessarily equate to ability and desire to work for the good of all.

My husband is not an extrovert. I just found today an e-mail of his to our sons, admitting that he and I both choked up during Obama’s “infomercial” last night. Yes. Guilty. We are both scientists by training, with an emphasis on behavior but with firm scientific basis. That kind of reaction to someone seeking high office is rare in our house.

This fella Obama may just be the real deal. Let’s at least give him a chance.
But good heavens, in this day and age of the toobz, if you perceive questions to ask, pressure to apply, have at it. Tell ‘em adie sent you (best muttered to yourself. They won’t have the foggiest idea who or what that means, but stifle the grin and go forth). This is, after all,still a democracy by title, as of Jan. 20 2009. I hope. But it needs some work.

Meanwhile I have a pretty comprehensive list of McCain’s and Palin’s lies.

Leaders are special people in that they have the ability to guide and represent large groups of people. In this calling, they agree, to some degree, to be responsible for the well-being of others. Because of this, we hold them up to a higher standard of behavior, and in some ways this is fair. However, we will only be disappointed and disillusioned time and time again if we expect them to be perfect. If they were perfect, they would not be here on earth. Perhaps the most we can expect of our leaders is that they make it a practice to acknowledge their shortcomings and learn from their experiences. Beyond this, when our leaders let us down, it is up to us to forgive and move on. Dwelling on disappointment and negativity creates more of the same.

People who choose to lead are often extraordinary individuals blessed with vision, energy, and charisma. It is their path to inspire, guide, and represent us, but it is not possible for them to never let us down. Leaders are on a path of growth just as we are. Perhaps this is something to remember when we have the opportunity to choose somebody in a leadership role, or perhaps you are ready to step into a role of leadership yourself.

You have worked so hard, and produced so much that helped every other person here. We can never thank you enough. Your timelines and schedules and heads-up, and voting records, wealth of ideas for discussion, your clear vision of ethical balance …

I hope you will take some pleasure from a successful election and Obama taking office smoothly in January.

The pressure on him from all sides will begin long before he takes the oath. I don’t dream so much. It’s more like keeping panic at bay. And the nightmares are frequent here for me, as I suspect they are for you.

I hope that Obama can summon the strength and courage to steer a progressive course, first reversing ASAP the worst of the grievous wrongs of the last several administrations.

My more realistic side knows this is impossible. How do you undo the damage from the warring and pilaging, the numbskull neocon loading of SOTUS, the irreversible environmental damage to this one bruised and abused earth on which we all depend for survival? Present policy and practice, quite simply, is NOT sustainable, not even close. Humankind is galloping toward calamity at a flat-out race, and yet no one in power seems to care enough to plan, if indeed it’s not already too late.

The torture policy MUST be reversed immediately. The wholesale disregard of human rights is appalling, and surely some parts of that mess (e.g., restoring the Constitution to its former place in the scheme of things) can be reversed quickly.

What to do about the myriad of other horrible problems that loom? We hope to muddle through, I guess.

My kinder side would like Bush and Cheney, plus a number of their close aides, hauled up in chains for war crimes, jailed, and the keys tossed. They are guilty of unspeakable greed, cruelty and disregard for all living things.

I know Obama can’t fix all these problems. Some of the most egregious are probably truly hopeless. But I’m willing to do my small part to help repair what we can.

I hope these don’t sound like meaningless placebos. I just don’t know what more to say. Election of McCain would spell disaster. I can think that far ahead, and keep going…