Presidential Candidate Decided Tonight

After watching the Democratic presidential debate last night on CNN, one candidate impressed the hell out of me moreso than in any of the other debates, both from the Democrats and the Republicans. And after seeing the performance in the latest debate, it's official: I will be casting my 2008 presidential vote for Illinois senator Barack Obama.

Obama's positions on relations with Cuba, illegal immigration, and foreign relations are in line with what I believe. I simply do not have the confidence that Hillary Clinton will make an effort to unite the parties and push an agenda that is not awash in the same ol' partisan politics. Obama seems more willing to cross the aisle and not alienate Republicans, and his ideas and proposals seem to make the most sense to even some moderate Republicans. Though John McCain appears to be the front-runner for the GOP nomination, his stance on the war in Iraq and the economy are completely turning me off to him (if I had to choose a Republican candidate, I would have voted for Ron Paul).

Since 1988, the United States has been led by someone named Bush or Clinton. I do not think that the vigor and popularity of Bill Clinton translates well to his wife (I had a couple of issues with President Clinton, too, so I'm not one of these folks that fawn all over him in adoration), and I totally believe in Obama's thoughts of the need for change and a return to a focus on America first. With that said, I encourage each one of you to get active in the political process and vote for who you think can best lead America forward. My choice happens to be Barack Obama.