Obama a Leap of Faith?

As I usually do on Sunday morning, I lay in bed with my lovely wife and watch Meet the Press. But it was The Chris Matthews Show this morning that had a little more relevance to me today. The discussion, as usual, was Barack Obama's experience or lack of it and whether that was a liability versus John McCain's vast experience at foreign policy and his elevated status having been a war hero and prisoner of war.

On The Chris Matthews Show, as well as the discussion over on ABC's This Week, it seems that Obama takes a beating overall. It's a little frustrating to watch, but in the end, Barack makes a huge rebound. The question is posed as to whether voting for Obama is a leap of faith, and the overall feeling is yes, but the ultimate clarifier is that Obama, despite lacking in critical experience in key areas, particularly world exposure and foreign policy, is smart and can learn what he doesn't already know.

On the segment of The Chris Matthews Show where the guests tell the host something that he doesn't know, David Brooks of the New York Times said something that is critical to recognizing and acknowleding the kind of change that Barack brings to this country, and conversely what John McCain is lacking in terms of his quest to keep us clinging to the status quo. Brooks announced that he had it on very good authority that Obama's first two bills that he'd try to get through Congress is the SCHIP program, benefitting children's health issues, and a stem cell research program, obviously benefitting innovative health research and dynamic new medical procedures.

The other theme that was discussed was Obama's ultimate popularity with women, which could potentially put him over the top, and the presence and expertise of Hillary Clinton who, if utilized properly, could assist Barack Obama in bringing about a health plan that resonates with the American people and could spark Congress to work on a bipartisan basis to pass a comprehensive universal healthcare plan.

This then brings up the concept of what does McCain plan to do if he becomes president. The SCHIP program and stem bell research are a very aggressive agenda, and can we expect John McCain to support these programs? I sincerely doubt it, but he should be questioned on these issues immediately.

Finally, both candidates were asked to comment on Russia's very aggressive attack on the country of Georgia over the past few days. First off, seeing Bush sitting there at the Olympics a couple of seats away from Vladimir Putin yucking it up as if nothing was going on was absolutely repulsive, but I digress. I have not studied this to any degree, but listening to what McCain said, which was an immediate repudiation of Russia without much of the facts being available, seemed over the top and almost grandstanding.

Barack, asked what he would say about the acts of Russia on Georgia, originally tempered his comments by speaking in hypotheticals, and then once the actions of of Russia were clarified and it was confirmed that Russia was the aggressor who is once again pushing its agenda of dominance in the region and trying to spread its control over a former Soviet state, stepped up his comments and reiterated his concerns that Russia's actions were not well received in the US and across the world.

I do have to say that on first blush, I like a president (or future president) who doesn't jump to conclusions, doesn't say things that he'll end up having to take back later, and one that doesn't start all comments with cliches and rhetoric that could apply to many situations. McCain, who seems to have made comments that were strong but appropriate, could very well have been wrong if that situation on the ground turned out to be different. I like the fact that Obama chose to modify his comments until he had more confirmation of what was going on in Georgia.

Barack Obama is ready to be our president. Yes, he does lack experience in some areas, but a smart man can learn the nuances that will make him a more well-rounded leader. I am more comfortable with that kind of president. Call it a leap of faith, but I'd prefer to call it a good bet, a calculated risk rather than a known quantity, McCain, that yes, we do know what he's all about, but is that really what we want for our future? I don't think so.