Endorsement

(Bob submitted this post to me and I thought it pretty well summed up my feelings on the presidential race, and I agree with 99% of it I thought it would serve pretty well as a statement of endorsement)

Possible conversion on Candidates

Tonight Senator John McCain won the South Carolina Primary. I have over the last several weeks started to reexamine the senator and his candidacy. In the 2000 primary I supported John McCain because I like the fact that he spoke truth to power and was willing to buck the system when he thought he was right.This year I wrote the Senator off, this was a mistake of mine I for the first time in my life bought into the pundits opinions. As I look at his positions there are some I don't agree with, like his stance on immigration ( the amnesty bill) and his support of campaign finance reform. But I like that fact that he is trying to get things done and is willing to go against his party if necessary to do so. He has a consistent conservative voting record, he is a rational logical conservative. He is a supporter of a balanced budget and against pork barrel spending, and his foreign policy experience is first rate. I like that he has spent his life in public service, that he honorably and courageously served his country in Vietnam and sacrificed his pride, blood, and a whole lot of pain for his nation. The fact that he knows the horror of war makes him very qualified to be President and Commander and Chief. He also has the credibility to talk about issues like torture and techniques for interrogation. I like that fact that he doesn't wear his religion on his sleeve that he is one of the millions of Americans who for the most part believes religion is a private matter. He doesn't pander to the likes of Pat Robertson or James Dobson and I like that very much.He also appears to be against the defense of marriage amendment which would ban gay marriage, he says that it is a states rights issue and this is a good start and a good position for a President from the GOP to take. So as I look at the Senator again and reassess what I'm looking for in a leader of my party and more importantly my country I am considering doing something I have never done this late in a Primary and that is switching my support.I think I may be a McCain Republican, I believe that he can appeal to Republican and independent voters alike, I also think he can beat Hillary Clinton like a drum. More importantly I believe he is just what America needs after seven years of the Bush Presidency and a Democratic party that is clueless to the threats this nation and world faces. John McCain is an elder statesman, a man who has been tempered by war, is schooled in how government works, and has a core set of Principals. I think that America taking a break from being governed by Baby Boomers may very well be what this nation needs. I still like Mike Huckabee but the political realities are that if he can't win in South Carolina, how can I expect him to win in Indiana, Connecticut, and Colorado and supporting a losing candidate leads to very bad policies by the person that beat him. I think Mike would have made a fine President but I realize now that McCain may be a better fit for me.So I am considering switching my support to Senator McCain. Now I am not a fair weather fan, I simply realize that I may have chosen Governor Huckabee too quickly. I have always called myself a Reagan Republican and that is very true he is after all my political hero but I also think I am a McCain Republican. So we shall see I hope the Senator wins in Florida and can go on to take out Romney on Super Tuesday. As for Governor Huckabee I believe he spent his energy on Iowa, he may win a few more primaries but I think for the most part he is done. So I will mull it over for a few more days and decide weather to stick it out with Governor Huckabee until the nomination is decided or whether to change my support to Senator McCain.

(Steve's note: What it came down to for me in a race where there is no candidate that I agree with 100%, I liked the fact that McCain is more of a known quantity to me. He has more experience in lawmaking than all three leading Democrats combined. And while I disagree with McCain on how long we can stay in Iraq, I don't believe any of the dems on this issue. When's the last time any president moved our forces away from oil? So I feel that most likely any candidate will find an excuse to continue the war. The difference is that McCain is honest about it, and I believe he will be much more competent in these matters than our current president.)