Like it or not, and this goes across the whole spectrum for both Obama, McCain, Bush, Clinton and any other public figure..Paris Hilton included, your life is going to be scrutinized. Now for family and friends…We must remember that since grade school, the emphasis has always been that “you are who you hang out with”. For Obama, this means his associations(lifelong friendships) with racists and radicals will be “fair game”. For McCain, this means any associations with the Bush era that anyone can stick to him are “fair game”. But let it be known that a lifetime of hanging out with the wrong people does change you. It affects how you think. It can be a postive experience or a negative one depending on how you react and grow from it. Obama sat by and watched for years sermons that have no place in this country. If there was an equally radical white church preaching these things and McCain attended for 20 years, he would be but a blip on the political runway. McCain on the other hand spent years associated with political giants and embedded deeply in the military way of life. In learning and growing from these associations sometimes very controversial ideals, McCain has become known as a Republican who has broken ties with many “Republican” ideals.

I imagine that the candidate who grew in a positive manner from their years subject to sometimes immoral and quite controversial ideals is the true representative of change. I am voting not democrat or republican, but bi-partisan. And McCain is so un-controversial that democrats such as John Kerry have pronounced him their favorite republican. McCain has the true ability to produce a positive change in this country, not through rhetoric, but through action.

Michelle Obama is a lawyer too. Smae argument. How do you get from ‘first time in my adult life to be proud of my country’ to ‘first time in my life to be proud of the political process this year.” She knew what she said and she meant what she said. It was as deliberate as a controversial statement can be. And controversy forced her to re-state rather than re-tract. Cause retracting means she admits she made a mistake. Retracting meant she believed what she said and now realizes it is (1) controversial, or (2) wrong and unpatriotic. Either way, in my mind we need a couple more people sitting up in Washington who can’t admit they made a mistake. That’s just what we need. “Change you can believe in”…”but then, that’s not really what I meant by that statement…”

I agree karuna..

when you’ve been brought up a certain way, escaping those ideals is tough and escaping them in full is impossible. This is why I’m scared of Obama. Being around that sort of talk and those ideals for 20 years is enough for anyone to either 1) become comfortable with that sort of rhetoric or 2)fight to destroy that sort of rhetoric. I did not see an effort to destroy those ideals in the African American Community, so I assume there was a level of comfort with the ideals. I have no other possible conclusion to draw upon. Like I said, throughout your life you are learning and adjusting and for two or more decades, Obama has not adjusted or fought back against radical thoughts expressed in his church.

I believe he was learning and that scares me more than Hillary or McCain ever could.

The unknown is enough to force me to vote Republican. To me, Obama is slightly above Bush on the scary scale. I mean, atleast I know what Bush has planned for the country.

John McCain derived his wealth from his marriage to Cindy Hensley McCain, whose father started his road to riches as a bootlegger. As a politician, the senator has remained beholden to the liquor industry and the family business.