Yep, I'd vote for Obama

Of course, I don't have a vote in the US election. And I'd imagine that this blog has precisely zero influence on the US. But that doesn't stop me from having an opinion, and since this blog is pure (often unfiltered) opinion I'll give my opinion on who I would vote for if I had a vote in the Presidential election. And it would be for Obama rather than McCain.

Let me clarify my position. I don't like Obama, and I am far from being an Obama fan. His bellicose talk about US troops in Pakistan was idiotic, and I am distrustful of both his inexperience and his complete lack of any real policy proposals. His constant talk of the audacity of hope cannot make up for the paucity of policy. He has been described as the empty suit; I'd agree with that.

The problem is that there is very little to distinguish Obama from McCain. Obama would attack Pakistan; McCain would bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb Iran. McCain has been unable to come up with any real policies to distinguish himself from either Obama or from President Bush II. The only real distinction between Obama and McCain is that the latter is seriously lacking in charisma. That isn't the reason why I favour one over the other - I'm a fan of Michael Howard, and Lord knows he has about as much charisma as my right shoe - but McCain's presentational problems help to highlight that he is not really offering anything at all.

So it isn't policies or presentation that has made me plump for Obama. No, it is the choice of Vice Presidential candidate that worries me. Obama's choice of Biden is as uninspired as it is boring. However Palin is not just a bad choice from Vice-President - she is fucking terrifying. As Iain Dale (in a post also supporting Obama) writes:

And then there is Sarah Palin. As regular readers know, when she was chosen I said she would prove to be an inspired choice or a car crash. The initial evidence leant towards the former. Latterly, though, we have all seen too much evidence of the latter. I defended her against the appalling media onslaught against her, which I found sexist, insulting and worse. I simply could not bring myself to believe that a Republican presidential candidate could have chosen someone so ill-equipped for the job. But I was wrong, and I now accept that. McCain has not been a well man. He is 72 years old and has had cancer four times. His whole demeanour indicates that he might well not live through a whole four year term. Yet despite the intensity of the vetting process, he still chose Sarah Palin, a woman whose charisma temporarily masked her complete unsuitability to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency.

I'd go a bit further than Iain. I'd say that Palin is not just completely unsuitable, I'd say she is such a mentalist that she could compete with George W Bush in the "Who Is The Insanest Village Idiot?" competition. She is as mad as a rabid badger with a serious personality disorder. A gun toting, god bothering, self-styled pitbull in lipstick - she is pretty much the last person you would want in the White House after eight years of a cowboy boot wearing, god bothering shaved ape in a suit residing in that particular address. And, as Iain rightly points out, she really could end up in the White House if McCain is elected. Yes, the Veep is only a heartbeat away from the presidency at anyone time, but with McCain that heartbeat is far older and in a far more rundown body than any other President since Ronald Reagan retired. The choice of Vice-President is always important; for McCain it was more important than ever. It has become the deciding factor, as far as I am concerned, about whether McCain should win the keys to the White House or not.

And he fucked it right up.

So Obama gets my support - for what it is worth*. And he wins that support using the method that so many politicians now seem to rely on to get elected. His ticket is the least worst option. "The Audacity of Hope" my hairy arse - it is fear of the mad woman that gets my support and may yet see President Obama become a reality.

*As discussed, Senator Obama, my support is probably worth very little. But you're still welcome to it.