While I understand the use of the PRESENT vote in Illinois, the article below from theNY Times dated 12/2007 is very interesting and it is not all bad for Sen Obama...I would accent these two sentences...

"In 1999, Barack Obama was faced with a difficult vote in the Illinois legislature — to support a bill that would let some juveniles be tried as adults, a position that risked drawing fire from African-Americans, or to oppose it, possibly undermining his image as a tough-on-crime moderate.

In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator"


And also...."If you are worried about your next election, the present vote gives you political cover,” said Kent D. Redfield, a professor of political studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “This is an option that does not exist in every state and reflects Illinois political culture.”

In any case,the entire article which as I said is not all bad for Sen Obama but it sure, to me anyway, fly in the face of how he potrays himself !

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us...s/20obama.html

Why don't we talk about the McCain tax plan vs the Obama tax plan.

What kind of healthcare plan does McCain propose?

Given the bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae...will the next president have to raise taxes?

If we stay in this war how will we fund it given the state of the economy? Will we need a draft?

If this makes you uncomfortable, there have been a number of threads on healthcare and the economy with very little participation. Most of the passion has been saved to discuss Gov Palin and the library or her daughter and her boyfriend.

I would suggest that maybe you try and start a thread...or go and post in STEVEZ's thread on healthcare or the one on Social Securty also started by STEVEZ.....or the one on Jumpstarting the economy.....but again they are under the Gov Palin threads.

I consider the background of Sen Obama a REAL ISSUE. He has no public record and we should know what he is all about...if you don agree,that is fine....I would be glad to discuss those other issues as would others as they have started to.

Originally Posted by Bucco

I consider the background of Sen Obama a REAL ISSUE. He has no public record and we should know what he is all about

I couldn't agree with you more. This is all anyone can do in regards to Barrack Hussein Obama is look at his very short past to determine his possible decisions as President. Unfortunately, there is nothing to look at. He is just way too inexperienced. The office of The President of The United States does NOT provide on the job training.

130 "presents" - I would hardly call that leadership.