Short answer:
Anti-incubency factor. Like majority I am sick and tired of Bush administration, his policies are neither good for America nor the world, so it's time for CHANGE! John McCain even if (slightly) different cannot be all that different since Republican cronies will stay put, so it's time for complete overhaul! It could have been Hillary or Obama. So Obama it is.
Long answer:
Soon after 9/11 twin tower attacks I joined the Bush camp very enthusiastically like almost everyone did. My reasons were far more concrete. I was hoping that finally with US having first hand experience of suffering Islamic Terrorism that India had suffered for 5 decades would mean we'll be on the same side in this "global war on terror". Islamic Terrorism is the greatest threat to world peace. I was encouraged by Bush's resolve. But it was shortlived. Eventhough it was evident that Pakistan was epicenter for all Islamic Terrorism US conveniently ignored it for years even decades, for geopolitical reasons being advised by veterans stuck with Cold war mindset (neocons like Kissinger, Wolfowitz). The cold war mindset was - since Pakistan was used to drive away Soviets from Afghanistan in future it could be used whenever needed as a strategic location if China and India ever rise to super power status. India has no territorial ambitions but China may be. Anyway "sleeping with the enemy" could be somehow managed is the thought process with the Neocons. Adhering to this Bush proposed and the Pakistani dictator quickly picked up the lifeline thrown at him when Bush said the infamous "you are either with us or against us" logic. Instead of holding this despicable dictator under the gun by stripping his post, cleansing his country and installing democracy he was made an "ally" in the war on terror. As long as puppet dictator is there who cares for democracy? The duplicity was clear. Instead of showing him the underside of a B2 bomber he was showered with carrots - billions of $$$ to catch OBL and Co. How can you entrust a terrorist dictator to control terrorism against one democracy ( the US ) when he is bent on using the same terrorists to target another democracy (India) ? I wrote an article on this once for a local magazine. In all seriousness I can tell that such a controlled "global war on terror" will not be won let alone be controlled. You cannot control them in such a way that ONLY Christians and Christian/Western interests are not hurt. Anyway, except for occasonal delivery of minor league terrorists US got nothing in return. OBL is still free enjoying the mountains, Taliban is back in action, al-Qaeda is regrouping in formidable form etc., etc., Last I heard more US troops are getting killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq. The dictator stashing some in his swiss bank account siphoned off most of the money to redirect terrorism against India. He played al-taqiyah all along and now has fled Pakistan for good. While India has made great strides in IT ( Information Technology ) services neighboring Pakistan was in lockstep with IT services too, alas , it was International Terrorism. Meanwhile Bush was chasing a personal and easy target Saddam and Co. pursuing WMDs that never existed fooling the American public throughout with his WMDs (Words of Mass Distraction). With 20% approval rating some are still getting fooled by him (or that is the % of diehard conservatives!). Over a period of time it became clear to the world that "global war on terror" meant "global war on terror ONLY if directed against US/Western interests". That was a selfish narrow view which ultimately led to US losing it's respect in the world. As I said the money sent by Bush was used by the Pakistani dictator to cause further Terror in India. US did not care about terrorism elsewhere. In fact it diplomatically armtwists India too if latter wants to take direct action ( recall Kargil or previous wars). When questioned why Pakistan is treated the way it is the usual answer from Bush admin was - it is nuclear armed country so needs to be handled carefully. That's a big BS. US can easily manipulate Pakistan diplomatically or militarily but does not WANT to do it, remember the strategic reason mentioned above. Considering this Obama promises more direct action against Pakistanis instead of treating them with kid gloves. With cold war mindset entrenched in the state dept. for decades this change may not come easily. On the other hand war in Iraq is wasted with minimal gain of Saddam being eliminated. It's a huge drain on US tax payer when economy is in shambles. Was it Oil? Was it Oil being sold in Euros? Was it personal vendetta of his father's unfinished business? All these ideas were not worth it! Was it grand idea of planting remote controlled "democracy" in middle east by bombing a country killing thousands and gradually spreading Christianity through missionaries in that region with added benefit of controlling oil resources in that region? 1 stone many birds! Yes, that reason sounds convincing. Nothing else makes sense. Extremely unethical. No wonder the world wasn't convinced about Iraq.
Though the US was founded on Judeo-Christian principles the founding fathers made sure it remained a truly secular nation with seperation of church and state. This is especially required if a religion is based on dogma. This seperation of religion and state came under severe strain during Bush. He had utter disregard. It is as if an evangelist was installed in the white house. Actually that is true. The president of supposedly the most advanced nation on Earth which preaches self-serving moral standards to the rest of the world turned out to be an ignorant, intolerant and bigoted person. He considered he was chosen by his God. This has directly affected his foreign policy, his faith based programs affected India and has given further fillip to *Missionary Terrorism in India*. Not only the north-east it has even spread to Orissa, Karnataka and other southern states. Missionary Terrorism is second only to Islamic Terrorism affecting India today. Needless to say both are foremost threats to world peace. With his misguided policies in Iraq, India and elsewhere he has become a clear and present danger to everyone.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream”
USA is a land of immigrants. Except for those native Americans, rest of us, I mean ALL of us are immigrants. Some came first and some came later. This is a nation of hyphenated identities i.e Anglo-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, Japanese-American, Chinese-American, Indian-American etc., Colorwise there is pink, red, brown, black, yellow etc., Religionwise there is christian, muslim, hindu, jewish, buddhist etc., This election campaign revealed the ugliest and mostly hidden face of America, people are openly racist and even vote across party lines. Obama had to endure through all that. Obama is half-muslim, by birth not by practice. If I were prejudiced that fact alone would have been enough for me to drive me into current Republican camp. My prejudiced logic would be driven by the obvious - Most terrorists either sponsored by Pakistan or bred inside India wrecking havoc in India are muslims and since Obama is half muslim I wouldn't support him. Simple. Only if I were prejudiced. But I am not. And he is a Christian. Not a missionary Christian ( Not yet ). That's a fact, so no reason to be prejudiced to begin with. What this country needs is a "shock and awe" in terms of race which will deliver one solid shock to racist attitudes. A black man in the white house is a beginning in that direction. Obama has had a very diverse background - Islamic father, christian mother, growing up in Hawaii, Indonesia etc., Look at what he carries around, a Hanuman!. And Colin powell said it perfectly. Most importantly after 3 centuries of slavery/racism/humiliation for blacks it's a matter of pride for one of their own to be elected as president of USA. It will be the true bloom of diversity at the highest echelons of power. As a colored man I express my solidarity with this sentiment. I believe his diversity, his upbringing, his intellect will shape American policies for the better. Considering enormous challenges the country faces today, after 8 years of sustained damage, I don't think Obama presidency will cure everything. But his election will give much needed hope. It will be a historic moment! If Obama is elected we will be watching history in the making. And America has nothing to lose, everything to gain.
So it's Obama!
********** Missionary Terrorism in India *****************
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