What's Right with Barack Obama

Yes, Sen. Obama has only four years in the U.S. Senate and he hails from a very liberal part of Illinois -- Chicago's South Side. Still, I have very favorable impressions of this man and feel he would make an excellent President:

1. Demeanor, I've not seen Sen. Obama lose his temper yet. Frankly, every time I've seen him being confronted be someone who's obviously hostile, he always, calmly with forethought, counters that person's arguments point by point. I've never seen him visibly rattled under any circumstance. A person who does not panic under pressure is an asset to the Presidency.

2. A detailed plan once he's in office. Whether you agree with him, or not, you know, almost exactly, what Sen. Obama is going to do while in office. One can't say that about other Presidents from the past.

3. Eloquence and Charisma. Sen. Obama's way of assured speaking not only appeals to large masses of voters here in the U.S., but to people worldwide as well. As President, Sen. Obama's calm, self-assured style is sure to restore some of our lost status as a world power. People all over the world will lose a lot of their panic regarding us as a nation because Sen. Obama will not be regarded as a "rogue cowboy."

4. His desire to get the troops home at last. This issue will be the toughest one for Sen. Obama to crack. He must get the timing right, or as the troops return in a phased withdrawl, the troops remaining may suffer from increased attacks. That means the Iraqi secuity forces must be ready to take over when our troop withdrawl starts to quell any sources of violence. I do not expect a troop withdrawl within the first year of an Obama administration, even though he's said that, but will probably occur within the third year going into the fourth. The American people must be very patient regarding this issue.