Barack Obama and the decision not to fight:

The easy way has become the most popular way for most of us to take. Americans have been lulled into a false sense of security by the relentless pandering that we hear coming from Washington. The politics of today do not address issues that affect the lives of everyday Americans. We have given in to politicians, who have in turn given in to lobbyists. That is why it is important for us as Americans to look past the political views of politicians, and to judge the content of their character.

" My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington." Barack Obama

It was once in vogue to take a stand. The spirits of Americans were forged in the fires of rebellion and revolution. It was the hard choice that has made this country the greatest in the world. The hard choice is never the safe choice. A man must take a moment and ask the question, what is the right thing to do? It is at that point that the spirit of a man rises to the top.
“I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.” Barack Obama

The war in Iraq was supported by President Bush. It was the easy choice for politicians to get on the bandwagon to battle behind him. The hard choice was to not support the war. By choosing to take the opposite stance, then Senator Barack Obama took a stance that would set the tone for the rest of the presidential campaign.

In order to understand Barack Obama’s choice to avoid the war in Iraq, we must try to understand Barack Obama. Barack Obama was born on August 4th, 1961, in Hawaii to Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham. As a child Barack Obama’s mother moved to different parts of the world. It was the exposure to different people and different government that made Barack Obama appreciates America. When Barack Obama was a pre-teen his mother sent him back to Hawaii to live with his grandmother. It was his grandmother that gave him the insight into what hard work could accomplish. Barack Obama’s mother also knew that he would get a better education in the United States than any else in the world. Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983 and in 1991 graduated from Harvard Law School where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. Obama worked as a community organizer, university lecturer, and civil rights lawyer before running for public office and serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. In 2004 he was elected to the U.S. Senate with 70% of the vote. Obama came to the nation’s attention after delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.



The vote to not support the war was a vote for change, a vote for hope. History will remember that Barack Obama’s meteoric rise from community organizer to being the president elect started when a junior senator from Illinois- looked deep within himself, and said – “No. War can be an option, but it should never be the only option.”


One must consider what perfect storm could bring about such an environment in which an African-American stands as the President-elect. The perfect storm must have all the perfect elements, and in this political storm Barack Obama rose to the occasion. The single instant that may have placed Barack Obama in the position of becoming the first African-American President of the United States, was his decision not to go along with the war in Iraq.


What if Barack Obama had decided to support the war in Iraq? Where would his campaign for the Presidency have ended? Would he have ever run for President at all? The idea that one judgment on the war could have such an impact on the history of our country is staggering. The act of standing against a popular war is not an easy decision to make, and to think that Barack Obama did so is surprising. So now we find Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.


The character of Barack Obama is what gave him the edge over his rivals. The lack of experience played an important part also in Barack Obama’s decision regarding not to go to war in Iraq. Since he had not the time to be part of a corrupt political system, he had insight to question it. The character of a man can carry him to lofty places, or sink him low depts. I have enjoyed seeing the character of Barack Obama carry him to the Whitehouse.