I won’t harangue you now or later during the election year. But I do want to make my opinion known, hence today’s scribbling. Most of my friends who have made their own feelings known, have chosen Hillary Clinton as their candidate. I have chosen Barack Obama, and want to tell you why.

There are many reasons, today I will write about three. I believe his anti-war position is stronger than any candidate other than (perhaps) Ron Paul. Mr. Paul however, has leadership issues in my eyes that make him less attractive. A strong anti-war position is important to me. I don’t believe that war makes anyone safer. In a world where ‘war on terror’ is a buzzword that implies that Americans are in mortal danger every moment from radical extremists, and as such must sacrifice the freedoms and liberties we claim to believe in, those of us who disagree need a standard bearer to lead us into a new way of governing on the world stage. We need to reach out to all, not just our ‘friends’ or allies. The war in Iraq is misguided, and we have yet to see or comprehend the ultimate price we will pay for our folly. It will disrupt our culture, destroy our economy, and undermine any chance we have as a nation of contributing to world solutions to global problems. It has already destroyed our image around the world. We are beginning to see the results in the rising price of gas and the falling value of the dollar in overseas markets. But these effects are just the tip of the iceberg that is in our path. The war must be ended sooner rather than later. I believe it will happen sooner with Mr. Obama than any other candidate.

The second reason I came to support Mr. Obama is his goal of inclusiveness. He, more than any other candidate, espouses the belief that we are all one. His is not a politics of divisiveness, of us v. them, of looking down our collective noses at the rest of the world. First of all, anyone who is awake and has lived outside the US understands one thing: no country is perfect. But likewise, no country is entirely evil, either (neither Burma nor Afghanistan). There is good, and the drive for good, in all people, races and countries. Conflict happens when the door to discussion, to understanding, is closed. Mr. Obama has received criticism from all in the Washington culture, Ms. Clinton included, about his stand on negotiating with anyone. I agree with him, that you cannot shut the door to discussion with even your enemy if you have a hope to resolve conflict through peaceful means. I have loved the quote from John Kennedy that Obama often refers to: “Do not negotiate from fear, but also do not fear to negotiate” from the first time I heard it. Seeing good in even your own enemy is the first step in conflict resolution, and that requires dialogue and an open mind (both appealing qualities in a leader).

And so to the third reason. Please ask yourself what it is that you expect from a President. Myself, I expect someone who will express a vision and inspire all to join the effort to make it real. A President cannot, alone, change the economy, nor balance a budget, nor start a war. A President must be a leader, and having been a leader myself, I understand what it requires: breaking up the project into pieces that each person can lift and carry themselves, and directing those pieces into a coherent whole that makes the future your vision requires. At it’s most fundamental, leadership is the art of negotiation and communication.

And so I ask myself: do I believe Ms. Clinton has the ability to inspire others? To reach out around the world to all the people, races and cultures that America has wronged in the last few decades? I have to say no. She has spent her whole career trying to fit into the Washington political scene, and now campaigns claiming her ‘experience’ will let her hit the ground running. First of all, what experience? First Lady? As Senator, just like Mr. Obama? Whitewater? As a lawyer, just like Mr. Obama? To my taste, she’s too much like what got us here, when what I want is someone to lead America out of the swamp. I also appreciate that Mr. Obama has more sense of his international roots. Until you’ve spent significant time outside the US, it’s difficult to assess America’s role in the global situation, and leads to faulty (insular) thinking. As the world grows smaller, new leadership must look beyond the borders of America to find what makes everyone safe, safe from others, from environmental degradation, from bad water or disease, from economic ruin. That may require an end to nationalism, and I ask you today: are you prepared to think globally, universally? Or will you continue to think American?

Please join me in voting for a new vision that includes all in dialogue to solve our problems, to let every spirit flourish, to fill every soul with joy.