A recent study indicates 85 percent of Americans feel the United States is going the wrong way. Associated with this feeling is a sense many politicians are inept, corrupt or both. Voters, therefore, know it is imperative to elect leaders in the upcoming election who have the integrity and intelligence to serve honestly and with distinction.

It is not difficult to identify the reasons Americans are feeling anxious. Major airlines are losing billions of dollars per quarter. Automobile manufacturers are closing plants. 50,000 people lost jobs in July. Families are being forced from their homes by foreclosures. Food and gasoline take a heavy toll on household budgets. Credit is tight and personal debt is at an all-time high.
The Iraq war is a national dilemma. It was launched without anticipating horrible consequences. The war has been far more dangerous and protracted than expected. Military action was justified by Iraq having weapons of mass destruction which we now know did not exist. The war is a disaster for the Iraqis and has taken the lives of over 4,100 U.S. military personnel, wounded more than 30,000 and lasted longer than World War 11.

Voters must choose the presidential candidate who has the wisdom and skills to help Americans solve problems at home and to once again be respected around the world.

Sen. Barack Obama is intellectually gifted and a marvelous speaker. He attracts huge crowds in the U.S and was enthusiastically applauded by over 200,000 people to whom he spoke in Berlin. He gave this audience a glimpse of how the United States will make the world safer by building powerful alliances and using diplomacy to solve problems whenever possible. The senator had the good judgment to oppose the Iraq war from the beginning.

Sen. John McCain wholeheartedly supports President Bush on the Iraq war and on tax policies, including cuts while U.S. men and women are engaged in combat. The senator has been a Washington insider for decades. Lobbyists assist prominently in his campaign. McCain apparently thinks his best chance of defeating Obama is to attack him personally. His clumsy attempts to discredit Obama are more damaging to himself than demeaning to his opponent.

DARIEL CLARK
Grand Junction

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