[Yorick]

Thanks Larry.

Variol I am very pro-life and that value trumps all the others on the table for me, despite many of my other policies leaning left. Obama's health plan doesn't cut it for me though, as it leaves the insurers in the picture. I believe in a socialised health system that has no insurers, or only insurers for optional surgury or private medicine. The Aussie system is excellent. Saved my life and limb many times.

However, I also felt that McCain has a better resume. He's simply done more, been around longer and didn't seem like he needed the presidency to fulfil his lifelong ambition. I like him, don't agree with everything he said, but thought and still think he's the better man for the job than a 2 year senator no-one really knows much about.

I believe Obama presented a slick marketing campaign and that the American public swallowed it.

If Obama repeals the current prohibition on late term abortions (aborting babies that can survive outside the womb) then I will seriously consider voting with my feet (I cannot vote as I'm not a citizen) and leaving the country. That is how strongly I feel about living in a nation that would abort viable babies because their parents think they are an inconvenient gender.

I hope Obama is a good president, but I think his mantra of change was hollow considering how much of the establishment, from Fanny and Freddy to Colin Powel endorsed him. That feels like the corporate man, playing to the existing system.

McCain I think scared those corps. He had taken on the pharmaceutical companies etc and I think people did not think he could be manipulated.

The biggest change Obama brought was the colour of his skin. Yet wasn't he supposed to transcend race? I feel that some Americans were trying to assuage their guilt and prove they weren't racist by voting for the black guy - who's actually brown (half white) and has no slave blood, so how's the guilt assuaged?

Obama's very articulate, and he ran a great campaign. But was America electing a diplomat/ambassador or president?

What also scares me is Biden in particulars declared intent (in the VP debate) to have the USA back to #1 on the world stage.

What's wrong with being #2? Or #3? Until nations learn it's cool to not be the king kong, the world has problems. Russia longs for it's glory days, and wants "respect", France wants to create a Europe to "compete with America".

So were Americans electing a world leader?

Some non-Americans seemed to think so.

However, as said, the pro-life value affects everything for me, and probably colors my other positions.

If slavery was around today, I would vote against my own economy to free slaves. If Hitler was killing Jews, I would vote against health care and other values to stop one section of society from being declared "less than human" and being terminated.

I cannot in good conscience support a candidate that espouses better education, better health, less war, etc etc etc all values I love - when they are prepared to allow babies to be killed en-masse.

Ireland FTW.