Letter to the editor

In spite of the meteoric rise in the polls for Senator Baack Obama, there's a definite undercurrent of doubt as to whether he has the background and experience required to become the nations next president. The fact that Obama has never served in the military further creates a dilemma for many citizens, although that alone would not seem to be a credible disadvantage, since many of our presidents never wore a uniform, including Abraham Lincoln. Is it reasonable to assume that just because a man or woman spent time in the military, that he or she would be best qualified to protect us against terrorists? Well, as the words in an old spiritual go, "It ain't necessarily so." It seems to me that the most important asset a leader can possibly have is the ability to intelligently assess difficult situations and exercise the judgment required to deal with them. We have seen the folly of rushing in 'where angels fear to tread' and putting our people in harms way with bad decisions and poor exit strategies to counteract them. Obama, rightly or not, to many people, represents a fresh approach to old problems, not the least of which is not to rule out diplomacy before beating the war drums, even if it means sitting down with our adversaries to seek an accord both sides can live with. I don't presume to know at this juncture, who would better serve the nation in the coming election, but I am inclined to lean in the direction of change, the kind of change that recognizes the mistakes of the past and offers a reasonable assurance that they won't continue to haunt us. Electing a new president is often a crap shoot and there's no guarantee we'll end up with the candidate of our dreams. All we can do is hope that he can stave off the nightmares that threaten to destroy us.

George Morin
Auburn, Ga,