The 2008 presidential election is sure to be interesting with nominees like Obama and McCain who express very different ideologies. Obama who is running for the Democratic nominee is a senator from Illinois. Originally born in Hawaii Obama lived there with his mom even after his father left them to move back to his home of Kenya. Barack Obama attended law school but put his career on hold to help improve the living condition in poor areas. He later received his law degree from Harvard in 1991. In Chicago he became a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law. He eventually served as Illinois state senator for eight years. He was then elected into the United States senate. He draws from his many experiences that help in creating his unique views on politics (Obama). McCain is a republican from Arizona who is running against Obama for presidency. He was inducted into The United States House of Representatives and then into the United States senate in 1986. McCain attended the United States Navel academy. He was a navel aviator for 22 years. Fighting in Vietnam McCain escaped a fire that killed 134 men but during another mission he was caught and held as a prisoner of war. His time in the war and his time in politics have greatly influenced his views and decisions (McCain). Based on Obama's stance on Darfur and the environment Obama should be elected president in 2008.
Known as "the greatest humanitarian crisis" the Darfur genocide -one of the most important issues today- is largely unknown by the public. The military conflict in Darfur, Sudan a remote part of Africa began in early 2003 and has still not ended. The Darfur conflict seems to be more about ethnicity then religion. One side of the armed conflict is made of the Sudanese Military and the military backed Janjaweed. These two groups are mostly of Arab descent. These groups have created the first genocide of the twenty-first century by burning villages and killing innocent civilians. The other side of the armed conflict is composed of rebel groups like the Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice Equality Movement composed of non- Arabs. Although the Sudanese government claims they do not support the Janjaweed they have constantly provided them money and even assisted them on some of there attacks. It is estimated by the U.N that these attacks have left 400,000 people dead. It also estimates that some 2.5 million people in Darfur have been removed from their homes and displaced. The Sudanese government's death toll reports are grossly underestimated and they claim that only 9,000 civilians have been killed. The Sudanese government has jailed and even killed witness to their crimes to keep their operations secretive. The fact that no one is permitted to enter Darfur because the war is so horrible alludes to one reason why Darfur receives minimal media coverage. Although some steps to end the conflict have been taken like the 1706 UN Resolution which sent 17,300 UN peace keeping forces to Darfur little can happen unless we elect a leader who will make bigger strides to end the Darfur conflict(Q&A: Sudan's darfur).
As Obama and Brownback said about Dafur in the introduction to the book Not On Our watch "... we have been heartened, during what can feel like dark times, to hear loud, persistent, and inspirational voices from all corners of our nation calling for action to end the massacres in Darfur...we are committed to moving forward to help halt this genocide." Obama has been a major voice speaking on behalf of the Darfurie refugees. One of his greatest accomplishments to help end the genocide was the Darfur peace accountability act that he worked on with Senator Sam Brownback. He also helped secure $20 million dollars for the African peace keeping mission. He wants to have a no-fly zone over Darfur and wants to make bigger strides for foreign policy. He wants the UN to help in stopping the genocide. Obama believes the world needs to stand up to there promise of "never again"(Obama).
McCain believes the only way in ending the genocide in Darfur is through China. He says the one reason the United Nations Security council has not acted on the issue is because of China. China supports Darfur because of Sudan's energy resources. McCain hopes that calling upon other nations to pressure China will help the situation in Darfur and hopefully get China on our side. He mentions working with Americas allies like Germany and France. McCain however does not want to send troops to Darfur. He says he is much to practical to do that (Kristof 13-14). McCain does not want to resort to force to help save Dafur. Even though McCain has an idealistic side it is often out weighted by his practical side. Many call him the "practical idealist" ("John McCain").
Another major issue affecting the world today is global warming. The major debate between scientist is not weather global warming is happening its weather it is man made or just a natural environmental cycle- like the ice age. For example the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated "Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations". This is one group that like many believes that humans use of coal and other non-renewable resources are the cause of global warming. The effects of global warming are not all necessarily immediate but they are very significant. Some immediate effects include: shrinking of glaciers, thawing of permafrost, break up of ice and seasons are getting longer and longer ("What we know"). The fact that the polar ice caps are melting is causing high numbers of polar bear deaths. In 1987 there were an estimated 1,194 polar bears but after a 22% decrease by the year 2004 we only had 935 polar bears left. Scientist estimates that polar bears will be extinct with in the next 100 years. The melting ice caps causes the bears food to drift away they swim up to 50 miles to reach the food but often end up drowning or starving. In recent years polar bears have been found moving closer inland (Weart). Media attention on the issue of global warming has greatly increased in recent years with the new hybrid cars and the reusable grocery bags but none of this will be enough unless we act now. We need a strong leader who will help reduce our green house gases and work on new solutions for using renewable energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear.
"I believe it's one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation. That's why I've fought successfully in the Senate to increase our investment in renewable fuels." Said Obama on the environment. Obama wants to enforce a cap and trade system to help reduce carbon emissions. The cap and trade system requires pollution credits to be auctioned so those who pollute pay money for harming the environment. This money will be used to work on getting cleaner energy. He also plans to make incentives for farmers, forest owners and ranchers who plant trees, restore grasslands and help capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. By investing over $150 billion in 10 years he hopes to help the next generation with biofuels and fuel infrastructure. Obama hopes to improve efficiency by 20% by the year 2030. He also wants to double researcher in clean energy too. This is what Obama will do if elected president in 2008 (Obama).
McCain hopes to improve the environment by ensuring clean air and water. He also wants to keep our national parks in good condition. He believes economics and the environment are greatly intertwined. His plan is not really coherent but he does express a great yearning to help the environment. McCain has not expressed interest in a cap and trade system or incentives for people who help the environment. McCain says he hopes to follow in the foot steps of the republican president Theodore Roosevelt who was dedicated to conserving our natural environment. In 2003 McCain co sponsored a bill to reduce carbon emissions and was opposed to the Chany energy bill (McCain).
Obama's stance on Darfur is preferable to McCain's because he has a plan and knows how to make change. He understands the issue and has spoken out about it several times McCain on the other hand argues that "the reason we are not doing more is because no one has come up with a coherent plan." It is obvious that McCain also has no plan to end the genocide. On McCain's campaign site he does not once mention Darfur which greatly contradicts his statement of hoping America will say "never again, ever again". How are we expected to stand up if there is no media attention on the issue? Yet on McCain's site he has a whole page dedicated to Human dignity talking about censoring children from pornography. This is not a major issue affecting our world today and Darfur is. I personally think Darfur is a human dignity and moral issue. I am glad that at least one candidate- Obama has brought media attention to this genocide.
Obama's stance on the environment is far better then McCain's. I agree with Obama's plans for a cap and trade system. I think this will greatly help reduce our carbon emissions. I also agree with providing incentives to farmers and ranchers who help the environment. Obama seems to have a clear plan of what policies he will enact and what he will do for the environment when he becomes president. McCain again seems unclear in his plans and decisions only talking about what he would like to do or what he thinks is a good idea never quite saying heres what I will do. I think we do need to do research on clean energy and invest money into helping our environment.
The different ideologies expressed by the candidates have made for a unique campaign race between senators Obama and McCain. Although each candidate has some good ideas I agree with most all of Obama's stances for Darfur and the environment. I think we need a leader who will enact change and step up to the plate. We need a strong leader who sticks to there word and is never contradictory. In conclusion Obama should be elected president in 2008.
