I decided i’m voting for Obama. This was not easy, Democrats make me uneasy, at least they used to. On a candidate-only basis, I would be pretty cool with either one of them. I am a centrist, and a libertarian, and both men seem decent in that regard.

The problem is, each candidate is of their party, and eventually will be pulled along with their party. The Democrats are investing in the marketing of divesting from Iraq and going green. The Republicans are investing in the marketing of Iraq and law and order. True or not, right or not, their courses are set, and the candidates will be pulled in their parties’ currents.

I had this exact unsettling feeling about Kerry in ’04, and he sunk himself with his “plans” for everything, playing into the Democratic stereotype of a big-government liberal that played right into the hands of Karl Rove. If I had to flip a coin, on principle, I would vote for McCain if his party was my only dilemma. but McCain has wedded himself to the war in Iraq, and that unfortunately would be his legacy if elected. This came to me brilliantly and clearly after an episode of “The Daily Show,” as many things do. It really is that simple: McCain will not walk away from this war. And I don’t care about how bad it might get if we leave, I believe it will be better no matter what if we leave. Its not just seeing healthy fit athletic 22 year old men with prosthetic legs at my gym that makes me say this. It is having read Machiavelli’s theories on hatred vs fear. It is watching this depression engulf our country, the job market desperate for talent while weeping over unemployed loan officers, Ford doggedly promoting the F150, the housing bubble that never should have been bursting with a debt long-overdue.

Any emotional unease with the Democrats vanishes when I think about how un-responsible and untenable the Republicans have made the economy. The war…duh!?!?! But they also passed the inherently porkish “stimulus” package and the stupid dodge-responsibilty homeowners’ bailout. Am I really worried about Democratic fiscal policy?

First things first.