slate on obama

Like it does every four years, Slate writers and staff publicly expressed how they will be voting. Although Slate is infamous for it's "up is really down, black is really white" contrarianism, it was still no shock that Obama handily won the site's endorsement.

Here's my favorite reasons why you should support Obama. I agree with all of them.

• Because I'd rather have a president who is intellectually curious, shrewd, even-keeled, eloquent, and analytical than one whose chief campaign selling point is being unpredictable. Because I'd like to keep the number of Alitos on the bench to one. Because I think Obama will be more cautious about withdrawal from Iraq than people think. Because world opinion does matter, and the United States needs rebranding. Because I don't care about health care choice, I just want to see an affordable doctor. Because I don't want the Clean Air Act to be a misnomer anymore. Because the thought of Sarah Palin in the Oval Office makes me want to drink.
• I'm so tired of the partisanship that has been a staple of the Bush presidency and the McCain-Palin ticket. To infer (and to do so in such an overt, unapologetic manner) that somehow small-town America is the "real" America, the America with good values and moral judgment, is such an insult, especially when it's convenient for them to use New York City and Sept. 11 as political props.
• You want me to count the reasons? Nah, you don't have that kind of time.
• It's important not to ratify failure, and the current Republican administration is a failure.
• I wasn't going to include any reason why—because duh—but then a friend pointed out this line from David Sedaris' latest New Yorker column: "I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. 'Can I interest you in the chicken?' she asks. 'Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?' " So, yes, I'm having the chicken.
• McCain picked Palin.
  Already 72.
  Might die in office.
• As for the accusation that he doesn't have enough experience: No one has enough experience. Nothing prepares you for the presidency. Nothing can. 
• Two words: Supreme Court.