A Collected Brief - for those still undecided voters

In phone calls and visits to voters in our precinct, we find a number – albeit small – of prospective voters who remain uncertain. This report is for them.

The strongest and most detailed arguments for Obama’s election were published by the New Yorker magazine on October 13 and are still available at the free site: NewYorker.com Among the many points you will find is: “On almost every issue McCain and Obama speak the generalized language of reform but only Obama has provided a convincing, rational, and fully developed vision.”

Of course, the New Yorker is the epitome of liberal, elitist journalism. So here are comments from leading conservative commentators.

In a Washington Post column titled “McCain Loses His Head” George Will wrote: “For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are ‘corrupt’ or ‘betray the public trust.”

Christopher Buckley, whose father was one of the titans of the post-Goldwater Republican Party wrote: “The campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him unauthentic. A once first-class temperament has become irascible and snarly; his positions change, and lack coherence…”

David Brooks, the New York Times Republican, who is as much sociologist as journalist, wrote of Obama: “It is easy to sketch out a scenario in which he could be a great president. He would be untroubled by self-destructive demons or indiscipline. What that cool manner, he would see reality unfiltered. He could gather – already has gathered – some of the smartest minds in public life, and, untroubled by intellectual insecurity, he could give them free rein. Though he is young, it is easy to imagine him at the cabinet table, leading a subtle discussion of some long-term problem.”

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, also a loyal Republican, visualized Obama as a “transformational figure.” We don’t need to quote more. Since he spoke on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, it is impossible to overlook his comments that continue to be quoted on broadcasts and in print. This endorsement may be the most significant in the history of modern politics.

Be sure to use your ballot.

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