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What is happening? It seems both groups continue to fight the case in the court.

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Featured Article: Obama Vs. McCain : What my heart tells me
By Suresh U. Kumar
Note: Taken from the article that was published in the India Abroad. 

Just like the increasing numbers of my fellow citizens, my keen interest in politics and leadership has been driven by the personal characteristics, record and behavior of individual leaders and has been by and large, devoid of ideological leanings. There are issues such as a more inclusive approach towards minorities and on immigration, increase in the minimum wage and support for the working class that I find myself with the Democrats. There are Republican views that I support such as less government, individual liberty, lower taxes, a pro-life outlook and the view of global terrorism as strategic threat. Then there is a long list of issues about which I disagree with both parties, not the least of which is the way political campaigns insult the intelligence of voters by distorting facts and contexts to attack opposing candidates. My support has gone to the individual leader, regardless of party affiliation, who in my own estimate is the most capable AND importantly, the most deserving. I must admit here, that I have ‘a thing’ (another word for bias) for the underdog. During the 2008 primary season, I made financial donations only to two candidates- one of each party, when both of them were clearly the underdogs. As it turned out that millions of Americans shared my view and against all odds, both the candidates are now contenders for the most prized office, that until not too long ago was unofficially acknowledged to be the “leader of the free world”. As a result of this improbable development, for the fist time since I chose to become a citizen of this great country, I am faced with a genuine dilemma: We have two essentially decent and honorable men running for President of the United States. Who do I vote for on November 4, 2008? Who will make a better President for the next four or eight years? My head asks me: Who has the vision? Who is more capable, more intelligent? While my heart asks me: Who can you trust more? Who has earned the right to be President? 

Just like the millions who supported his call for change, I too like and respect Senator Obama. It is hard not to. He is smart, highly intelligent, has tons of charisma, is eloquent, has a compelling vision and he appears to be sincere about bringing about real change to the political system. More importantly, he is executing his campaign very well as was evident from his recent visit to Europe and Middle East. To borrow a term from Physics, my favorite science subject, Senator Obama, represents ‘Potential Energy’ that has been building up over the past many years that not yet been unleashed fully. The potential is immense, but the risk is that we don’t fully know the quality and quantity of the energy. On the other hand in Senator McCain, we have a decorated war hero from a family who has all answered the nation’s call of duty, including his son who is a US Marine. He is one amongst the many brave who has given their flesh and blood so that people like me can enjoy our daily freedoms. Senator McCain has demonstrated time and again by going against his party and even President Bush on important issues that the nick name of ‘Maverick’ was well earned. Although I would agree with the view of some independents that Senator McCain was even more appealing in 2000 when he mounted a bold resurgent campaign against Bush, I believe that the attempts to lump him with the President is grossly unfair, even mis-leading. I have no doubt that John McCain is, and will always be his own man. Using the physics analogy, I would say that Senator McCain represents ‘Kinetic Energy’ or energy which has been unleashed and is already in motion. The advantage is that we have seen and are familiar with this force; the risk is that we do now know how much of it has been spent and how much is left in the tank. So there is my dilemma- of these 2 exceptional candidates, who will make the better President for the US? The answer, while not easy, is of immense significance not only to America but also to South Asia and the rest of the world. Due to unimaginative political leadership, an appalling deficit of basic intellectual curiosity, lack of vision to see around the corner, and insufficient resolve to confront real issues through the hard work and patience required for a truly colloborative process, America, over the past couple of decades is at a place that was would have been considered impossible to be in. Just a few decades after Ronald Reagan led the US to victory in the cold war, America is faced with multiple challenges, both real and perceived, to its hard earned place as the moral leader of the free world. Therefore, my dilemma is a real and has significant implications that go well beyond our borders. Here is my real challenge: My head gives me an answer and my heart another. 

My head tells me Senator Obama is an honorable man who perhaps may have the answers to some of the deep rooted challenges that our society, economy and political system is faced with, such as race, social and economic justice and personal responsibility. He has a grand vision of uniting people around a common cause and can articulate it with an eloquence that is truly inspiring. He has a collaborative approach that brings people, especially the youth, together. There is little doubt that he will one day make a good, maybe even great President. At this time of great risk and uncertainty, when the United States is facing one crisis after another- economy, war, environmental crisis, gas prices, floods, jobs, education, healthcare, immigration, and when global forces of terror, on an unprecedented scale, seek the destruction of the way of life as America and other friendly democratic nations like India, have worked hard for, my heart tells me that, above all else, we need a leader who has Courage, what Sir Winston Churchill called the “the first of human qualities.because it guarantees all the others”. 

My heart tells me that at this critical time, of the two good men left standing, I would rather have Senator John S McCain in the White House, not just to take the proverbial 3 AM call, but also to make the many hard, even unpopular choices and to follow thru with unwavering resolve, as he did to back the largely unpopular surge of US troops in Iraq. Senator McCain’s stand nearly cost him the election, but it also won him the hearts of many Americans. My heart informs me that we have known him for a long time and he has come through for the country when it mattered. Yes, he may not have the razor sharp intellect or the silver tongue of Obama and indeed the grind of surviving three decades of Washington politics have taken its toll on him, just it surely will on Obama or any other politician. But when deeply held values and beliefs that impact the way we live are at stake, Senator McCain has proven that he has deep reserves of intangible assets the value of which are immeasurable- courage, character and loyalty to our country that has been repeatedly tested under fire. Unfortunately the vast majority of the popular media has driven the discussion on the Presidential race into areas that are often irrelevant and not based on sound reasoning. Critics say that he is no longer the maverick he once was. I see it is a different light- politics is all about gathering power and to be in a position to assume power, leaders have to make compromises along the way. Senator McCain’s move from the center to the right on some issues is no different from Senator Obama’s move from the left to the center on some issues. Changing positions on issues has been unfairly given a bad rap by the media and the political establishment. The way I see it, revising view based on new information and changing realities, such as McCain’s stand on drilling for oil that changed with the price of oil could well be the sign of an open and inquisitive mind. My doctoral research indicates that the ability to adaptively change goals and strategy is a feature that distinguishes successful entrepreneurs from the not so successful. Why do we hold politicians to a different set of standards? They call him “Mr. Hothead” because he often loses his temper. I for one would like to see a President who gets angry and shows some emotion when there is an outrage- regardless if it is here in the US or in Darfur or in Tibet. Oh, then there is the age factor. Yes he is a ripe 71 years old, sometimes a little quirky and awkward when he communicates. But for man who served 5 long years as a prisoner of war, his limbs broken and nearly been beaten to death when he refused to give in, I believe that he in remarkable shape- physically, mentally and emotionally. If age has done little to slow him down, I believe that it would be a blatant form of discrimination to hold it against him. 

My heart tells me that anyone who has the compassion to forgive his tormentors is worthy of my deepest respect. Above all, my heart tell me that Senator John McCain has one of the most critical virtue that all great American Presidents- George Washington. Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan to name my all time favorites- possessed; the moral compass that places country, honor and duty above all else. My heart tells me that, all the great intellect, charisma and political skills of leaders will not amount to much, unless his/her moral compass is working well (remember Nixon and Clinton?). I must admit that I have no reason to doubt that Senator Obama’s moral compass is in any way faulty; the only problem is that I have not seen him use it often enough, at least not often enough for my comfort. Perhaps there is another, rather less scientific, yet distinctly American reason that my heart is with McCain- in the race between two former underdogs, he is clearly the ‘bigger’ underdog (if there is such as term). All the polls place him well behind Obama, the liberal left as well as the religious right despises him equally, his fundraising pales in comparison to the huge sums that Obama rakes in each day and the majority of the mainstream media seem to have already anointed Obama. Much like King Lionidas of ancient Sparta, who in 480 BC, led 300 of his bravest men in the face of insurmountable, almost impossible odds against the Persians in the famous battle of Thermopylae, this election, I believe, is a sort of the improbable last stand for Senator McCain. I use the word ‘improbable’ and not ‘impossible’ for a reason. If most political pundits and polls are to be believed, John McCain’s political career will be over soon, ripped apart by the tsunami called Barack Obama. And yet, those of us who have been following the life and times of John S. McCain closely, nurse a hope, knowing that as a POW in Vietnam and again recently in the run up to the primaries, he survived near death experiences. Can he pull it off one last time? 

To make this happen however, McCain will have to rein in the recent negativity of his campaign and stick to his promise of a clean, issues based campaign that reflects his personal image. I believe this is a real danger he has to deal with squarely and urgently. One thing I have learnt from my experience as an entrepreneur is that much as we may want to pretend to, none of us have all the correct answers. Neither Senator Obama nor Senator McCain has all the answers. Therefore, the humility to realize this human limitation becomes a great virtue for a leader. I believe that is one relatively unexplored area that I believe that the candidates fundamentally differ. Barrack Obama comes across as if he is the chosen one whose time has come; John McCain has the humility to define himself an “imperfect servant of this great nation” and “the luckiest guy that I have ever known”. 

When it comes to important decisions, I am used to listening to my head, but ultimately, when it matters, I go with what my heart tells me. I intent to doing the same on November 4th 2008. Even if you are not faced with the same dilemma as I am, I ask that you take a closer look at Senator McCain. If nothing else, by virtue of his sacrifices for his nation, he has earned that small favor from each of us. Due to failed promises, arrogance of power and the repeated breaches of trust the American people have understandably become leery of its political leaders. However, I must admit that as a dreamer, I often have enduring visions of another truly great American President of the 21st Century, one who will lead not by the authority vested by the office by his/her personal power, and not just America but the entire world, to a better place. Whoever your support and whoever ends up becomes the 44th President of the United States, I know that you will share this one prayer with me: On November 4th please help us elected a President who is worthy of our respect, admiration and most of all, our trust. 

Note: This Article is written by Suresh U Kumar is currently CEO of NexAge Technologies USA, www.nexageusa.com; founding Director of the Kerala IT Alliance www.kita.in and a member of the independent group Citizens for McCain. He is the founder of South Asians for McCain, a community based effort to educate and mobilize independent South Asians in the US, around Senator McCain’s campaign for President in 2008. Suresh is also a doctoral student in Leadership with the University of Phoenix. The views expressed are his own and does not reflect those of any of the organizations that he is involved with. Contact information: Email: southasiansformccain@gmail.com. 

In many families, some members support Obama and others support McCain. Look at the example of Shyamalan family.

Manoj Night Shyamalan supports senator Obama. But his father Dr Nelliatt Shyamalan supported Hillary Clinton and now McCain.

At a fundraiser in New Jersey, ‘Night’ said at the dinner table he and the younger people used to argue for Obama while his dad would oppose it and strongly plea for Senator Hillary Clinton.
Dr Nelliatt Shyamalan said he still believes that Hillary Clinton would have been a better choice for president. He does not agree with what Obama says and will vote for Senator John McCain in November.
This may be due to a generation gap. I supported Clinton for her years of experience in governance. She would have been a much better president. He also noted the New Yorker cartoon in which Michele Obama was caricatured like Angela Davis of the Black Thunder group with a gun. The association with people like Farrakhan also creates doubts. He is also not happy about Obama camp’s sympathetic words about Iran.
Many young people are with Obama. But I do not agree with many of his policies. He is not experienced too,” he said.
Dr Shyamalan also thinks that Obama may not win the election. “Though people may not believe in color, it has some influence in their thinking,” he said.
He is fed up with the Democratic policies, even though he is a Democrat. “They will oppose everything. Even though we are in the middle of an oil crisis, they will not allow offshore drilling saying that it will hurt the environment. Of course we need to protect the environment. But opposing every new move is not logical,” he pointed out.
He also felt that Obama is an extreme liberal. Asked if the opposition has anything to do with color, he said no. “If Colin Powell was the candidate, I would have happily voted for him.”
Even if Obama wins the presidency it will not save the economy, he noted. “The Democratic policy is to spend more and tax the rich more. Already the country is indebted heavily to China and other countries. It will only increase under the Democrats.”
He has a few good words for McCain. “He is an independent Republican having his own opinions. When he said the US will remain in Iraq for another hundred years, it was only as a euphemism.”
“American soldiers are in Korea, Germany and Bosnia for many years. We need our soldiers in sensitive places to protect our interests,” he has no doubt about it.
McCain’s win will be beneficial to India also, he said.
At the fundraiser Manoj Shymalan noted another curious thing. He said he had included references to a young person of mixed African-American and White descent becoming President of US in one of his movie scripts several years ago. Fearing negative reactions, it was removed later. He said he did not realize that how prescient he was then. Now, only a few years later an idea rejected by critics even for a movie script is becoming reality, he said.
He said he and his siblings preferred the younger Senator Obama for his promise of a new fresh vision for change. With Obama as the leader US will move from a country hated in the world under the Bush presidency. It will once again become a loved and respected nation. 
Manoj Shyamalan, although normally not involved in politics, said the election of Obama will prove the point that anyone including his two daughters, regardless of their race, class or national origin could aspire to become the President of the United States and therefore the leader of the free world.