U.S. Elections: Obama Second Term or Romney’s Unknown?

I expect nothing short of venom to be unleashed by many Republicans and their followers to unseat president Barack Obama at any cost. Obama has proven to be safe from being muddied in the usual extreme right character assassination tactics. They already exhausted all their efforts on his birth certificate authenticity, dragged him into courtrooms and tried to embarrass him in the media to no avail.

 They also tried very hard to have hawkish right wing Newt Gingrich as an opponent so he can deliver his deadly punches. But those attempts, though serious, lengthy and very costly, also failed.

The people standing by Mitt Romney despite all the attacks he received from his own party as it was pushing for a Gingrich candidacy sends a clear message that the majority of Republican voters want a fair presidential election. This also means less drama and much less entertainment for the media who seem to constantly look for the circus in town.

So, could an Obama-Romney presidential race bring this country back to civility? Each candidate will attack the opponent’s record and claim that they are better equipped to lead the country into prosperity. Can these two men keep it clean or will their parties force the personal attacks and deviate attention from discussing real issues and real solutions?

While the ailing economy and job losses will be a decisive factor for many, and will certainly be addressed as priorities by both candidates, I look at several other issues that beg for a second Obama term:

During the George W. Bush presidency, we went into an unwarranted war in Iraq and completely lost our way in Afghanistan. We falsely linked Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda and wrongly claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We let Osama bin Laden on the loose for a long time and allowed him to spread his hateful message louder and wider. We also made many enemies around the world.

Under Barack Obama, the U.S. left Iraq and is on the way out of Afghanistan. This president is focused on issues of major importance to Americans, primarily education, innovation and jobs. His stance on Iran despite all the pressure and lobbying from Israel shows restraint and wisdom in leadership. Unlike his predecessor, he is liked abroad and he is esteemed at home as well.

Obama’s responses to terror threats are my favorite leadership traits. He did not invade countries to search for terrorists hiding in rugged mountains or pirates taking hostages at sea. He did not commit hundreds of thousands of troops in deadly environments to police other nations and keep terrorists “on the run.” Obama did not spend millions of Dollars on weapons that terrorize innocent civilians and lead to no real results.

On this day last year, President Obama gave orders to take out the U.S.’s number one enemy in a Navy SEALs raid and depose of his body in the sea. As controversial as it sounds, the world is definitely a much safer place without Osama bin Laden; and al Qaeda is weakened beyond recognition as a result. As a political maneuver, the creators of the “War on Terror” are downplaying this achievement!

Between a war-mongering administration and a determined leadership that gives diplomacy a chance but acts decisively when needed, sign me up for the latter any time!