Why Politics Depress Me

You should check out the Eragon series, if you're going to read some fantasy kids books.

All this energy I have behind Obama–all this emotional capital–and the dumbass still thinks he can go into Pakistan and kill people if Pakistan is “unwilling” to do so? All this while Pakistan is being very clear that they’re going to start attacking Americans if they come over the border?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_effect
The halo effect refers to a cognitive bias whereby the perception of a particular trait is influenced by the perception of the former traits in a sequence of interpretations.
...
People seem not to think of other individuals in mixed terms; instead we seem to see each person as roughly good or roughly bad across all categories of measurement.

The Halo Effect bias is hard to overcome.

I had this same feeling when Obama voted for the telecom immunity. It was a big wake-up call for me. Yes, Obama is a good candidate, and overall seems to be good person, but he is still a politician. He still plays the game. He may be a good warrior to have on your side, but he's no Knight in Shining Armor.

Whenever I used to complain about politics I always heard, "Well, why don't you run and change things?"

I can see it now - Miessler for Pres!

I recommend the Harry Potter path. Voldemort for president: Why settle for the lesser evil?

I think the big problem actually is your emotional involvement. No candidate is perfect and that shouldn't be expected. You should also find that all Obama, McCain and Ron Paul are all pretty decent candidates. As soon as you take a side, that immediately gives you your confirmation bias. It is important to have sides fighting each other but neither are ever always right. As much as the sides may hate each other they still need each other.

Politics is a complex game that involves lying, distorting, and flip flopping all to get in to power so that you can finally implement the things they really care about.

We would be mad to completely dedicate our hopes to one candidate or another, wholeheartedly, without reservation.

However, Russia is exactly what it seems to be, an agressive nation.

Recently, Russia went to the aid of an african nation whose arms shipment it had bought from Russia was hijacked by pirates. On the surface, it looks like no one was in the right on this deal. Yet, more evidence that Russia acts when it's in Russia's interests.

Can it be truthfully said that Russia's intentions were wholely benevolent in their "rescue" of two unruley regions within it's neighbor, the sovereign nation of Georgia?

I could go on. But I need to not do so. You need to see it for yourself. There is no secret beign glossed over by the western media. The cold hard facts stand still fresh to read firsthand from journalists inside the zones. If you can't see it, then call it anti-russian propaganda by a mainstream that has won over both candidates.

I know you were hoping McCain was sooooo effin wrong, so stupid, so freakishly evil that any stance he takes must (or at least might) be hellbent towards some exploitative theme most diabolical and corrupt, but if this shakes your faith in your candidate, perhaps it will shakes you pre-established conviction against the opposition as well.

True, last night's debate showed little headway for either candidate, but most telling was how much their views circled around each other, and some times at certain instances landed on the same side.

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I feel you on this. Fortunately and unfortunately, I feel that this is Obama's way of "playing the game". I fully believe this was just talk to show toughness. If you look at his decision making on the Iraq War, I believe his main goal in international relations is to normalize it with as many countries as he can.