4A -Thursday, January 10, 2008

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

mJb 1Midiigan Baitj
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the University of Michigan since 1890.
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Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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NOTABLE QUOTABLE
It's essential that people understand America cannot
dictate the terms of what a state will look like:'
-President Bush, commenting on the Middle East peace process after meeting
with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert in Jerusalem, as reported yesterday on nytimes.com.
Change .thi1s

a

KARL STAMPFL
EDITOR IN CHIEF

IMRAN SYED
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR

JEFFREY BLOOMER
MANAGING EDITOR

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position oftthe Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
The Daily's public editor, Paul H. Johnson, acts as the readers' representative and takes a critical look at
coverage and content in every section of the paper. Readers are encouragedto contact the public editor
withquestions and comments. He can be reached at publiceditor@umich.edu.
Vote ObamaMcCain
If possible, vote out-of-state; if not, vote uncommitted.
A fter seven years of the Bush regime, a long-awaited replace-
ment at the White House and a new vision for America is
only 375 days away. Across our country, there is a growing
recognition that the Bush administration's shortsighted approach
to policy has further entrenched America in political divisiveness,
advantaged America's wealthiest people at the expense of its less
fortunate and brought our nation into an unnecessary and inter-
nationally embarrassing war in Iraq. The damages are being billed
to our generation. In this year's upcoming primary elections, we
have an opportunity to support candidates who can change this
destructive course.

W ith BarackObama'striumph
in the Iowa caucuses, every
candidate is hollering for
"change" at every
rally, press event
and debate. Stephen
Colbert came back
on the air Monday,
just in time to put
together a hilarious
montage of Obama,
Hillary Clinton,
John Edwards andI
Bill Richardson, IMRAN
promising over and SYED
over in last week-
end's New Hamp-
shire debate to "break a buck."
But it's not just the hopeless ide-
alists espousing hopeless ideals: It's
the Republicans too. Conservatives,
defined empirically by their prefer-
ence for the status quo, have jumped
in for change. Is it too late for me to
jump aboard the change train too?
No? Good.
Now that we have a woman and
a black man as frontrunners for
the presidency, here is what I'd like
changed: As a naturalized citizen of
the United States, I would like to be
allowed the same delusions of politi-
cal grandeur that so many other col-
lege kids have right now.
OK I admit it - some days I see
myself in Obama's place. And why
shouldn't I? Obama's entire appeal is
attributed to the fact that he inspires
inus the hope that we too can be great.
Many young people are inspired to see
themselves as the unlikely savior, the
one who comes from an unorthodox
background and redefines boundaries.
But there are limits to this dream.
For all his freshness and snubbing
of the elite system, Obama is still a
Harvard-bred lawyer with plenty of
connections. Not all of us will make
it to Harvard Law School, but at least
Obama's story shows that itis possible
for those of modest backgrounds to
make it to the top of the Ivy League
and the country. What I'm talking

about, however, is a different sort of
barrier - one erected out of righteous
concern, but today justified only with
ignorance and unfounded contempt.
When the founding fathers decreed
that a personhad to be born in America
to be eligible for the presidency, they
probably had good reason to do so.
America was a young, envied nation.
Its people's loyalties were new and
therefore vulnerable to corruption.
Their suspicions may be easy to decry
as paranoia today, but it turns outthey
were right - at least initially.
One example of how volatile loy-
alties were at the time, even among
those born in America, is Aaron Burr.
Vice president to Thomas Jefferson,
Burr had almost become president
instead of Jefferson. He was a giant in
the politics of his time, a senator and
vice president whom we should be
able to name alongside Jefferson and
James Madison as crucial players in
early American politics. But we don't
grant Burr that honor today, and for
good reason.
You see, when he wasn't busy lob-
bying the U.S. House of Representa-
tives to reject Jefferson and choose
him as president (there was atie inthe
Electoral College) or shootingAlexan-
der Hamilton in New Jersey (the first
of many famous whackings in New
Jersey), Burr found other ways to be
un-American.
In 1807, just two years after leav-
ing the office of vice president, Burr
was tried for treason before the U.S.
Supreme Court. It is said that he had
been the leader of a conspiracyto
annex land just beyond America's
southwest border and establish in it
a sovereign state. Fifty years before
Jefferson Davis's similar treason was
the Burr Conspiracy, which could
have altered the fortunes of the entire
world had it succeeded.
So, the lesson here is that while
America was young, loyalties were
less firm and the founders had to be
wary of whom they allowed to gain
power. Though people may have been

in positions of power in this country,
they were not mandated to any alle-
giance other than to their ownvanity.
Decreeing that the president of the
United States be born in the coun-
try was the founding fathers' way of
ensuring as best they could that peo-
ple of foreign influences never came
to power.
But we live in a very different world
today. Just because you were born in
America no longer means you have
lived here your whole life and know
nothing of the outside world. Obama
himself lived in Indonesia for years as
a child. Nor does being born outside of
America necessitate any longer that
your mind will be more apt to under-
Who cares where
the president
was born?
mine the American system. Have any
of us reallysuspected leaders like Jen-
nifer Granholm, Madeleine Albright
or George Romney of being anything
less than loyal Americans?
This isn't something we should
really have to even talk about today.
There has been talk about changing
this outdated rule and giving natu-
ralized citizens the right to run for
president, but nothing has come of it
so far. Perhaps in this sudden climate
of optimism, that can be among the
things that change.
After all, consider that Burr was an
Americanby birth, and yethe shot and
killed a far more worthy leader and
thinker in Hamilton. And to think that
Hamilton (born inthe Caribbean) was
the one the Constitution barred from
the presidency.
Imran Syed is the Daily's
editorial page editor. He can be
reached at galad@umich.edu.

0:

hile making a difference in a
primary election is usually as
simple as punching a ballot for
the best candidate or candidates, the situ-
ation in Michigan this year has practically
stripped voters here of their say. Chastised
by the national Democratic and Republican
Parties for challenging the unfairness of
the current nominating process, Michigan
now has an incomplete list of candidates
on a Democratic ballot that has no power
at the Democratic National Convention
and a Republican ballot with half its usual
convention strength. This is an insult to
Michigan voters from the national parties,
not necessarily the candidates, who can't be
blamed for the parties' politicking.
No matter how insulting the diminished
ballot is to voters and despite the obstacles, it
shouldn't keep them from voting. Although
it would usually be incumbent of all Uni-
versity students to vote here in Ann Arbor,
where their votes would emphasize the stu-
dent voice, this election is the exception.
Out-of-state students should vote absentee
in their home states, where all of the candi-
dates will be on the Democratic ballot and,
all of the delegates are still promised (with
the exception of Florida). However, in-state
students must work within this year's unique
confines, using the option of voting uncom-
mitted to cast a ballot for those Democratic
candidates not on the ballot. Voters cannot
write in the major candidates not on the bal-
lot because these votes will not count.
In the Democratic field of candidates,
there is a clear understanding among
all of the candidates that the incom-
petence of the Bush administration must
be ended. Similarly, the policy discussions
among the Democratic candidates advocat-
ing universal health care, a more equal dis-
tribution of wealth, withdrawal from Iraq
and American respect for human rights are
characterized by small differences within
fundamentally similar policies - all of
which are needed. For this reason, students
should choose to vote in Democratic prima-
ries, even in Michigan where the national
party has snubbed its members.
However, not all of the major Demo-
cratic candidates are the same. Hillary
Clinton, who will be the only major Demo-
cratic candidate on the Michigan ballot, is
an experienced but divisive candidate, who
would compromise the passage of the poli-
cies she advocates. Furthermore, Clinton
hasn't argued strongly against the troubles
of excessive executive power, only the
executive behind it. While John Edwards,
who will not be on the Michigan ballot,
has been at the forefront of much of the
policy debate and prides himself on being
the "champion for regular people", he also
prides himself on fighting a partisan fight
against his opponents.
Among the Democrats, the candidate best .
able to bring progress and innovation to
our country is Barack Obama. Although he
hasn't been in the national spotlight as long
as his Democratic competitors, Obama has
valuable experience outside of the political
sphere as a community organizer, civil rights

lawyer and lecturer in constitutional law. He
is a candidate who has built a career on over-
coming the partisan polarity that threatens
our country, working across the aisle to cre-
ate or support legislation on ethics, health
care reform, welfare reform and tax credits
for low-income workers. He is inspiring and
convincing, two qualities necessary to per-
suade, not manipulate, Americans into sup-
porting his progressive policies.
The Daily endorses BARACK OBAMA
in the Democratic presidential primary for
those voting outside of Michigan. Because
Obama is not on the Michigan ballot, the
Daily endorses a vote of UNCOMMITTED
for those voting in Michigan.
Sadly, most of the Republicans in this
year's primary are stuck in the Bush-
Cheney way, pandering to Christian
evangelicals, supporting the war in Iraq
at all costs and changing little of what has
been instituted in the last seven years, espe-
cially the dramatic expansion of executive
power. In an election where the American
people are calling for something differ-
ent, the Republican candidates fall short of
answering this call. They also fall short of
our values. For this reason, we implore stu-
dents to vote first in the Democratic prima-
ry. However, if students choose to take the
misguided approach of voting only in the
Republican primary, they should make an
informed choice as well.
In the Republican pack of candidates,,
there are few standout leaders. Mitt Romney,
a candidate with ties to Michigan through
his father George Romney and Bloomfield
Hills upbringing, lacks the moderate ideol-
ogy that made his father a popular gover-
nor in Michigan during the 1960s. Instead,
Romney has been a malleable candidate,
bending to appease the most powerful vot-
ing blocs. The same goes for Rudy Giuliani,
who has exploited the tragedy of the Sept.11,
2001 terrorist attacks and America's fear of
terrorism to fuel his campaign. Mike Huck-
abee, who may have strong character, has
little understanding of policy. Ron Paul, who
sometimes stumbles onto policies we agree
with, uses a narrow ideology to reach these
conclusions that would do far more harm
than good.
While he is guilty of some of the same
electoral pandering as Giuliani and Romney,
John McCain is still the Republican can-
didate with whom this page's views most
align. A man of principle, McCain often
has unpopular views, but at least they are
consistent and based on an ideology open
to hearing out his opposition. His experi-
ence in the U.S. Senate, speaking out against
the inhumane use of torture and pushing
through the desperately needed Bipartisan
Campaign Reform Act of 2002, is a proven
testament to these qualities and potential to
be a refreshingchange from President Bush.
McCain is not an extreme ideologue. This
makes him responsive to the needs of the
American people. McCain is most impor-
tantly an innovator and leader among a
Republican pack of status-quo politicians.
The Daily endorses JOHN MCCAIN in
the Republican presidential primary.

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SEND LETTIiS TorTOTIEIDAILY@UMIH.ED'J

Offensive phrase not
reported by student

effective way to do
early primary.
In most election
who win the first s
tests wind up being

TO THE DAILY: and Republican no
I am writing in response to general election. N
a crime note on Tuesday about Michigan dared to
the offensive words on the dry- and New Hampshi
erase board in the Mary Markley in choosing these c
Residence Hall (Crime Notes, supremacy which h
01/08/2008). I am writing to cor- accepted by most o
rect the statement that the student Democratic Nation
whose door the words were written and Republican Na
on complained. I am that student, tee swiftly moved t
and neither my roommate nor I of all its Democrati
reported anything. I am against the half of its Republic
censoring of our freedom of speech most of the major I
and expression in most cases, didates announced
including when speech is offensive. not be campaignin
Our freedom to speak and write fear of angering the
should not be suppressed simply and New Hampshi
because somethingthat is said is The egos of the j
offensive. To do this sets a prec- voters in New Ham
edent that could open the floodgates clearly mean more
on censorship because the defini- than the opinionso
tion of what is offensive is subjec- million residents.?
tive and weak. you vote for in Mic
Furthermore, the written insult next week, the exc
was a joke to my roommate from igan's delegates fro
one of our hometown friends, not conventions means
meant tobe threatening in any way. do not count.
If both my roommate and I were The blatant injus
fine with it, why should we have election controvert
been forced to erase it, let alone Michiganders beca
make our entire hall have a meeting input whatsoever h
with the Minority Peer Advisor? I own presidential n
doubt that ifa person had a lawn glories of Americar
sign that offended a neighbor they extolled by both pa
would be forced to remove it. apply north of the
I suppose the situation is differ-
ent because we are living in a dorm. Vikram Raghunal
But to make special restrictions LSA sophomore
on our Constitutional right to free
speech because we are students is
a scenario that harkens back to the Students sh
landmark U.S. Supreme Court case
Tinker v Des Moines, where the high on policies,
court sided with students' First
Amendment rights. TO THE DAILY:
Though I hope nobody was In the Daily's ar
offended by what was on my dry-
erase board, I don't support the
strict regulation of what was writ-
ten even if someone was offended. I ARIELA STEIF
just cannot bring myself to agree to
such a denial of personal liberty.

o so is to hold an
s, the candidates
everal state con-
,g the Democratic
minees in the
onetheless, when
challenge Iowa's
re's supremacy
andidates, a
has been blindly
ther states, the
al Committee
tional Commit-
to strip Michigan
ic delegates and
an ones.Also,
Democratic can-
that they would
g in this state for
e voters in Iowa
re.
ust over 4 million
spshire and Iowa
to the candidates
of Michigan's 10
No matter who
higan's primaries
lusion of Mich-
m the national
s that our votes
stice of this year's
sy should outrage
ause we have no
n choosing our
ominees. The
n democracy
rties seem not to
Ohio border.
than
ould vote
not race
ticle Tuesday

previewing Michigan's primary
next week (With limitedfield, stu-
dents make choice, 01/08/2008), a
student implied that she would vote
for the Democratic presidential
candidate Barack Obama rather
than Hillary Clinton because she,
as a black female, identifies more
with her race and not her sex. It is
appallingthat this person is voting
for America's president based solely
on the candidates' physical charac-
teristics. Instead, maybe this stu-
dent should be focusing on where
the candidates stand on America's
strategy in Iraq or their views on
abortion, rather than whether they
wear a bra.
Unfortunately for America, this
student's decision-making process
seems quite similar to that of the
majority of American voters.
Evan Rosen
Engineeringfreshman
For change, vote Paul
TO THE DAILY:
Do you trust politicians who say
one thing and do another? What
about ones who swear an oath
to the U.S. Constitution but vote
against it, who change positions
depending on polls, choose words
carefully to not offend either side
of an issue, become rich in office or
favor wars but charge the bills to
the nextgeneration?
Only one politician I know
doesn't fit any of the above catego-
ries: Republican presidential candi-
date Ron Paul.
If you are concerned about the
next generation, you should con-
sider, support and vote for Paul for
president in 2008.
Francis Rost
Onalaska, Wisc.

8

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EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS:
Emad Ansari, Anindya Bhadra, Kevin Bunkley, Ben Caleca, Milly Dick, Mike Eber,
Gary Graca, Emmarie Huetteman, Theresa Kennelly, Emily Michels, Kate Peabody,
Robert Soave, Jennifer Sussex, Neil Tambe, Matt Trecha, Kate Truesdell,
Radhika Upadhyaya, Rachel Van Gilder, Rachel Wagner, Patrick Zabawa.
CHRIS KOSLOWSKI
C Lni 3! E think the lesson here far
out to Pasture Presidentia everyboy is never lisen to
Prmary endorsements on 3.Dn Kucinich!yhing we say.
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James Janisse
LSAfreshman
Michigan deserves a
bigger say in primary
TO THE DAILY:
I am appalled by the drama
surrounding Michigan's decision
to move its primary to Jan. 15.
According to the 2000 U.S. Cen-
sus, Michigan is America's eighth
most populous state, with just
under 10 million people in 2000
and surely more than 10 million
people now. Michigan deserves to
have a say in deciding the presi-
dential nominees, and the most

Alt
C s s.

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