Just for the record, I have already voted for the Obama-Biden ticket and could not be happier to have done so. My response to the neighborhood creep who takes down Democrat campaign yard signs — the hand made Obama in lights limewire — is turned on every night. So I don’t mean to be negative with these two posts.

I just don’t see attention being paid to how Obama is most definitely not ultra-liberal, despite what the right wing likes to say.  The Obama campaign probably does not want too much scrutiny on positions that could divide the left, but what would be far worse is for people to be surprised or to feel deluded post-victory.  What concerns me is that all this information is available for anyone who listens to what Obama says, but it doesn’t sink in because TV doesn’t point it out. When TV land finally does, watch out.

Faith. Every American, and that includes Presidents, has the right to their religious beliefs.  However, George W. Bush has deliberately blurred the line between church and state. Obama will not roll that back entirely. He supports government funding of faith-based groups. The difference is that he will require these groups to hire outside their faith in order to receive government funds, an improvement over Bush policy but certainly a far too cozy embrace of religion for many on the left.

Taxes.  Obama may not be able to enact his tax relief for the middle class anytime soon. Folks, the country is broke. Things don’t look good for the near future.  With a true majority in Congress, he may get away with taxing the wealthy, which will make him a hero for a while. Eventually, the middle class needs to count out their extra pennies.

Military contractors.  If you’ve read “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army” by Jeremy Scahill (I have not but my husband has and gave me a daily recounting) and media reports you will have learned that the military contractor has insinuated itself into security services inside the military and out.  It bleeds the U.S. government financially and its pattern of corrupt, sadistic practices debase the reputation of the U.S.   But their infiltration is so deep that the military has become dependent on them and could not function in Iraq without them.  Its supporters in Congress, unless they are voted out on Nov. 4, will fight any attempt by Obama to rout out the mercenaries.

Unilateral action and diplomacy. OK, much has been made of Obama’s threat to bomb Pakistan if the Pakistanis don’t remove the Taliban from their border with Afghanistan.  Of course, the U.S. is already doing this, to much criticism from the left because of its assault on a sovereign nation and the fact that the bombing raids kill many civilians for every one confirmed terrorist death.  Obama is not likely to back off the practice, if we take him at his word.