Vote for Obama, who will unify the country

At a recent event for Barack Obama, a group of supporters began chanting:

"USA!

USA!

USA!".

This chant is typically associated with Republican candidates who support the war in Iraq and an aggressive, unilateral, foreign policy.

However, in the context of an Obama event, this chant takes on a very different meaning. Sen. Obama has campaigned as the candidate who can unify our country and end the stalemate in Washington.

He appeals not only to Democrats but to independents and moderate Republicans.

In this context, the USA! chant is a call for political unity and a patriotic focus on the needs of our country as a whole.

There are, of course, some who will reject the moderate, mainstream, common sense policies that Obama proposes. They do not care about the debt we are piling on our children, want to continue our occupation of Iraq, and do not believe in paying their fair share of the tax burden.

With the exception of such individuals, Obama can truly unite the country and in the process address needs such as a balanced budget, economic growth, humane entitlement reform, and health care that have been ignored during the Bush years.

With Obama, the USA! chant takes on a new, positive, and inspirational meaning.

Like Presidents Kennedy and Roosevelt, Sen. Obama is calling us to a vision of America that is larger than ourselves. He is calling us to a new, inclusive politics and a new patriotism.

Support Sen. Obama on Tuesday and usher in a new, dynamic era for America.

Richard Winchell

Aurora