Key Differences Between Obama and Romney

Comment on story Romney Folds On Foreign Policy

Dinesh Sharma has done a great job pointing out the key differences between these two candidates. His astute observations are right. And it's interesting, Obama, as Sharma states, wants to "change the world from the middle out," harking back to the mentality of the cold war mid-20th Century yet realizes that we have to be realistic where the world as a whole is going in the 21st Century and our place in it.

Romney believes we have a place in it the world in the 21st Century, but he believes it can be that of 20th Century America, the absolute leader on everything. It's a very paternalistic mentality that is in keeping with his idea of "change flowing from the top down" as Sharma points out. One could even argue that this is a hold over from the 19th Century when you had a few super powers like England and the U.S. always flexing their muscles.

Those days are gone. It's a different world now. Romney wants to bring back the old ways, by might if necessary. Obama wants to work with the new ways for the good of all.

I think the big problem is that Romney's ride is a ride to nowhere, but it's one Americans have been in so long that it's something they understand. Obama's ride is a ride to the future, but it's new and uncertain and sometimes we'd rather fight the dragons we know then risk taking a chance on having to fight new ones. Do Americans have the patience and courage to do what needs to be done to continue to be a power in the 21st Century.

Laura Enright