I'm actually a dual citizen and I intend to cast my vote in the primaries for Obama. A couple things I like about him:
- His approach in debates. He often takes on arguments by trying to identify underlying premises which he can then debunk rather than sinking to relatively empty rhetoric. I like the fact that he is willing to offer a reasoned (rather than merely rhetorical) approach, even if it doesn't help his cause in the long run. I also like the fact that he recognises that some areas of debate are simply down to opinion (i.e. they lack an objective resolution). There are areas in which Clinton has said 'someone here is right, and someone is wrong' where Obama has instead said 'we differ in opinion and this is what I stand for'. Naturally counter-examples can be found for these things - inevitably he does fall back on the typical rhetoric at some points - but on the whole I find his approach more commendable than that of other politicians.
- His outlook seems somewhat more 'international'. He doesn't speak up the central importance of the American people to the extent that a lot of other politicians do. He seems to appreciate the importance of playing a part in the international community (be it by ratifying climate change treaties or respecting the sovereignty of other nations to a greater degree... etc). On the whole he strikes me as
less US-centric than the other candidates.
In general I also like what he stands for (compare, for stark contrast,
Huckabee* who supposedly supports the death penalty, the war on iraq, creationism and biblical literalism, and opposes gay marriage/civil unions, abortions, gun control and homosexuals in the military). However, there is enough overlap between Obama and Clinton that I would be happy with either (I will be happy as long as a Democrat makes it through at the end). Obama just impresses me that little bit more.
(*Edit: I should note that Huckabee also plays bass in a rock band, which is way cool and gets my full endorsement. However, this would perhaps constitute one of the
worst reasons to vote a candidate into one of the most influential offices in the world.)