If your values or principles are not in sync with a candidate even if he is from the same party I don't think you are under any obligation to vote for him/her.

I have never had to " hold my nose " when I am voting.

This year would probably not be different.

i personally am more of a centrist so many of these 'concerns' do not apply to me.  but....

this is a partisan and progressive website.  when a candidate (especially one that espouses change) takes a series of positions that differs from progressive ideals - you expect said candidate not to get any flack?

frankly i have been a little surprised at how little questioning there has been going on and a lot of benefit of the doubt being given.  just my 2 cents.

just because people care about issues that obama has reversed course on doesn't mean we have any intention of voting for mccain as your post seems to imply.  

Most of these posters also say quite seriously that Obama's supporters (followers in their lexicon) are only now discovering that their "Leader" is not the messiah they supposedly thought he was.

you're making things worse when you antagonize your allies this way.

I get the feeling that the outrage is 50-75% hypocrisy anyway.  I'm pretty sure there were exactly 0 FISA diaries between February and mid-June, either on the main page or by diarists on the righthand side of the main page.  But, now it's a presidential issue, so there you go.

Despite all of the discussion today, apparently very few people realized that cloture passed by a margin of 80-15 this afternoon, with Obama, Clinton, and McCain not voting.  That was the real FISA vote - now that there's no chance of a filibuster, it will pass.  Because fewer than half of those necessary for a filibuster supported it, I think it makes sense not to have gotten involved in the filibuster effort.  First, there was absolutely no chance that 15 Senators would bloom into 40.  Second, Obama would have appeared "more liberal" than the Democratic body in the Senate and House.  Third, because it would have been a wasted effort, it would also have made him look weak.

I'm all for fighting, but sometimes you have to fight smart.  Too many Democrats opposed a filibuster for it to occur, and as a result it would have accomplished nothing and lingered as a campaign issue.  And, I would have said the same thing if Clinton was the nominee.    

There have been quite a few diaries lately written by people who are shocked, shocked I say, because Barack Obama has not proven himself to be a far-left liberal on all issues. Most of these posters also say quite seriously that Obama's supporters (followers in their lexicon) are only now discovering that their "Leader" is not the messiah they supposedly thought he was.

If you actually read posts, diaries, etcetera- there were a great majority of Obama supporters that said he was a serious liberal.  Some held an illusion of the kind, if only to have an excuse not to support Clinton, others clearly asserted it without sincerely believing it.

Well I've got news for them, we never thought he was any such thing. The delusional people are the ones who expect to find a candidate that is going to agree with them on every issue. Such a critter doesn't exist.

Well, it would have been an act of integrity for you to say so during the primary.  There were some Obama supporters who admitted it all along, but they got shouted down along with the critics most of the time.  

It's a strawman to talk about "agree with them on every issue".  We're talking about a distinct difference of principle and philosophy.  Hardcore liberals don't buy into ends justifying the means, ruining Republicans being an end in itself, or It's All About MeUs as the core idea.

but does Obama have any realistic chance at winning MS?  Last Rasmussen poll has him down only six, which I find incredible and difficult to believe that it will hold up.

The reason Obama is only up six on average in the polls is because we're getting absolutely bagged by white males.  McCain can win this thing, even with Obama defeating him by ten percentage points among women, if he beats Obama by thirty-five among white dudes.

[haa. woe is me. classic.]

lets all think of the bigger picture. alright. bigger picture. that means President Obama. Get over FISA. get over it.

Excuse me, but why does anyone think that the  FlimFlam Man from Nowhere Bamboozle sold anybody out?  He never did.  Anyone who listened to this man was sold out on their own.  This man is a crook  and a liar, if you look at his background, and if you believe anything he's feeding you then that's on you, right?  It's up to you to learn about these pols and to discern who they are.  They're going to tell you what they want you to hear, not what they think you want to hear.  They could care less about what you want to hear.  The fact that Flimflam has come out supporting fisa is no great surprise to me.  Neither will his next action; he will either not be in town for the vote; vote present, or most famously of all, vote at the very last minute when his vote means nothing at all, just watch.  I already know that he worked to purge the voter rolls in Chicago, and while this is probably political practice, it's a miserable to disenfranchise your own people.  He said he didn't want to do it, but he did it anyway.  Not something to judge a candidate on?  This is the most basic right that we have in this country, and while he may not know it, not having been here during the civil rights movement, I was, and I hold it against him.  That and too many other things, like judgment, loyalty, ethics.  I am neither hoodwinked or bamboozled by this man.  I see him clearly for who and what he is, which is why he will not now or ever get my vote.  Not even to put his butt in the White House.

I gave you a hr for these unsubstantiated allegations and for calling the candidate a flimflam man. If you can back your claims up, I'll be glad to remove it.

Show proof that he was behind purging voter rolls in Chicago. If you have proof that he's a crook you should send it to a DA in Chicago or wherever it is that you think he committed a crime. Give details about any actual lies you believe he has told. You have all of the space in the world to detail your charges. Feel free.