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Debate:McCain vs. Obama
From Debatepedia
[  ] [  ] [  ] [  ] [  ] Who is the better candidate for the US Presidency?
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[ ] Background and Context of Debate:
On June 5th, Hillary Clinton officially "suspended" her campaign, securing Barack Obama and John McCain as the candidates in the general election for the presidency of the United States of America. On November 5th, 2008, US citizens will vote for one or the other candidate. Debating the pros and cons of the prospective candidates, therefore, is an important part of informing the choice that these voters will have to make. The debate, it should be noted, does not simply revolve around the fact that Barrack Obama is a Democrat and John McCain is a Republican. Nor does it simply revolve around their policy differences. In fact, a large part of the public debate revolves around a comparison of their experience, integrity, judgement, education, service, age differences, and other characteristics.
John McCain: John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Arizona and presumptive Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the upcoming 2008 election.
Both McCain's grandfather and father were admirals in the United States Navy. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he nearly lost his life in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. Later that year while on a bombing mission over North Vietnam, he was shot down, badly injured, and captured as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese. He was held from 1967 to 1973, experiencing episodes of torture and refusing an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer; his war wounds would leave him with lifelong physical limitations.
He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and, moving to Arizona, entered politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. After serving two terms, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, winning re-election easily in 1992, 1998, and 2004. While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain has gained a media reputation as a "maverick" for disagreeing with his party on several key issues. Surviving the Keating Five scandal of the 1980s, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually led to the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act in 2002. He is also known for his work towards restoring diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the 1990s, and for his belief that the Iraq War should be fought to a successful conclusion in the 2000s. McCain has chaired the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, and has been a leader in seeking to rein in both pork barrel spending as well as Senate filibusters of judicial nominations.
McCain lost the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He ran again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and gained enough delegates to become the party's presumptive nominee in March 2008.
Barack Obama: Barack Hussein Obama II (pronounced /bəˈrɑːk hʊˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois. He is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election, and the first African American to be a major party's presumptive nominee for President of the United States.
A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. From 1992 to 2004, he also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in January 2003. After winning a landslide primary victory in March 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote.
As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he cosponsored legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the current 110th Congress, he has sponsored legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. Since announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the war in Iraq, increasing energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.
All content from the Wikipedia article of the candidates or the election. Used under the GFDL, which debatepedia uses
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[ ] [  ] [  ] [  ] [  ] Judgment: Which candidates has a better record of judgement?
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[  ] [ ] Yes
- McCain is amicable and reasonable toward his colleagues. "The case for John McCain". The Economist. 6 Dec 2007 - "True, he has a reputation as a hothead. But he's a hothead who cools down. He does not nurse grudges or agonise about vast conspiracies like some of his colleagues in the Senate."
- McCain has been prescient in his judgement. "The case for John McCain". The Economist. 6 Dec 2007 - "He has also been right about some big issues. He was the first senior Republican to criticise George Bush for invading Iraq with too few troops, and the first to call for Donald Rumsfeld's sacking. He is one of the few Republicans to propose sensible policies on immigration and global warming."
- Obama has showed bad judgement in his associations "Top Ten Arguments Against Obama". The Big Picture. June 24, 2008 - "He has a 20-year history of close ties with people who hate America and say so. His official position is that he had no idea what his close friend Reverend Wright was like ("The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation"), or what his business associate Tony Rezko was like ("this isn't the Tony Rezko I knew"). At times, he'd like us to believe, he doesn't know what his own statements mean. From Reuters: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama misused a 'code word' in Middle East politics when he said Jerusalem should be Israel's 'undivided' capital but that does not mean he is naive on foreign policy, a top adviser said on Tuesday." In short, his official position of excuse after excuse after excuse, is tantamount to admitting that he had insufficient judgment to recognize who he was associating with, or at times, what he himself was saying."
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[ ] [ ] No
- Obama showed prescient judgement in opposing invasion of Iraq Obama said in 2002, "Now let me be clear: I suffer no illusions about Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal man. A ruthless man. A man who butchers his own people to secure his own power. The world, and the Iraqi people, would be better off without him. But I also know that Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States, or to his neighbors and that in concert with the international community he can be contained until, in the way of all petty dictators, he falls away into the dustbin of history."[1]
- McCain makes decisions impulsively. "Obama for president". The Atlantic. 4 Nov. 2008 - "Negative 2: Leadership style. John McCain is not willfully ignorant and incurious, which is a welcome contrast to George W. Bush. But he has shown during the campaign that he shares Bush's weakness for impulsive, gut-instinct decisions. For Bush: the Iraq war; for McCain, the choice of Sarah Palin and the short-lived "emergency suspension" of his campaign."
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [  ] Experience: Does McCain have more experience than Obama?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- McCain has been tempered by adversity in a way that Obama has not. McCain has led a life filled with challenges and adversity, starting with his years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. This has tempered McCain and prepared him for the presidency in a way that Obama has not been prepared.
- "Joseph W. McQuaid: America's choice this Tuesday". Union Leader. 2 Nov. 2008 - "John McCain stands head and shoulders above his rival. McCain has been tested as few men ever have, and he has never been found wanting. Barack Obama has no experience -- none. He may be the most unprepared major-party candidate ever."
- McCain has a wide range of interests and experience. "The case for John McCain". The Economist. 6 Dec 2007 - "Mr McCain's qualifications extend beyond character. Take experience. His range of interests as a senator has been remarkable, extending from immigration to business regulation."
- McCain has abundant foreign policy national security experience. Obama's childhood years abroad and poor background in foreign policy cannot provide him with sufficient knowledge and judgment in these important issues [3]. In this critical time of US foreign policy, it is important we elect a commander-in-chief who can make the best judgment about these challenges.
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[ ] [ ] No
- Obama understands the world and America's place in it. "Barack Obama for President". Washington Post. 17 Oct. 2008 - "But Mr. Obama, as anyone who reads his books can tell, also has a sophisticated understanding of the world and America's place in it. He, too, is committed to maintaining U.S. leadership and sticking up for democratic values, as his recent defense of tiny Georgia makes clear."
- Obama's diverse global background is valuable. Obama was born to a father of Kenyan descent, has a white mother, lived in Indonesia in his youth, and has traveled to Kenya to visit his grandmother. He certainly is a diverse person with a diverse background. This is valuable in many ways to how he thinks about the world. Generally, it is likely to give him a more holistic view of the world.
- Obama would be a fresh, uncorrupted face in the White House While experience can be seen as a virtue, it can also be viewed as a liability, in the sense that experience within the Washington Beltway, which Clinton has, can have a corrupting influence. Obama, conversely, is a fresh face on the American political scene. As such he embodies the fundamental change that Washington, DC so desperately needs. He has not been stuck in the Washington, DC "beltway", which has kept him clear of much of the corruption and influence that can occur as a result of this.
- Obama has a strong record of legislative achievement Obama has a very strong legislative history as a US Senator. The Daily Kos lists 19 legislative successes for Obama during his Senate career while only 13 legislative successes for Clinton. It is argued that Obama's record of successes is, in large part, due to his ability to convince other Senators to support his legislation. Clinton, with a more divisive history, does not appear to have this same capacity.
- McCain's long career in the Senate is a negative. "Is McCain too old? Is Obama too young?". LA Times. 12 June 2008 - "The Senate is not a particularly good training ground for a presidential career. Its titans are masters of securing consensus from a few dozen other senators and some key players in the House. It is a place of subtle power plays and the political long game. The president, on the other hand, must be able to manage the vast federal executive branch, directly marshal voter support for his initiatives and take full and personal responsibility for any projects that fail. One can make a convincing argument that the longer a politician spends as a legislator, the less qualified he becomes for the office of commander in chief."
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Education/intelligence: Which candidate is better on this account?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- High intelligence does not necessarily correlate with good leadership. Intelligence comes in many different flavors, characteristically capricious and patchy. If Freud free-associated with the word "Intelligence", the reply might well be "Einstein". Yet there is no indication that Einstein would have made a good president. In fact, the president is more times a leader, statesman and consensus builder like Abraham Lincoln, rather than a wise professor like Woodrow Wilson. Jimmy Carter was known for being quite sharp minded and his presidential rating is no where near the top. And let us not even speak of Stalin's intelligence and resulting rein. Barak Obama passed the Bar Exam and John McCain passed the rigors of Fight School, two totally different forms of intelligence.
- John McCain uses has a strong mind for bi-partisanship. John McCain has a strong record for crossing party lines to form solutions and pass legislation. On the other hand, Barak Obama has used his intelligence to achieve the most liberal agenda in the Senate.[4]
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[ ] [ ] No
- Barack Obama was at the top of his Harvard Law class Barack Obama finished at the top of his Harvard Law class. He was also elected as the president of the Harvard Law Review. As far as educational success, there is almost no higher achievement than these. The President of the United States should be of the highest intelligence and capabilities. Barack Obama has demonstrated that he has these virtues. This compares starkly to John's McCain's less-than-average educational record.
- John McCain finished 790th out of 795 at Naval Academy (1958).[5] This demonstrates a number of things: McCain is not too intelligent, McCain lacked the judgement to perform in school, and that McCain's rise to power had little to do with his achievements and merits in school.
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Integrity: Is McCain better than Obama on this account?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- Ralph Peters. "John McCain's Integrity Problem". Real Clear Politics. July 23, 2007 - Senator John McCain has an integrity problem: He has too much of it. At a time when would-be presidential candidates in both parties alter their views depending on the prevailing winds, McCain stands up for what he truly believes.
- Obama's move to the center for general elections lacks integrity. "What does Barack Obama truly believe? Does it depend on the day of the week?". New York Post. - True, candidates typically tack to the center after contentious primaries. But the "candidate of change" is taking that process to Twilight Zone levels. Last fall, a spokesman said of a controversial element in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reauthorization bill, 'To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.' This week, Obama declared his support for a FISA bill that included just such immunity." [read the full article here]
- Obama voted "present" too often when in the Illinois Senate. Though Obama's political career is impressive, his legislative record in his own state of Illinois only shows that he rarely takes a firm stand, especially on tough issues like abortion, juvenile crime. According to Boston.com, "Obama acknowledges that over nearly eight years in the Illinois Senate, he voted "present" 129 times. That was out of roughly 4,000 votes he cast, so those "presents" amounted to about one of every 31 votes in his legislative career." [7]. Even Kirk Watson (D), a fervent Obama supporter stumped on Obama's real legislative accomplishments
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[ ] [ ] No
- Obama represents the best of American qualities. "Tribune endorsement: Barack Obama for president". Chicago Tribune. October 17, 2008 - "Obama is deeply grounded in the best aspirations of this country, and we need to return to those aspirations. He has had the character and the will to achieve great things despite the obstacles that he faced as an unprivileged black man in the U.S...He has risen with his honor, grace and civility intact. He has the intelligence to understand the grave economic and national security risks that face us, to listen to good advice and make careful decisions."
- "Obama is the choice". Atlantic Journal. 19 Oct. 2008 - "Leading the country in such a time will require someone of intellect, creativity, honesty and passion for those traits that have made America great. That person is U.S. Sen. Barack Obama."
- Obama is willing to tell Americans "inconvenient truths". Susan Estrich. "Blue Streak: The Case for Obama". Fox News. 12 June 2007 - "He is telling people, as more than one commentator has called it, "the inconvenient truths," whether to the black community about the need to stop denigrating those who speak well for being too white or the Jewish community about the need to recognize Palestinian suffering."
- John McCain tried to circumvent campaign-finance rules he created. "McCain's integrity problem". Economist.com., Democracy in America Blog. 23 Feb. - "WE referenced it earlier in the week, but let's be a little more clear about how John McCain tried to circumvent campaign-finance rules that he helped create. Last year, when Mr McCain's campaign appeared moribund, the senator applied to join the presidential public financing system. Under this programme Mr McCain agreed to certain spending limits and, in turn, received access to federal matching money. (Sidenote: It's a terrible system that is basically designed to keep losers in the race.)"
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Inspiration: How do the candidates compare as far as their inspirational capacity?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- McCain will put country first in solving challenges in the US. "The Examiner endorses McCain-Palin". Baltimore Examiner. 24 Sept. 2008 - "America is at war overseas and in an economic crisis here at home. Many of her citizens believe the country is on the wrong track. It is for times such as these that men like John McCain are made, to put country first so that it can be put right in its time of need. For this reason, The Examiner endorses McCain for president and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, for vice president."
- John McCain is a patriotic war hero. "The case for John McCain". The Economist. 6 Dec 2007 - "Mr McCain is such a familiar figure that it is easy to forget how remarkable he is. He fought heroically in Vietnam, spending more than five years as a prisoner-of-war, when many other politicians of his generation discovered, like Dick Cheney, that they had 'other priorities'."
- John McCain is trustworthy and loyal. Sen. Bob Dole - "He's a good man - the kind of man I'd want to be in a fox-hole with me... He'd be a good president."[8]
- "Barack Obama: He's No John F. Kennedy". Knight Kiplinger. Politics '08- "I'm beginning to hear more and more people compare Barack Obama to President John F. Kennedy. Not surprisingly, those making this comparison are mostly too young -- or too little schooled in history -- to know how invalid the comparison really is."
- Obama has made too many campaign promises to fulfill. "Joseph W. McQuaid: America's choice this Tuesday". Union Leader. 2 Nov. 2008 - "Those who believe Obama's claims that he will reduce 95 percent of Americans' taxes, while he pays for near-universal health care, subsidizes clean energy, expands our military commitment in Afghanistan, adds to mass transit and highway infrastructure, etc., etc., are living in a dream world."
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[ ] [ ] No
- Obama has articulated a better vision for America. "Newsday editorial board endorses Barack Obama". Newsday. 1 Nov. 2008 - "He has articulated a more compelling vision and strategy for the nation than has Republican John McCain, at a time when both are desperately needed. Obama has railed eloquently against the politics of fear and ideological combat, and promoted inclusiveness and cooperation. He has a strong grasp of the nation's economic problems, a more urgent commitment to the green energy revolution and a better plan for expanding access to health care. On issues such as Iraq, taxes and trade, he should practice the bipartisanship he promises, but has yet to demonstrate, by remaining open to alternative views. Still, on balance, Obama offers the better way forward."
- Obama inspires people to become better citizens. Obama's oratory abilities are very high. People often call him "poetic" in this way. This oratory ability has been a defining feature of the best presidents and leaders in American and world history. The reason is very straight forward; it causes people to have pride in their leaders, trust in the direction their leaders are taking the country, and hope in the future ahead. This often leads individuals to act more ethically, work harder, and generally hold themselves to a higher ethical standard. In short, inspiration matters, and the main vehicle for inspiration is inspirational oratory.
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Bi-partisanship: Is one candidate better than the other on this front?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- Obama is too liberal to unify America and act as president Peter Wehner. "How McCain Should Take On Obama". Real Clear Politics. February 19, 2008 - "The area where Obama is vulnerable is his record, as brief as it is, and his stated positions. Senator Obama is a completely orthodox liberal -- the most liberal person in the Senate in 2007, according to National Journal -- in a nation that is not. Why hasn't this fact hurt Obama so far? Because his two main opponents in the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, haven't advertised Obama's liberalism. They are essentially as liberal as Obama is, so that political arrow has been removed from their quiver. Hillary Clinton has therefore been forced to criticize Obama for his lack of experience -- even though her own experience is quite thin and her past forays into policy have been disastrous (her mishandled health care plan helped the GOP win 52 House seats in 1994 and gave them control of the House for the first time in four decades)."
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[ ] [ ] No
- Obama can unify America to meet its challenges. Obama has said, referring to himself, "we need a leader who can finally move beyond the divisive politics of Washington and bring Democrats, independents and Republicans together to get things done."[9]
- "Tribune endorsement: Barack Obama for president". Chicago Tribune. October 17, 2008 - On Dec. 6, 2006, this page encouraged Obama to join the presidential campaign. We wrote that he would celebrate our common values instead of exaggerate our differences. We said he would raise the tone of the campaign. We said his intellectual depth would sharpen the policy debate. In the ensuing 22 months he has done just that.
- "Obama for president". Boston Globe. 13 Oct. 2008 - "Obama is clearly a liberal. But when he led the Harvard Law Review, he won praise from conservative thinkers because he genuinely wanted to hear what they had to say."
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Change: How important is "change"? Is it wrong to cite McCain as "another Bush"?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- McCain will fight corruption and clean-up Washington. "The Examiner endorses McCain-Palin". SF Examiner. 24 Sept. 2008 - "Domestically, McCain is unique in never seeking an earmark to benefit a family member, political ally back home, or financial contributor. As president, he will veto all earmarks and other pork barrel spending. He believes Americans know better than government how best to spend their hard-earned money, and he promises – in words that make many of his colleagues in Congress swallow very hard – to make famous those in government who waste or steal tax dollars."
- McCain is not George W. Bush. John McCain is not George W. Bush and therefore you cannot call him that. John McCain may be a republican, but that doesn't mean he will take the same approach to things as Bush did.
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[ ] [ ] No
- Obama is a break from a Republican administration. Republican President Bush has been been in office for 8 years. It is time for a change from this. Obama represents a clear break from the Bush-years, while McCain represent a less distinct change.
- Obama alone can clean up the economic mess Bush created. Hillary Clinton. "The man for the moment: Hillary Clinton makes the case for Barack Obama". Daily News. 2 Nov. 2008 - "Democrats must once again clean up an economic mess the Republicans left behind. We've done it before, and we'll do it again...By the close of the Clinton administration, America had created 22 million new jobs. Our nation built a new economy with the lowest child poverty rate in 20 years. Wages were rising and prosperity was shared. The country produced balanced budgets and a surplus. Now, eight years later, they had to add a digit to the national debt clock."
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Security: Which candidate would better advance national and international security?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- Obama's time in Indonesia did not provide foreign policy experience. Ted Widmer. "Ask Not!. Why Obama is No JFK". Washington Monthly. January 2008 - "Obama lived as a boy in Indonesia—a big, fascinating country, but not central to U.S. global strategy. If that childhood experience had a genuine impact beyond teaching him the obvious truth that the world is diverse, then he needs to make it clearer how he will translate that knowledge into sound policy."
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[ ] [ ] No
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[ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Iraq War policy: Whose policy is better?
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[ ] [ ] Yes
- Obama's Iraq policy wrongly denies progress there "The Iraqi Upturn." Washington Post. 1 June 2008 "While Washington's attention has been fixed elsewhere, military analysts have watched with astonishment as the Iraqi government and army have gained control for the first time of the port city of Basra and the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, routing the Shiite militias that have ruled them for years and sending key militants scurrying to Iran. At the same time, Iraqi and U.S. forces have pushed forward with a long-promised offensive in Mosul, the last urban refuge of al-Qaeda. So many of its leaders have now been captured or killed that U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, renowned for his cautious assessments, said that the terrorists have 'never been closer to defeat than they are now.' ..... Still, the rapidly improving conditions should allow U.S. commanders to make some welcome adjustments -- and it ought to mandate an already-overdue rethinking by the 'this-war-is-lost' caucus in Washington, including Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)."
- The Iraq war is justified by events; the world is safer. Saddam Hussein is out of power and no longer a shadowy hazard and menace to the region. It is no longer possible for Saddam Hussein to re-build Iraq's WMD. Iraq now has the opportunity to grow into a democratic state, if it chooses. These are welcome developments, despite the costs of the war. This opinion is in line with McCain's policy.
- Withdrawing early will destroy the democratic potential of Iraq Iraq has great potential to become a bastion of democracy and secularism in the Middle East. Withdrawing early jeopardizes this historic opportunity. It would also, therefore, undermine the spread of democracy in the Middle East generally.
- Many Iraqis support the continued presence of US forces Sheikh Mahmood Ejemi, head of the Ejmani tribe in Hiyt, believes the improved security could quickly unravel without sufficient US support. - "I advise the Americans to withdraw only when Iraqis can secure and achieve security and have a strong and capable military force to protect the borders and the populace. We need to have a national government that protects Iraqis, not works to isolate and kill them, like it is doing now. We need US support in fighting sectarian militias and al-Qaeda."[10]
- An early withdrawal from Iraq would be highly risky to exiting troops. Retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, a former commandant of the Army War College, told National Journal in 2007 - "There's an old military adage that the most dangerous and hazardous of all military maneuvers is a withdrawal of forces while in contact with the enemy. That's the operation all of us soldiers fear the most,"[11]
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[ ] [ ] No
- The invasion of Iraq was illegal, making a withdrawal necessary "Iraq war illegal, says Annan". BBC. September 16th, 2007 - "When pressed on whether he viewed the invasion of Iraq as illegal, he said: 'Yes, if you wish. I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal.'" There are two basic justifications for this claim. First, the UN charter only allows for self-defensive wars in cases where the threat is imminent. The threat was not imminent in Iraq's case. Second, exceptions to self-defensive wars require UN approval through Security Council resolutions. No explicit authorization was provided by the UN to the US and coalition forces to wage war. UN resolutions only mentioned "serious consequences" in the event of Iraqi non-compliance with inspectors. "Serious consequences" is certainly not the terminology used by the UN to authorize war; "all necessary means" are the keywords that authorize war, and they were not provided in any UN resolution. Thus, the war was illegal and coalition forces have no legal basis for continued operations in Iraq.
- Prolonging the Iraq War will permanently damage the US military "A responsible plan to the end the war in Iraq." 2008, Democratic plan - "Our capacity to respond with overwhelming force has been a powerful deterrent. Our military capabilities and readiness, however, have been deeply damaged by this war. Both our troops and our military equipment have been seriously depleted. Our forces are stretched so thin that we are unprepared to defend our country.6 Many of our best and brightest officers are choosing to leave military service.7 Under the grinding strain of constant wartime use, a dangerously high percentage of our military equipment is damaged, gone, or unavailable to units who might need it.8 Our dependence on private military contractors9 and the politicization of some of the upper echelons of the military compromise the professionalism which had been a hallmark of our forces10. And the nationalization of the state National Guards presents a further threat by hampering our ability to respond to emergencies at home."
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