Here are the qualifications for President. I think both Obama and McCain qualify:

Age and Citizenship requirements - US Constitution, Article II, Section 1

No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.

Term limit amendment - US Constitution, Amendment XXII, Section 1 – ratified February 27, 1951

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

These are some of Obama's past achievements:

Columbia University, B.A. Political Science
Harvard Law School, J.D. magna cum laude 1988-1991
Elected President, Harvard Law Review
1983-1988 Director of the Developing Communities Project
1993-2004 Senior Lecturer in Constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School
Illinois State Senator 1996-2004
Chairman, Health and Human Services Committee
United States Senator 2004-present
Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs
Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Member, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Member, Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs

I suppose I could add married for 17 years with two kids, since you think that is relevant.

The real reason to vote for someone is what he/she WILL DO, not what they have done. These are SOME of the reasons I prefer Obama over McCain:

Universal Health Coverage
Obama will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of his first term in office. His plan will
provide affordable, quality health care coverage for every American.
Reduce Health Care Costs
Obama’s plan will bring down the cost of health care and reduce a typical family’s premiums by as much as
$2,500 per year.

Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief
Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families. Obama will restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million
workers the tax relief they need. Obama will create a new “Making Work Pay” tax credit of up to $500 per
person, or $1,000 per working family. The “Making Work Pay” tax credit will completely eliminate income
taxes for 10 million Americans.
Simplify Tax Filings for Middle Class Americans: Obama will dramatically simplify tax filings so that millions of Americans will be able to do their taxes in less than five minutes. Obama will ensure that the IRS uses the information it already gets from banks and employers to give taxpayers the option of pre-filled tax forms to verify, sign and return. Experts estimate that the Obama proposal will save Americans up to 200 million total hours of work and aggravation and up to $2 billion in tax preparer fees.

Protect Social Security
Obama is committed to ensuring Social Security is solvent and viable for the American people, now and in
the future. Obama will be honest with the American people about the long-term solvency of Social Security
and the ways we can address the shortfall. Obama will protect Social Security benefits for current and
future beneficiaries alike. And he does not believe it is necessary or fair to hardworking seniors to raise the
retirement age. Obama is strongly opposed to privatizing Social Security.
Obama believes that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system.
Currently, the Social Security payroll tax applies to only the first $97,500 a worker makes. Obama supports
increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and he will work with Congress and
the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security solvent for at least
the next half century.

Improve K-12 Schools:
Obama will improve our schools by recruiting well-qualified teachers to every classroom in America. Obama
will improve teacher compensation by rewarding expert, accomplished teachers for taking on challenging
assignments and helping teachers succeed. Obama also will reduce the high school dropout rate and close
the achievement gap by investing in proven intervention strategies in the middle grades and in summer
learning and afterschool opportunities.

Reinstate PAYGO Rules:
Obama believes that a critical step in restoring fiscal discipline is enforcing pay-as-
you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require new spending commitments or tax changes to be paid for by
cuts to other programs or new revenue.
Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Obama will protect tax cuts for poor and middle class families, but
he will reverse most of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers.
Cut Pork Barrel Spending: Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more dis-
closure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama believes that spending that cannot withstand
public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama will slash earmarks to no greater than what they were in 2001
and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.
Make Government Spending More Accountable and Efficient: Obama will ensure that federal contracts over
$25,000 are competitively bid. Obama will also increase the efficiency of government programs through bet-
ter use of technology, stronger management that demands accountability and by leveraging the government’s
high-volume purchasing power to get lower prices.
End Wasteful Government Spending: Obama will stop funding wasteful, obsolete federal government pro-
grams that make no financial sense. Obama has called for an end to subsidies for oil and gas companies that
are enjoying record profits, as well as the elimination of subsidies to the private student loan industry which
has repeatedly used unethical business practices. Obama will also tackle wasteful spending in the Medicare program.
Pay Equity
Barack Obama will better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care
options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.
Reproductive Choice
Obama has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving a women’s right to
choose under Roe v. Wade a priority as president. Obama also supports expanded access to contraception,
health information and preventive services to reduce unintended pregnancies.

Create Secure Borders
Obama wants to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and
technology on the border and at our ports of entry.
Improve Our Immigration System
Obama believes we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal
immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.
Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally
Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire
undocumented immigrants.

Strengthen Civil Rights Enforcement
Obama will reverse the politicization that has occurred in the Bush Administration’s Department of Justice.
He will put an end to the ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division.
Combat Employment Discrimination
Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that curtails racial minorities’ and women’s
ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive
equal pay for equal work.

And last, but certainly not least:

Bring Our Troops Home
Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades
each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that
we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and
diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the
region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

You can read more about Obama's qualifications here:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf

If I could print out all that(talking points) BS out on absorbent paper I wouldnt wipe my a** with it!
(Think I said that before but if the shoe fits)

Ignoring Ry's response in the interest of dialogue:

President Obama will do all these things for us?? He really hid his skills under a basket, didn't he?? Who knew?? I'm surprised that in four years in the Illinois legislature, he didn't at least eliminate the state debt and make sure every kid graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree and free of student debt. That's MUCH less ambitious than the stuff he has on his plate now.

Get real . . Regardless of who is elected, these are campaign promises designed to appeal to voters who make their decisions based on emotion. Vote for me and all will be well . . . I'll take care of you.

Thanks, but no thanks. I'll continue to take care of myself . . it can be done.

azbob, all of those people were reciting his speech in 2002. Watch it again, he isn't against war, he was against the Iraq war.

KC-
Of course they are campaign promises. They won't all be implemented. Many plans fail because of DC politics. John McCain has his promises, too. Trying to take away a woman's right to make decisions about her own body is one. One I hope never gets a chance to be implemented.

And I disagree that they appeal only to emotions. Not that some voters do vote with their heart - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. But these "talking points" create a road map of where the potential president hopes to take the country. Some voters prefer to be informed.

Mikey, my rant wasn't partisan . . of course McCain's mouth writes checks his political clout can't cash. I am just very wary of anyone who buys votes with unrealistic promises. There is not enough money in this country (or the world) for that matter, to purchase the type of utopia politicians promise. Humans seem to be the only species with the sense to recognize their own self-destructive behaviors and the lack of self-preservation instinct to be able to ignore them. And somehow I don't think that windmills and rain barrels are gonna be enough . . .

Feeling very cynical tonight . . political conventions do that to me.

KC, great response. Every 4 years (ok 2 years for congress) we hear the same old s***t! Promises, promises that we all want, but it never happens. Mikey, the guy that makes makes more promises is the one I worry about the most. No can deliver, unless we all work for the government and give every penny to the system. Then they house, feed us and provide medical care. Huh, seems like that system has been tried and failed. NO MORE BS PROMISES by either side! Damn, I wished!!!

Bob, it's not totally the fault of the politicians!! Remember, they are not an alien race come down to earth to entice the mindless drones with goodies!! Ostensibly, they are us. . . and they know full well that promises mean votes because they deal in both.

We are every bit as much to blame because we want to receive, but we don't really want to give. And, from an economic standpoint, there is really no way to do both, short of the promised land. Like the old song says: Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die!!

...one more than I've herd from yah, Bramon.

How about mild winds and One Barrel? Sorry, couldn't resist!

And I'm sorry the convention has turned you cynical. It gives me hope. I remember how emotional I was at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration. It gave me hope for the future. I had recently returned to the US from a year abroad and I was ready to put Bush War I behind me a look toward a new beginning in America. I hope I can feel the same by putting Bush War II behind us.

Glad we can create some honest, thoughtful discussion for a change.