The American Spectator

Special Report

They are poles apart, the conservatives and the liberals.

Whether the topic is the kind of friends they choose, their view of war, how to create a job, what to do when a life is created or even how to have a fun time at a political convention, the difference between conservatives and liberals could not possibly be more vivid. Or important.

Let's take a look.

* Friends of McCain and Obama:

McCain: Bud Day is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, frequently cited as the most decorated service member (over seventy decorations) in the American military since General Douglas MacArthur. Day, like McCain, was held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi for over five years, during which time he was beaten, tortured and starved. Colonel Day is a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Obama: William Ayers is a radical activist who was a co-founder of the violent radical group known as the Weather Underground. In 1969, Ayers helped plant a bomb at a statue honoring the police casualties of the 1886 Haymarket Riot, the bomb exploding almost 100 windows and blowing pieces of the statue onto a nearby expressway. Ayers has also admitted to participating in bombings of New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, of the Capitol building in 1971, and the Pentagon in 1972. Now a professor of education at the University of Illinois, Ayres told the New York Times in an interview published on September 11, 2001, that "I don't regret setting bombs" and "I feel we didn't do enough", and, when asked if he would "do it all again," replied, "I don't want to discount the possibility." Ayres has raised money for Obama when the latter ran for the Illinois State Senate and served on a board of a foundation with Obama.

* Iraq:

McCain: "The surge has succeeded, and we are...winning this war."

Senator Harry Reid: "I believe that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything.."

* When does life begin?

McCain: "At conception."

Obama: "It's above my pay grade."

* Women's right to vote -- the 19th Amendment to the Constitution:

Democrats: Opposed by President Woodrow Wilson. After repeated demonstrations by suffragettes outside the White House comparing Wilson to German leader Kaiser Wilhelm II, Wilson finally changed his mind in 1918. Wilson also opposed civil rights for blacks.

Republicans: Along with supporting civil rights for blacks, which Wilson and his fellow Democrats opposed, Republicans were strong supporters of a woman's right to vote: They said the following in their 1916 platform, putting the GOP on record for:

topics:
Education, Trade, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Harry Reid, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Television, Business, Sports, Abortion, Constitution, Law, Military, Iraq, NATO, Energy, Alaska