A lot to comment on but it is a lot of very good points. First of all I can tell that you lean towards socialism. Not an altogether bad idea as even Jesus and Apostles did support a form of socialism. Unfortunately when governments move that direction they usually continue on into complete communism and the form of socialism/communism is one that is usually one that is overly oppressive where a few select people get really rich and the vast majority of people get poorer.
As for democrats. I cannot in all good conscience sign up to be a democrat because of their primary uniform platform which is against everything that the Bible teaches. (abortion, same sex garbage, etc.) Yes, there are many in the republican side that also support those things also. That is why I registered as "other" and then vote according to the person themselves.
Be careful going by the list that you posted a link to. It is not altogether correct. It is also difficult to get a persons stance without amplifying information. It leaves too many questions just as the ones that you have presented here plus more.
Actually he changed his mind on drilling before he choose a running mate. His change of mind came about when gas/oil prices skyrocketed and the majority of the people started complaining and saying it was past time to lift the ban on drilling. It is sometimes difficult to tell what a politicians personal opinion on a subject really is. McCain is a fine example of that since his "change of mind" is simply directed by the majority of the voters. That's not a bad thing though as that is the way it is supposed to work.
I also am not sure how you can possibly be against abortion but for embryonic stem cell research? And let me tell you I think this race should from a christian perspective be about morality...if you look mostly at what is wrong with this world today MORALITY will smack you right in the face! Although, I think the candidate should also be strong on healthcare issues, the iraq war etc...
This is one of the places that the list you linked to is not quite correct. It would be better understood to say that McCain supports stem cell research not embryonic stem cell research. There is a difference. I'm not a medical expert but I am an educator and as such I attempt to keep up on at least the basics. It has been reported that scientists have made tremendous steps in stem cell research that does not involve the use of aborted or dead babies. I am all for that as long as it does not require killing but does help to save lives and to make those lives more meaningful and healthy.
The Iraq war well that opens up a huge can of worms huh? We are there and I don't think we can just pack up and leave now...not only would it not be beneficial to the iraq people but very harmful to us as well. Should we stay forever, of course not. But it was noted that the iraq government has a surplus in their economy why ours is unbelievably in debt, to the point I don't want to even think about it. And how long after we leave before things are volatile there again?
We are told in the Bible that Iraq will be a focal point in the end times so we know that in time there will eventually be a whole lot more turmoil there. Precisely when we still don't know but it will be inevitable. This does not mean that we should stop trying to do that which is right. In fact we should continue in attempting to stop tyrants and to bring peace in the world.
Healthcare. That is a very difficult subject. I am not for "universal" health care. The word universal brings about thoughts of everyone being placed all in the exact same type of health care. That thought runs into thoughts of socialism/communism which is pretty scary. I agree that our current health care system needs a lot of work. I'm one of those "older" people that you have mentioned that has to decide on food or medicines. Transportation to medical care is also a part of that concern. Democrats want us to be like a third world nation and have to rely on public transportation. That is just not realistic and would in fact place our health care availability to be the same as most third world nations. My being a Veteran I do have options that many others do not in some things but it requires my traveling long distances. My health does not permit long distance travel very often let alone public transportation and there are many that are worse off than I.
