I just finished watching the Democratic debate between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

First off, as I’ve never posted anything political before, I’d like to start by saying that I’ve been a supporter of Obama since he declared his candidacy last year. While some people criticize Obama for his lack of experience, I don’t consider it a negative thing. I think we need someone now that is relatively new to the political system if we’re going to change the way our government works. Obama has refused to take money from lobbyists and corporations, which I find very admirable. I’m sure it can be tempting to take whatever money you can during a presidential bid (or any campaign for that matter), but the inevitable conclusion is that should you win, you wind up owing someone something.

In the debate, Obama made one point that I think was very important, and that is the idea that government should have a more open way of conducting itself. The ideas that he presented have some important similarities to the open source development model that I’m a supporter of. In software, having the source code available to you allows you to inspect the software for any wrongdoing or invasion of your rights or privacy. By having a more open approach in Washington, the American people would be given this same security. The only way to ensure that our politicians are acting in the people’s best interest is to keep the people involved in government, and I believe that is what Senator Obama will do if he is elected.