Obama, McCain: academia and service to community

And what about the academic records of the Presidential candidates?

In John McCain, we have a man that barely graduated from the Naval Academy, and most likely would have been expelled had his father and grandfather not been admirals. The Naval Academy is a fine academic institution, McCain just failed to take advantage of the opportunity that was given to him. This closely mirrors the record of GWB and Yale. McCain also attended the War College while undergoing physical therapy and rehab in DC (no word on any degrees).

In Barak Obama, we have a man that is a self-made man. He started out at Occidental College in Los Angeles and after two years transfered to Columbia University in New York City, graduating with a degree in Political science with a minor in International Relations. After four years in NYC, (college and working) Obama went to Chicago to serve as a community organizer (1985-1988). Obama then went on to attend law school at Harvard, one of the nation's premier law schools, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1991. Along with his experience working for law firms and a community organizer, he was also a member of the faculty at the University of Chicago.

McCain is trying to tout service to country, but yet dismisses the service that Obama has given to his country. He bypassed jobs at large law firms to serve the people of Chicago, keeping his promise to return after receiving his law degree. McCain worked as a liaison between the Pentagon and the senate, where his desire for politics began. When he moved to Arizona, McCain worked for his father-in-law's beer distributorship as the PR guy. He smoozed with the likes of Charles Keating and Fife Symington. (what was it about judging someone by the company he keeps)

Barak Obama's work battling the establishment led him to a career in politics as a means to help the community from within the system. John McCain's work WITHIN the establishment led him to his political career.

Who is truly the Washington outsider? The man who worked to build up his community and went on the local politics to further represent the people he had been serving for several years, or the man that worked behind the scenes in Washington, and 'moved' to a new community to make his run for political office?