Next week Tuesday is going to be a pretty big day for voting. Not the most important day, of course, but to me it officially inaugurates the choosing-a-president season. And for the first time since I started voting, my favorite candidate is still on the ballot with a real chance of winning.

I won’t tell you who to vote for. (Assuming you get to vote in a primary at all. Sorry, Deana!) There are plenty of ways to make up your own mind, but just in case it sheds some light, here’s why I’m voting for Barack Obama:

1. He’ll get us out of Iraq, and do it honorably. I don’t need to reiterate just how much of a mess our invasion of Iraq has been. Barack’s not a military guy, but I think we need be a lot less militaristic. Getting out of Iraq without completely destroying the country is going to take some hard work and honest evaluation, which brings me to:
2. If there was a Big Nerd Party, he’d be the chairman. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This country needs a Big Nerd in charge, someone who’ll take a real interest in solving problems and making things work. Someone who uses reason and judgment to make decisions instead of polls or influence or random pronouncements by deities. Our last Big Nerd in high office was Al Gore, and I think he deserves a lot of the credit for the 90s boom years. Barack talks like a smoothie, but he has a podcast for cryin’ out loud. Nerd!
3. He’ll restore the world’s faith in us. The dollar sucks, our foreign policy is a nightmare, and we’re being led by a guy who can’t pronounce “nuclear.” Credibility in the world’s eyes will be difficult to regain, but electing someone who’s thoughtful, competent, and a stirring speaker will go a long way. I’d personally like to stop having to apologize for our leaders.

So that’s me. What do you think?