Wave That Flag

Old friend, I really get your disappointment now that Edwards has exited stage left, but are you really so down on Clinton and Obama, especially Obama? You're really bummin' me out.

Edwards spoke to issues that have been a concern to me for most of my adult life, but I still could not connect with him. Maybe I missed it, but it seems a lot of others did too. Edwards never seemed to connect with people the way that either of the Kennedy brothers, McGovern, or Jackson did. Maybe the media didn't give him a fair shake-- the debates were a joke, pissing matches between Clinton and Obama-- but I like to think that if he really had something I could have registered with I would have and could have found it. I give him credit for starting and ending in New Orleans, but at least for me he was not the right messenger.

So we are left with two, and in recent days we have seen again the ruthless nature of Clintonian politics. I heard Carville say yesterday that the Clintons are not racist, and I believe that it so. But they are ruthless and we have glimpsed again the compromises they are willing to make. I used to like that fighter’s spirit in Bill Clinton-- the idea that he could give as good as he got, until giving and getting was all we were seeing. It was ugly. These days have reminded me of that. But that’s a messy thing, not a deadly thing, or evil thing, and there’s a difference.

Obama is a great orator, but I have yet to connect with him. It seems to me he would be a center left-- as opposed to Clinton's center right-- leader.

I would like to think that both Clinton and Obama know fairly bright jurists to appoint to the court, and I would hope that both would discontinue the absolute assault we have seen on the Bill or Rights and Constitution. In Iraq both will bring the troops home. Though honestly, I doubt either will do it on a faster schedule than the other once they sit in the oval and have to face the possibility of genocide if they move too precipitously. At this point it is not even clear to me that either would move much faster even than a McCain. All will be under enormous pressures to bring the soldiers home while avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe, and I would think even the Democrats will be somewhat hemmed in by a desire not to give impression that everything that was lost has been for nothing. To some extent all of them will have to play out Bush's hand now, which is what he and Rove wanted once the realized the reckless course they had set us on.

The worst president in our lifetime…

On the economy Obama and Clinton, it seems to me, can both be counted on to at least level the field some with the tax cuts. I would hope both would likely rein in—all evidence to the contrary, I know, I know-- spending and tax cuts and getting closer to a balanced budget. The Republicans and Bush in particular, without a plan or organizing principle other than the ownership of power, have been reckless with the budget.

Both Obama and Clinton are clearly committed to doing something about health care reform. Clinton's proposal may be more progressive than Obama's, and neither was as forward thinking as Edward's plan, but all of them will have to compromise substantially to get something done. I do not see even the most conservative plan coming into law as currently proposed.

Neither will outlaw abortion or scapegoat the poor, gays, or emigrants.

Anyway, we were spoiled with Martin and John, and our old friend Bobby. Even “Tear down this wall” is pretty inspiring-- Would have been more so if Reagan also asked the South Africans or Israelis to tear theirs down as well. I have yet to be inspired. Gore and Kerry didn’t reach me much either. Two images; Gore inn the deabbtes talking about that f'in "lockbox" for Social Secuity, and Kerry Wind Surfing. These they brought on themselves.

But I am getting too old for the inspiring thing. If inspiring is not available, I'll be happy with professional at this point, Gore and Kerry might not have inspired, but neither one of them would have been so uncaring about the suffering in New Orleans even up to today, or blundered into Iraq.

Maybe we won’t see it again in our lifetime, and so far as hoping for it maybe that’s someone else’s deal. There’s a lot of time between now and the general though and I definitely perceive some fire in Obama. But even if they never nurture the flame. I am still Ok.I could still live with Clinton, though I am leaning towards Obama.

On second thought, Al might have been inspiring. And Clinton may be Satin. Maybe I am full of it, but at least our long national nightmare will soon be over.

Peace Brother,