Democratic "debate"

Man hanged himself in jail with bedsheet,
after requesting private cell. His
trial had been rescheduled 8 times.

The Democratic "debate" (I don't know why they keep referring to these question and answer events as debates) went well, I thought. It wasn't exciting. I don't think anyone learned anything new. I doubt that anyone's mind was changed. All of the candidates performed well. I don't think anyone "won," although Obama did a little better than usual. The Fox analysts tried to make a big deal of the fact that there was no real challenging back and forth and so on. To me, that was the most interesting thing about what happened today. The Democratic candidates all basically agree about the problems and what needs to be done about them. They all want to end the "war" in Iraq, some perhaps sooner than others. They all want to protect Social Security and Medicare. They all want to tax the wealthy. They all want universal health care. They all want to undo the unconstitutional and illegal things Bush has done. They all agree that the Bush/Cheney administration has been a disaster and we need to go around the world trying to fix our broken fences. They all agree that leadership is essential. I was very pleased with all six of the candidates and, as they all pretty much agree on the basics, I could accept any one of them as President. About the only thing left to decide on the Democratic side (provided you believe they are all telling the truth) is who would be best able to bring about the results they all claim to believe necessary. I confess I have some skepticism about some of them. Hillary, I think, would actively pursue some of these issues, but she is, I fear, basically on the margins of the Brafia. Obama wants to bring us together and would probably try to accomplish that. But I don't want Democrats to reach out to war criminals, I want to see them held accountable for their crimes. Edwards wants to fight the corporations which I believe is necessary but I wonder if he can muster enough support from Britney fans and the Nascar crowd, to say nothing of the evangelicals. Both Biden and Dodd would probably be capable but mostly as caretaker Presidents. Richardson I like but I have trouble seeing him as truly Presidential. Obviously I could be wrong about all of this (I have a terrible record when it comes to picking Presidents). No doubt there are some differences between these six but they cannot be great.

One reason there was so much unanimity today obviously had to do with the exclusion of Kucinich and Gravel (which I believe unconscionable). As I have said previously, if we can't have Kucinich, it probably doesn't matter too much who we have. Gravel has never been a serious candidate, just a grouchy old man who wants to get his two cents in (and should be allowed to do so). If Alan Keyes is allowed to mouth off as he did yesterday it is unbelievable that Kucinich and Gravel were not allowed some time, especially Kucinich, who is the only candidate that makes perfect sense about the majority of issues.

The Clinton campaign is taking its lumps over their remarks about Obama's drug use. I am of two minds about this. The truth hurts. Hillary's manager (or whatever he was) probably should not have said what he did, although what he said is doubtless true - the Brafia will certainly use his former drug use against him. Remember, we are dealing here with the same bunch that spread the rumor about McCain's black child, and have played the race card every chance they have had (it is the bedrock of their southern strategy). Of course they were going to use Obama's "youthful indiscretions" against him - a black man running for President with a history of drug use. There is no way they would not have used this. But Clinton's campaign should not have helped them along even though what was said was perfectly true as any political analyst would have known. I tend to side with Hillary on this. I don't think she was part of it, for the simple reason that she is too smart and would have known it would backfire, just as his kindergarten desire to be President did. But who knows what goes on in the privacy of these campaigns. I have never believed that Obama could become President. Not that I don't like him. I do. But my cynicism leads me to believe that in the privacy of their voting booths Americans are not truly ready for a black President. I would love to be proven wrong about this if Obama succeeds in getting the nomination. Conversely, I have come to the conclusion that America probably is ready for a female President, especially if it is Hillary as she is at worst Brafia-lite, she is prepared, and she has the support of the powers that be. I stick with my prediction of January 07, President Hillary Clinton. I would love to be proven wrong about this, too. Without Kucinich I fear it is going to be pretty much business as usual.

LKBIQ:
"It is eternity now. I am in the midst of it. It is about me in the sunshine; I am in it, as the butterfly in the light-laden air. Nothing has to come; it is now. Now is eternity; now is the immortal life."
Richard Jefferies