Presidential Tote

If I was to nominate a profile in courage this week, it would probably go to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for withstanding the brutal blows from the Hillary machine. With each passing week, the character deficiencies of the presidential triad becomes more apparent.

Richardson was accused by Clinton attack dog James Carville of selling out Madame Hillary for thirty pieces of silver, like Judas. The symbology of the message was rich during the christian holy week. Bill worked in the Clinton Administration in two positions, as U.N. Ambassador and Energy Secretary and was genuinely torn in his allegiance. I respect him and his decision. Richardson was my initial choice for president, he, Biden and Dodd having trumped the field in experience. He has thought long and hard about who would be the best person to lead this country out of our current disaster. I have heard rumblings by party apparatchiks that he also is apparently fond of the ladies.

Hillary is increasingly looking like the old party machine candidate, while Obama's message seems to resonate with the young and the dispossessed. And with those who have a genuine hope for a change in this country. If we want to talk about real betrayal, let's look at Bill Clinton and all that he squandered for progressives and centrists in this country. I applaud his genuine achievements, both domestically and internationally, but his brazen infidelity and arrogant narcissism seem to be his lasting legacy. Every time he opens his mouth, his grand desire to return to the seat of power is more evident. It will be a very crowded oval office for any vice president if we are unlucky enough to have Hillary elected as our leader. She, like Barack Obama, has limited experience governing, but acts like it is her predestined right to assume the Bush Clinton Bush Clinton monarchial mantle.

After being caught in a bold faced lie regarding her supposedly coming under sniper fire in Bosnia, we are told that Madame Hillary misspoke. When does a misstatement cross the threshold into outright prevarication? A long while ago.

On the Grand old side of the ledger we have John "We'll spend another 100 years in Iraq" McCain. He has always been one of my favorite Republicans and a person I really admire on a lot of fronts, especially the way he bucked Bush on Campaign finance. However, I have lost my respect for him since he caved in to the administration on the Torture/Waterboarding issue. Of all people, he should have stayed strong. The CIA Ops who ran the program admit it was torture. What moral high ground have we ceded and what will our answer be when the next american is caught and tortured? I think that our moral indignance will surely fall on deaf ears.