A Note to the Democratic Candidates: Eat Me

Since leaving the Republican party in January of 2005 and registering as an independent, I have found it rather difficult at times to understand the motivations and actions of their Democratic opponents. This was never more clearly demonstrated than during the last round of Democratic presidential debates.

Dems can't make guarantee on Iraq troops

HANOVER, N.H. - The leading Democratic White House hopefuls conceded Wednesday night they cannot guarantee to pull all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the next presidential term in 2013.

"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first primary state.

"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

There are many policy areas where the Democrats and I can not come to agreement, particularly in domestic areas. But if there was one thing I thought we could agree on it was that the entire Iraq adventure was a mistake from which we needed to extricate ourselves as quickly as could be safely managed. Many of these candidates leave me with serious misgivings about either their qualifications or intentions, but given the overwhelming importance of handling the matter of Iraq I was willing to overlook them.

At this point, at least in terms of the Democratic front runners who would appear to have any chance of gaining the nomination, I would like to say one thing to the lot of them. Go to hell. A few of the other candidates had different answers.

Sensing an opening, Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and New Mexico
Gov. Bill Richardson provided the assurances the others would not.

"I'll get the job done," said Dodd, while Richardson said he would make
sure the troops were home by the end of his first year in office.

Kucinich is too far over some distant edge for me to support. Dodd strikes a bad chord with me which I can't quite identify. I've been somewhat impressed with Bill Richardson, and could almost see myself supporting his candidacy, but his polling numbers make it obvious that he will be out of the race sooner rather than later.

I wouldn't have voted for Hillary even if she were promising to to have all the troops out of Iraq by Feb. 1, 2009 and the rest of her platform consisted solely of "Ways To Make Jazz Shaw Rich."

As of this point, I will be shopping around for third party candidates to write in. Or perhaps I'll just write in a ballot for Ron Beasely for President. I have no desire to see another four years of GOP White House control, as I can't imagine that making the Iraq situation better in any way, though I might have considered Rudy G. He'll be swiftboated by the base soon enough, though and never get within sniffing distance of the nomination.

Ron Beasely for President. Hrmmm... it's got a nice ring to it.