The presidential election in 2008, similar to 1992, presently offers three choices as well. (Ralph Nader, Michael Bloomberg, and other potential wannabes can be dismissed for the time being.) Those choices are John McCain on the Republican side, and a Democrat stalemate between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.
I can never remember whether it is during odd weeks or even weeks that Her Hillaryness reclaims her Rodhamdom. However, if she is going to reclaim her maiden/middle name on a regular basis, Mr. Obama deserves the opportunity to proudly wear his own second moniker. Does John McCain even have a middle name? Perhaps his wife can give him an advance on his allowance to buy one.
As things stand right now, there is not a candidate running who would be reassuring to have in the White House.
The McCain-Kennedy legislation shows the Republican candidate to be a staunch proponent of open borders as a prelude to the advent of MexAmeriNada, and since the Amero (heir to the Peso/Dollar/Canadian Dollar) is not addressed in McCain-Feingold he'll be able to solicit and spend as many of those suckers as he wishes without running afoul of the Federal Election Commission. McCain's penchant for reaching across the aisle and fostering bipartisanship promises to inflict Democrat Lite on the country at best, and a far darker outcome at worst.
Hillary Clinton has far greater problems than the simple fact that she is Hillary Clinton, though that factor alone should be enough to end all her political aspirations. Clinton redux, especially with the gift of a Democrat controlled Congress, will tax the wealthy out of any capacity to create jobs and then saddle everyone with a universal health care program that will ultimately provide less available care of a lower quality than is currently the case. For a tip-of-the-iceberg sneak preview, take a look at the fiasco that is Massachusetts today. Hillary Clinton in the White House could easily see the U. S. Dollar achieve parity with the Mexican Peso by the end of an initial four year term. On the plus side, we will finally get that wall built along the Mexican-American border - by the Mexican government to keep us out of their country.
The final candidate left to consider is Barack Obama. Obama benefits from a very limited public track record. So far, he seems to be all things to all people - without leaving the dirty feeling of having employed a prostitute that dealing with the Clintons to achieve the same sense engenders. With a relatively short political career in Illinois and Washington, Barack Obama also presumably (hopefully?) has a relatively short list of patrons to whom he is beholden. There are signs he is ultimately every bit as dangerous as Clinton - or McCain - but without the time in the game those other two have we are at least afforded the audacity of hoping that his wilder impulses might be curbed or contained.
Accepting that one of the three is all but certain to be the next President of the United States, is there a scenario that at least offers the possibility of surviving the next four years relatively intact and ready to move forward once again? Absolutely.
Since the elections of 2006, elected Republicans at all levels have been abandoning the game in droves. Faced with an unpopular president and a restless electorate, too many experienced Senators and Representatives decided it would be easier to cut and run rather than stand on principle and fight. That last sentence was supposed to read "leaders" instead of "Senators and Representatives", but their actions have proven these men and women to be possessed of anything but leadership. The truly conservative citizens of this country who comprise the foundation of the party should be ashamed that they have given over stewardship of the Republican party into these unworthy hands for the past decade.
The most ideal possible outcome of the elections of 2008 would be for Republicans to find a backbone, stand up for the principles and values of the party that was reclaimed and reinvigorated by Ronald Reagan, and fight for the right and the responsibility for every citizen of this nation to be an American. To work hard and to reap the rewards of that work; to provide and care for themselves and their families first, their communities second, and the larger nation and world third; to stand on their own two feet or exhaust every possible resource in trying to do so rather than feeling entitled to a handout as the first course of action as a matter of birthright; to be responsible for their own actions and expect that same responsibility and accountability in return from their neighbor; in short to be an American - the kind of man or woman who won two world wars and built what was once the greatest nation this planet has ever seen.
Returning to those core values that made us who we once were and reclaiming the House of Representatives and the United States Senate is an important first step. Then, a Barack Obama presidency would be manageable and quite possibly even beneficial to the nation and to our standing on the world stage.
Then, in four years, we could be poised to move forward once again into our future history with resolve. Not as tyrants, not as bullies, not as incompetents full of good intentions but closer to empty of good results.
As Americans - full of the pride and responsibility that title embodies.
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