America's Much Needed Leader

So the March 4 primaries have passed, but it was during the days leading up to thee events that we were introduced to this Hillary Clinton ad.


Alright. On this blog I don't try to write to bash the candidates, what I try to do is focus on the things that are or should be an issue in their campaigns. So in the video above, we are told that we should elect a leader who knows the leaders of the world and knows the military. My question from viewing the video is whether or not Hillary knows the military. Does she know it in the sense that she knows how to be the leader in charge of the military, or is it more she's aware this country has a military? Other than that the choice rests in your hands.

Not long after the video hit the air, Barack Obama's campaign team hit back with this response.

Now did you pick up on anything sort of weird? If I'm understanding this correctly, and by correctly I mean noticing a message other than vote for Obama, this country is supposed to vote for Obama because he had the courage to oppose the war. Well good for him! Obama had the guts to say, "I don't agree with this plan." But how does that keep me safe? This war on terror, this war being fought to eliminate the threat made against this country, is happening to protect the lives of not only the American people but for the people of the world. Of course I can see the sides why the war should end, but I don't think being able to oppose something is a reason to elect someone into office. After all, Obama was outnumbered.

Now here's my response to the two videos above.



Oh yeah, there's America's much needed leader.

The Contest Has Begun - 1/2

March 4, or Mini-Super Tuesday (again), marked a new, but not surprising chapter for the Republican candidates in the race for president. After having had a long-running campaign for a position deemed for him mathematically impossible, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee made the official announcement of the ending of his campaign. But he made sure to add, "We aren't going away completely. We want to be a part of helping to keep the issues alive that have kept us in this race."

Having gained the necessary delegates (1,191+), Sen. John McCain is now the Republican nominee-in-waiting. This event comes as somewhat of a shock seeing how four months ago, John McCain would never have been expected to make such progress. Said McCain at to supporters last night in Dallas, "Our campaign must be, and will be more than another tired debate of false promises, empty sound bites, or useless arguments from the past that address not a single American's concerns for their family's security."

It's now up to McCain to make sure he has the full backing of his fellow Republicans. He's already gained support from former candidates and opponents Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and now Mike Huckabee. Said Huckabee he extended his support to McCain and to the party to do everything possible to unite the Republican party, but more importantly to unite the country. But of course one of the biggest endorsements McCain could receive came today from President George W. Bush.

President Bush and Sen. McCain were once opponents for the GOP nominee for president, and have had their share of differences. But said today by the current U.S. commander-in-chief, "John showed incredible courage, strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment and that's exactly what we need in a president — somebody who can handle the tough decisions, somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger."

President Bush went on to add his support for McCain, saying that he would be campaigning with him when he could. Now some might think that because of Bush's low approval ratings, and him being a Republican could do damage for John McCain's campaign. Many would like to say that a vote for McCain is a vote for Bush, or a vote for any Republican is a vote for Bush- not true. Said the president, "They're not going to be voting for me...I've had my time in the Oval Office." "It's not about me," he added, "I've done my bit."

With no opponent threatening his place in the race (*cough* Ron Paul) John McCain can now focus on what he'll do to improve the country, such as socially, economically, and the security. He also needs to be clear on the issues and prove that just because you may not have agreed with the Bush administration doesn't mean Democrats are the answer- not that I'm enforcing a political party. So while Hillary and Barack continue to battle it out, for John McCain, the contest has begun.

MSNBC's Democratic Debate done by Saturday Night Live

War on Terror II

One of the things that make the Democrats more favorable in the eyes of voters is the fact that they speak of an immediate withdrawal of American forces in the Middle East. Now this doesn’t mean that America won’t have any sort of presence, it just means an end of the great number of volunteer soldiers stationed over there. Both Senator’s Barack Obama and Hillary agree it’s time America pulls out as to where Republican candidates believe in fighting till this war is won.

On MSNBC’s Democratic debate, Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert asked Sen. Clinton if she would hold the right as president to go back into Iraq if all hell broke loose and Al-Qaeda gained strength. She responded by saying that Tim asked a lot of hypothetical questions, to which he said it was reality, to which she said it wasn’t. Well the definition of “reality” is the quality or state of being real. If Al-Qaeda gains force after America pulls, becoming a threat for not just America but the entire world, does the president hold the right for America to go back in to protect ourselves? Now where did Hillary not understand the question? Was it the fact that Tim Russert used a big word like hypothetical or was that going back into Iraq would mean she’d have to make a decision? From here Hillary, avoiding the question (big shock for a Democrat), spoke instead of how she would bring American troops home. When the question was directed towards Barack, he said that yes he would hold the right as president to go back.




So what do you learn from all of this? Well first off neither Hillary nor Barack has the brains to keep their mouths shut about when and how many troops they’ll pull out of the Middle East. Second, with Republicans we could be in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. for who knows how long fighting for a win, while with Democrats there’s always the chance we could just go back. On the subject of the war, Republicans are trying to keep terrorists from coming through the door, while Democrats will be allowing terrorists to get a foot in, which could lead to them plowing through.

Now I know there are bombings and shootings going on while the Bush administration is in power, but I’m trying to make the point there is the possibility of not getting the miracle you wanted with Obama or Clinton in office. I personally don’t believe the threat of terror can ever be completely taken care of, but there’s always the hope in reducing the threat. But if we must act and think like we can, and if we pull out, this country has to know that there’s always a chance of a War on Terror Part II.

Huckabee on Saturday Night Live

Gov. Mike Huckabee on Saturday Night Live.

Lost

If you're watching the current season of ABC's LOST, then you know that the group of Oceanic Flight 815 survivors have split into two groups. One group has gone with John Locke, and the other with Jack Sheppard. The group of survivors were torn between who to listen to when it came to their survival. Locke says they can't trust those who say they can take them home, while Jack says they should go with them. However, Jack is beginning to question the truth of there so called rescuers.

Now we may not be stranded on a mysterious island, waiting to be rescued, but we are looking to elect a leader who can continue to lead us in the right direction. The Democrats are strong in voice when it comes to being agents of change, especially since so many believe that voting Republican means voting for another George W. Bush administration - it isn't. But hey, what makes you think having Hillary in office will be different then when Bill was in the White House.

Perhaps no candidate is favored more for change than Barack Obama. The youth backing is huge for the Illinois senator, and like every other candidate, Barack says he has the experience to run this country. But being a senator doesn't mean he knows how to run a country, something that's been argued by Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.

After Tuesday's primaries and announcing Barack's wins in Wisconsin and Hawaii, Chris Matthews of MSNBC- The Place for Politics, asked Sen. Kirk Watson to name accomplishments made by Barack Obama. He couldn't. Hmmmm?

If we're looking for an agent of change (this goes for all candidates), let's not elect one who will get us lost.

Skeletons

Oh what a week it was. First you have Hillary Clinton accusing Barack Obama of plagiarism, then you have John McCain being accused of having an affair with a lobbyist. So this brings the question, did they and do we even care?

Hillary Clinton says her opponent uttered words spoken by a friend of his, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. The words spoken by Barack some time ago, we said by Patrick nearly a year ago. In last night's debate on CNN in Texas, Clinton stated, "If your candidacy is going to be about words then they should be your own words." She went on to add, "...Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in, it's change you can Xerox." This statement was met with booing from the attending audience. If Hillary was trying to get some sort of upper hand by making Obama look bad - poorly done.



Sen. John McCain found himself victim of a story printed by the New York Times, a story saying he became involved with a lobbyist several years ago. Personally I believe the sources for this unproven headline have obviously gotten their facts wrong. Isn't it obvious what probably happened? We should all know that McCain is a bit of twitcher, this could've been mistaken for winking. Who knows what caused this story, and who knows why the New York Times decided to print it now. It is possible that someone is looking to shed a little dirt on the GOP frontrunner.

Do these events mean the tides will change for these two candidates? Probably not. Obama is ahead of Hillary, and all McCain has to worry about is whether the Republican party will embrace him. So here's a word of advice for Hillary and the New York Times, when going through someone's closet, make sure you're not placing fake skeletons.