Left out in the cold.

I couldn't get excited about the caucus last night. Am I one of the few here who felt that way? Why am I having such a hard time getting behind Obama, Edwards or Clinton? Because, evidently the constitution of the United States, and the upholding of said document means more to me than any of the three top candidates.

I do not understand the major disconnect with Barack Obama. Here we have a man who has championed civil rights for much of his adult life; a very admirable cause to pursue. According to his website, he has helped register more than 150,000 African Americans to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, he has litigated employment and housing discrimination, as well as voting rights cases. But here is where the disconnect comes into play for me. I have an impossible time understanding how a man who has worked hard to empower so many people to vote can be so ready to just want to sweep the crimes of the Bush administration under the rug, pretend they didn't occur, and basically tell Americans that, from now on, we will have a more honest and open government.

It just doesn't work for me. Why? Because what good does it do to help people empower themselves, and to ensure that their rights are allowed to be used, if you don't work just as hard to pursue accountability in our governance? The right to vote, and the ability to do so mean absolutely nothing, if we refuse to acknowledge and address abuse of power and the undermining of constitutional law. People in positions of power MUST be held to the highest standards of accountability. The thousands of threads that make up the fabric of our society depend on it. That fabric becomes frayed, torn and begins to unravel, if abusive and corrupt leadership become ignored and left unchecked. The standard for accountability becomes lowered, as a result, and new and dangerous precedents are set into place. And that is where we are today. It is hard for me to understand why this does not concern Senator Obama. As someone who has done so much on civil rights issues, it would seem to me that a clarion call for action to focus attention on the corruption of the Bush administration would be a logical extension of his concern for every American's rights to actually have meaning.

To be fair, John Edwards has created the same problem for me. I watched a part of a question and answer session between Edwards and a group of voters at one of his rallies. The subject of impeachment came up, and a questioner asked Edwards what his stance on the issue of impeachment was. Edwards' reply, in so many words? He said that he acknowledged the administration was involved in criminal behavior, but that he was not for impeachment. Instead, he wanted to focus on getting himself nominated. (not exactly the kind of response I was hoping to hear from someone who wants me to put my faith in them as my leader) link http://www.youtube.com/v/nATKGBpgR2o&rel=1 Not only did that response leave me cold, but when I think of Edwards, I can't ignore his co-sponsorship of the IWR. That type of irresponsibility cannot be apologized away.

I believe now, after last night's caucus results, that one of these two men will become the nominee for president, and I'm saddened that their ambition has overshadowed their duty as patriots. I'm much too old to be taken in by anyone's charisma or campaign rhetoric. I will come in from the cold and vote for our nominee, but I will get no warm fuzzy feeling by my vote. I will never feel good about politics again, until justice toward this administration has been served. Only then can we truly move forward.

after all we have been through over the past seven years they go and pick the most vulnerable candidates. A lot of questions weren't asked before yesterday but watch, now you will hear all of the hard questions and then people will start thinking about who they have chosen to represent us...

and cast my vote next November for our nominee, if only to keep the republicans out of the white house. But I will hold out no hope for any real change, and I will sit out this campaign season. I will not actively campaign for Obama or Edwards.

I didn't expect anything better. :shrug:

While the percentage of desperate hope rises.

accountability should be a top issue. We are in this mess to a large extent because past administrations were not held accountable, the short term goals of gaining power seem to be more important than the long term health of our country and it's people.

Millions of people displaced, injured or dead and estimates of 1 to 2 Trillion dollars for the Iraq invasion and we are expected to just look ahead and not call for anyone to be held responsible???

I'll vote for a Democrat in November '08, but he will not be the nominee. I cannot be part of this...

:(


http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/29792

"...STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE IRAQI PEOPLE

For the Iraqi people, war and occupation have led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, relentless insecurity and crippling poverty. But for foreign oil companies, the desperate situation in Iraq is an opportunity to control Iraq’s oil, and make massive profits at the expense of the Iraqi people.

OIL & OCCUPATION

Iraq’s oil reserves are the third largest in the world and account for 95% of Iraqi government revenue. Immense pressure has been exerted on the Iraqi government by the US, the UK, and the International Monetary Fund to accept foreign investment. As a result, new legislation could give the likes of BP, Shell, Exxon and Chevron contracts to control Iraq’s oil for a generation – depriving ordinary Iraqis of scores of billions of dollars. Shell and BP, with the help of the UK Foreign Office and Treasury have been actively pushing for this law and these contracts since 2003..."

decision.

:kick:

Damned shame, it is.

:toast:

if we do not demand and receive accountability for this current regime's actions.

clean out the muck will end up wallowing in it, like the rest.

since he was among those who were fighting Bill Clinton's impeachment. He feels that the many far outweigh the few. He wants to focus on health care and getting the economy back on the right track. He can only look at what happened in the Clinton impeachment, and that nothing moved through Congress. Is he right? I don't know, but we'll just have to see. Could investigations be opened and charges brought? That may be another way that it could go, where Congress wouldn't be involved.

zalinda