So much to say, so much to say, so much to say

First off, apologies to Dave Matthews for borrowing a line from one of his songs for the title of this entry. Also, apologies to anyone whi may have read this blog and waited for the next entry.

Life has kind of taken precedence. And, there is just so much out there worth discussing, I couldn't decide. It was like being a kid in a toy store who is told he can get anything he wants. What to choose?

I have also been wrestling with a decision regarding the coming November election: how I would vote or even if I would vote. Right now, it depends.

If Barack Obama is able to secure the Democratic nomination for President, then he will get my vote. Despite every underhanded tactic tried by the Clinton mob, Obama has maintained his dignity and his poise and his cool. Quite frankly, those are all qualities we need in our next President. Hillary Clinton possesses none of those characteristics.

Thinking about it as I write this, Hillary Clinton reminds me a little of Richard Nixon. She appears willing to do anything to gain an advantage, even lie, cheat, or steal if necessary. She has changed her stand on so many issues during this campaign. I didn't think any one person could talk from so many different sides of their mouth.

First, she lobbied the super delegates to support her even though she was losing in the regular delegate count. Then, when many of those super delegates came out for Obama, she argued that they should not go against the will of the people. I honestly don't think she gives a damn about the will of any people except for herself and a few moneyed supporters.

The other day, in time to be sacreligious for Easter, key Clinton enforcer James Carville came out and likened former Clinton cabinet member Bill Richardson to Judas because he had the audacity to publicly support Obama. The suggestion is that Richardson will get his "30 pieces of silver" should Obama win the nomination. Even if that is true, how how is it any different from whatever Clinton is promising to those super delegates who publicly endorse her?

It is increasingly clear that Hillary Clinton, deep down, cares for no one other than Hillary Clinton. She has no interest in the Democrats winning back the White House. She is only interested in Hillary Clinton winning the White House. If she can't get the nomination, she is determined to make sure Obama doesn't win in November. Hillary Clinton's loyalties are to the Clinton political machine first and foremost. The Democratic party and America itself come in a distant second and third (or maybe third and fourth behind her richest supporters).

Earlier in the campaign, I was prepared to cast a reluctant vote for Hillary Clinton in order to prevent a continuation of the disastrous Bush policies. Now, though I am a loyal and lifelong Democrat, I can no more vote for Hillary Clinton than I can for John McCain. So I won't. She's an opportunist who calls herself a Democrat. If she loses the nomination, I would not be surprised to see her launch an independent campaign.

Hillary Clinton ought to be booted out of the Democratic Party for her and her husband's suggestions that of the three Presidential candidates remaining, only two of them are honorable and loyal Americans, and neither of them are named Barack Obama.

Well, she got part of it right. There are only two honorable and loyal Americans still in the race for President. But she's not one of them.

And Then There Were Two

Two candidates dropped out of the beauty pageant that is the race for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations today, leaving two major candidates on the Democratic side and two or three candidates on the G.O.P. side, depending on how seriously you take the candidacy of Mike Huckabee.

Rudi Giuliani left the G.O.P. race, a move that came as no surprise after his "all or nothing" strategy in Florida netted him exactly that. Nothing. It's hard to see how he and his gimmicky one-page tax form will be missed.

Equally unsurprising but ultimately more disappointing to me was the departure of John Edwards from the Democratic race. He likely had no chance to win the nomination, but I would have liked to have seen him stay in the race at least through Super Tuesday.

One reason I am sorry Edwards is leaving the race is that, for me, he embodied the spirit, the passion, and the memory of JFK and perhaps even more so of Robert Kennedy. His idealism and commitment to the poor certainly seemed to me to evoke Bobby's memory and the idea that once existed for many that America could be a great and compassionate country for all of it citizens, not merely those who could afford to buy a Senate or House seat.

Edwards seemed from my perspective to be the first candidate, at least on the Democratic side, to express actual ideas rather than talking in sound bites. His idea of creating a "green infrastructure" to both reduce our dependence on foreign oil and provide an economic boost through the new jobs such a philosophical shift would create was a marked departure from the same old "let's drill in Alaska" approach.

His notion of "one America", which perhaps an unattainable ideal, evoked the spirit of both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Moreso than any other candidate, his statements upheld the idea at the forefront of the Declaration of Independence that "all men", not merely those with power, connections, or money, "are created equal".

As the campaign progresses, I expect to draw upon the Declaration again to discuss the views of the different candidates. For now, I wish John Edwards and his valiant wife well. As he said in his announcement withdrawing from the race, "I'll be fine." As long as America has men and women like John Edwards to remind us of what we can and should aspire to, it will be fine as well.