Sunday, December 9, 2007

I'm Not Inspired

There! I've finally been able to verbalize what it is that bothers me about Hillary Clinton. She doesn't inspire me. Nothing she has ever said or done has caused this jaded soul to sit up and take note. The same can be said for most of the presidential candidates. Two moments that occurred very recently during the last Republican debate will best exemplify what I mean; McCain's statements on waterboarding (It is torture) and Huckabee's on scholarship money for children of illegal immigrants (It is morally wrong to punish children for their parents' misdeeds). Each of these men managed to connect with me on a visceral level because they took a politically unpopular stance that differed from the 'party line'. Contrast each of these men's statements with that of Romney. Romney says he would consult with men like McCain to determine his position on interrogation tactics and whether waterboarding is an appropriate means. Romney's reply to Huckabee's principled stand on the children of illegal immigrants was less than profound, "This is taxpayer's money". I am seeking in my choice for the next president is someone who is willing to say what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. Example: I may not want to hear that a major tax increase will be absolutely necessary to pay for the nearly trillion dollars that has been squandered on the Iraq war, but I need to hear how this debt can be wiped off the books without encumbering future generations. I need to hear how our national honor will be restored based upon the truly magnificent principles spelled out so clearly in our constitution. I need to hear someone say they will put principle above politics in doing the things they intend to do as our next president. I need to hear someone say that it is just plain wrong to put special interests at the head of the line. I need to hear someone say that each and every one of us has a vested interest in the outcome of what is going on in the Mideast and needs to make some sacrifice for that purpose, something like the paying of a dollar a gallon tax on gasoline. I think the country is ready to hear the equivalent message so elegantly put forth by Kennedy at his inauguration; "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". I'm ready to hear this message. I need to hear this message. I don't think I 'm alone.

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