It amazes me how the promise of an election that will end the Bush Oppression has managed to stir up so much enthusiasm, controversy and heated debates between two Democratic candidates. I like it, actually. Some of the issues that the news media jumped on as being BIG, have turned out to be small in the big picture. Some of the issues are just now arising out of the stagnating political diversions, which we have been buried under, out of the need to war with an insignificant country for five years. Through it all, the country's ears are turned to hear the dueling verbage of Clinton and Obama.
It all started, for me, when the press began, early on, to pry loose an explanation why Hillary voted to go to war with Iraq. To my surprise, she didn't answer the question! She slid, smiled, frowned and finally refused to address a simple question. That was not good. I already knew the answer. Simple. No, we didn't want to go to war! We were sucked in by what was to become first, a household buzz phrase, and finally, a lie. "Weapons of Mass Destruction"!! Remember? Our country was in peril! We could be personally harmed by this dangerous dictator. And if we overthrow him, we can use his oil to pay for the war. Wow! We could rid the Middle East of this satanic ruler, install democracy and a spigot to the liquid gold beneath his feet. Okay, then! The last time we went to Iraq, it was a cakewalk to free Kuwait. Maybe this time we can move even quicker. So, even though it is not what we want to do, maybe this is something we ought to do to protect our country and help us to get back to Afganistan and find Osama. Yep, most of us were sold down the river on that one! I'm sure Hillary was, too. Why didn't she just say so? After all, we were the ones being lied to!
Michael Moore, you get the points for my next discovery along the campaign trail. I went to see the movie, "Sicko" by Michael Moore. If you have not seen it, please rent it before the election, it's important to what you may or may not do inside the voting booth in November. Anyway, we all remember Hilary's attempt at National Health Care during her husband's administration. Maligned, outshouted and then.......... silence. Remember? National Health Care was put away like a Playboy underneath the mattress of a fifteen year old boy. "Sicko" will tell you what happened. It will tell you how much money the insurance companies spent to maintain this code of silence. It will tell you who they paid the money to and how much to each of the biggest recipients. If you listen to Hillary's speeches, that silence has not been broken. Rent the movie! It is a passionate work by a man who truly cares about his country and the directions we are taking.
I really wanted to vote for a woman president. I did! But, outside of Senator Lieberman, I can't find a more conservative Democrat than Hillary Clinton. Conservatism is most concerned with conserving, preserving the way we do things. If we march down this road too much further, our whole country could end up in a depression that could destroy our economy for good. What we need is a vision, a hope, a dream and the change to reach for these things instead of hanging the millstone, moneypit and lives of young people around our necks and drowning ourselves in unethical wars that take away our abilities. For these reasons, the voice of Barack Obama, has risen steadily above what we already know and has challenged us to find out about the possibilities of what we can discover, utilize and energize our economy, our government and impact the world organizations in positive ways that will begin to bring us out of this 8 year stupor.
Our enthusiasm to get on the road and elect a candidate to lead us has cost us 2 states where we can't count all the delegates, because the primaries were held too early and against the rules. I call that, "irrational exuberance", and the first case of it in years! In spite of the "What were they thinking?", aspect of the whole thing, it is a great feeling to see people waking up to the task at hand and diving in. I feel that Barack's campaign gives us this exuberance. The battle between the two candidates has given us all a chance to see what we could be, even what we could have started 4 years ago! Nonetheless, the contest is on, it is clash of ideals where we get to see the sparks of truth fly. I feel like I just woke up and for the first time, after two weeks of rain, the sun is out! C'mon, people! The change will do us good!