Good for Hillary. Glad she's back on track, although still on thin ice. This definitely is not good for the democratic party, prolonging who will be on the ticket while McCain has all the time in the world to prepare a presidential campaign......
I heard something echoed on CNN tonight that I've always thought (and one of the primary reasons I want Hillary on the ticket): If Obama is elected to represent the democratic ticket, more people (especially moderates/independents) who were supporters of Hillary would fallback to voting for McCain in the presidential election. If *Hillary* wins, polls show that supporters of Obama are less likely to default to McCain in the presidential election. What I fear is that Obama gets the ticket through the primary elections and then McCain sweeps the win for the presidential election.... and even though I say I "fear" that, I honestly can't say at this point whether or not I would vote for Obama or McCain if they were both on the ticket (although I think I lean toward Obama)... but if *Hillary* is on the ticket, there is no doubt in my mind that I will vote for Hillary if it's between her and McCain.
Anyway... yeah.. just thoughts. I hope Hillary stays strong. The only big argument Obama has against her is that he didn't vote for the war when she *did*. But really, we can't say how things would have been different (whether better or worse) if we *didn't* take those first steps with that vote... so it seems unfair to use that argument against her. Afghanistan or Iraq could have dropped a freaking bomb on us for all I know if we just sat back and did nothing (although that seems really unlikely). All I'm saying is that Hillary has clearly said now that obviously she wouldn't vote for the war and wishes she could take back that vote (in hindsight)... and she wishes she would have known better what the Bush administration had *planned* when she voted to have extra security over there. I think people aren't *clear* that her vote wasn't for an extended stay (what's going on currently) with
no real good evidence of progress being made... in fact she has voted against that.
I really wish Hillary would just come right out and say,
"look.. yes I did vote for 'the war' (actually, to go into Iraq).. I was misled by the Bush Administration. This isn't to say that I have bad judgment, because I was sincerely voting at the time for what I thought would be in the best interest of the United States security. I was being told by the administration that they had 'weapons of mass destruction' when I only later discovered that we had been fed bogus misleading information. I trusted our government to provide me accurate information, and in hindsight, seeing how this administration operates now, of course I would have exercised better judgment and not been quick to approve going into Iraq, but I promise that if I'm President of the United States that I will seek out the *whole truth* of the situation and act in whatever is the best interest of the AMERICAN PEOPLE and NOT in the best interest of American Corporations hungry for oil-ladden-territory. I will not be afraid to turn the course we are on (rather than 'stay the course' of a failing situation) in the light of further information that changes circumstances (such as realizing 'oh they don't really have all of those weapons of mass destruction afterall? Then what are we doing over there...").
That's what I feel like she would like to (or ought to) say....
..but she won't say that, for now, because they still want to keep some sort of unity in the democratic party (for example, if Obama does indeed win the democratic ticket and Hillary has been arguing this point--above--it would make independents think twice, even moreso, about voting for Obama in the presidential election). I also think it's to Hillary's advantage to run against McCain because McCain can't make the argument, as much, that she isn't interested in our national security... because she took the same action/vote he did when we were 'attacked' on 9-11.
oh the thoughts go on. the end.
Lin *
Jason
Sarah
Phil