Defeating John McCain and the Continuation of the Bush Nightmare

For Democrats in this country, the choice has been difficult. Now, it is almost excruciating. The freshness and vitality of Barack Obama versus the experience and doggedness of Hillary Clinton. In the wake of the endless nightmare of the Bush years, Democrats seem to want someone truly exceptional. They seem to want a candidate who will actually have a chance at cleaning up some of the mind-blowing mess that George Bush has created in eight years. Unlike the Republicans, who elected Bush twice and who organized a recall of California Governor Gray Davis and replaced him with body-builder/action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who went on to lead California into an even bigger fiscal mess than the Davis years saw, Democrats want substance as much as electability. Gore seemed a likely choice, but Gore would have none of it.

Edwards was right on many important issues, but seemed green in the post-9/11 world. He isn't, actually, but appearances trumped his ideas and rhetoric. Now we have two people remaining on the eve of Super Tuesday and the most significant question is "Which one can beat McCain?" Hillary Clinton has done everything right. She stood by her husband and endured the ridicule of Republican bullies like Newt Gingrich during what must have been the worst time of her life. She rewrote her own epitaph by crawling out from under the rubble of her marital troubles and became a Senator in a state where the egos in the political arena are as oversized as New York's skyline. She studied hard, as she always has, and she won. Twice. She became a role model for all other women in politics. She is smart. She is tough. And most people agree that she will probably run a better White House than any other candidate that has taken the field.

But Hillary Clinton is wrong on the war in Iraq and that should matter a lot in this race. Critics of Hillary Clinton who are leaders in the Democratic Party that I have spoken to privately believe that she is too much like McCain to offer voters a meaningful choice. "Voters will choose a real Republican over a fake Republican every time," one politico said to me, slashing at Clinton for her tilt toward the right on the war.

"The Clintons don't know when to get off the stage," another offered, suggesting that eight years of Bush and the war on terror seem to have pushed the Bill Clinton years, where Hillary will remain inexorably framed in the minds of many, into a bygone political era.

Barack Obama represents hope to many and some in Clinton's camp have underestimated how much Americans are hungering for that hope in 2008. Obama is clearly not McCain. He is young. He is against the war and he is inexperienced. Republicans, to their shame, will trumpet McCain's experience over Obama's, running as fast as they can from the fact that Gore was the smarter, tougher and more experienced candidate in 2000. Republicans don't care about anything but winning. That's why they put forth candidates like Reagan, Arnold and Bush. By the time they reach the end of their first term, it's assumed they have all the experience they need. Like their nephew at the bank.

Which candidate will have the best chance against McCain? The experienced one or the exciting one? The one who is smart and tough and whose stances on some issues are oh-so-similar to those of the presumed GOP opponent? Or the less experienced, less tested one who has many Americans believing that someone more like them may make a return to the White House? During the Democratic debates, I wanted someone to ask one question. "Do you believe that any of the people sitting in this audience have as much hope of becoming president as you do?" I think that should matter, because the presidency of this country has become the exclusive preserve of legal elites and political or corporate barons. And our country is suffering as the result of it.

Vote on Tuesday. And let's begin the job of defeating John McCain, and his continuation of the Bush nightmare, right now.

Comments

[balakovsky]

Alec,
When are you going to sound off on what is happening in the 'steroid' hearings? How can a McCarthy tactic, where players get a pass for informing on one another, be efficacious?
I know you have been in Hillary's camp and understandably so but it is a little like dating. When the right one arrives you do no one any good by wrestling with loyalty. Marriage is, of course, different.
Thanks for your good words.

[urangel]

It seems you will not be Happy with just a Democrat Alec? I will never understand your patronage!

[Ring0]

Sadly, I don't think either party has a true winner for Americans. Rather then criticize any of the candidates I will point at the fact that a majority of Americans just can't seem to learn from history. Voting party lines and sound bytes can be heard from Americans on both sides of the fence.

Should not the Democratic held congress be held responsible for allowing Bush to commit all that he has done? After all they are the check and balance for this very purpose. They have become partners in crime with the republican party.

Who are the candidates that spoke out against congress and Bush? Why are the American people not heeding their warnings?

Albert Einstein once defined 'Insanity' as "doing the same things over and over and expecting different results" welcome to insanity America.

P.S. I disagree with the comment that Obama is against the war when he voted to extend funding for the war and to also extend the Patriot Act.
This is exactly what Hillary did and McCain is damaged goods I truly believe that he cracked as a POW. So now what America?

[judyj]

after the last super tuesday debate, Obama was asked "How can you tell us that we will be out of Iraq in 18 months"? Obama answered with "Well, I reserve the right to change my mind, but you have to start with a figure and go from there." I do have a problem with his speeches, in that he constantly rides the coat tails of Martin Luther King. I wish he'd come up with his own inspirations instead of borrowing, because it does not re inspire me.
What make his response to pulling out of Iraq any different than Hilary Clinton's views? I believe, if we listen carefully, each candidate is covering their tracks because it's impossible to "guess" what they will find when whoever wins sits themselves in the hot seat. I have to say that as a woman, I have been quite put off to the comments many men are making about HC that have nothing to do with her ability to make a good President. If similar comments were made toward a black man, they'd be raciest and stepped on immediately. Let me pose the same question to the men as I have to the women; Is it the sex, or that she forgave him?

[foreffectivegovernment]

Haven't you heard? The RNC has decided to "allow" the Democratic Party to win this time. That will give the voters long enough to forget that the Republican Policies don't work for anybody but their rich friends. This way, they can sell all you idiots on the Reagan Revolution again in 2012 and win back the Presidency.

History repeats itself, over and over and over again.

[RabidRightRebel]

I think you have hit the nail on the head in terms of the Democratic advertising slogan.

"A vote for McCain is a vote for the continuation of the Bush Nightmare"

[RoseMerry]

Obama vs. Clinton is not a hard choice. The only hard choice is, will Obama disappoint us?

[tbone99]

Obama may offer hope to get out of iraq but it is a very expensive hope as his earliest exit prediction is 2013, , that is in his SECOND term, with caveats.Hilary seems to be about the same , tho' with gradual pullbacks blah blah blah.

The truth is we have no relief on the horizon from ANY present candidate, nor do the Iraqi people.All fodder for the war profiteers.

[adzeman]

Right on point. I think McCain is deeply flawed, but so was Bush. We should be able to smash the GOP, but vigilance and humility are the correct approach. Lets kick some ass!

[vsign]

Notes from a Republican Party Dinner last night:

The Republican Party definitely wants to run against the Obama-nation, they
call it. They think they can win big against Obama (by 20 points) so that
the Democratic Party will never recover. They were hype-ing up their
members to make sure everyone just gets out to vote and to talk to their kids so they
don't get on the Obama train. With McCain, they expect to keep all the
independents from going Democratic.

Now with Hillary - the word they put out to party members is that she might
win in 2008, but the party could get it back in 2012.

[GAC1]

This is all rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

[ADNOHR]

Aztecmummy said: "While you liberals wring your hands and wail about "war-mongering" the real war mongers in the Middle East are plotting on a daily basis to destroy your way of life.And if we elect some inexperienced politico like Barak Hussein Obama they just might succeed. How sad that you people can't see it."

How sad that people like aztecmummy couldn't see that Bush was not only inexperienced when he stole the 2000 election, but also an idiot who has done everything wrong since then.

[DietrichMoody]

correction-

Hillary Clinton is giving you the appearance of substance but her actions have shown her lacking in judgment and character. She along with John McCain, have shown their character and judgment to be, as though they would hire Atilla the Hun, if he could them elected. And what is sad about some Democrats is that some would actually say "impressive, she can get "Atilla the Hun" that's brilliant strategy, blah blah blah." It's phoniness - appearing to look like substance, over authenticity and Hillary Clinton is higher in rating, on this one, than John McCain. And, I don't hate Hillary Clinton. But I do agree McCain, would continue the policies of the current administration but with much less reasonableness.

I don't quite know, where you see, the true substance in the person that is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sure, she looks good up front - on paper, but in a superficial way - very much like an actor that believes their own press. Hillary Clinton's story is: Husband, two term President; She, always putting her, face out there, to APPEAR as though she is co-presiding. getting the Publicity - much like an actor. Hey, maybe that's why you can appreciate this. But in reality, who is writing Hillary's story? Is she self made? NO. And, I don't hate Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton is about the APPEARANCE of substance. However, some people prefer appearance or maybe IGNORING the substance, and like "sharp phony never gonna pass Congress specific public policy speeches" and you get that with Mrs. Clinton, in addition to having Bill Clinton around, now paid spokesperson, reiterating " sharp phony never gonna pass Congress specific public policy speeches", Bill Clinton is the ultimate "empty suit." Sorry, but I don't find my choice excruciating. I don't want to live vicariously in life or a celebrities life, Authenticity rules.

[DietrichMoody]

Hillary Clinton is giving you the appearance of substance but her actions have shown her lacking in judgment and character. She along with John McCain, have shown their character and judgment to be, as though they would hire Atilla the Hun, if he could them elected. And what sad about some Democrats is that some would actually say "impressive, she can get Atilla the Hun" that's brilliant strategy, blah blah blah." It's phoniness - appearing to look like substance, over authenticity and Hillary Clinton is higher in rating, on this one, than John McCain. But I do agree McCain, would continue the policies of the current administration but with much less reasonableness.

I don't quite know, where you see the true substance in the person that is Hillary Rodham Clinton. Sure, she looks good up front on paper, but in a superficial way - very much like an actor that believe there press. Hillary Clinton's story is: Husband, two term President, She, always putting her face out there, to APPEAR as though she is co-presiding. Getting the Publicity - much like an actor. Hey, maybe that's why you can appreciate this. But in reality, who is writing Hillary's story? Is she self made? NO.

Hillary Clinton is about the APPEARANCE of substance. And I don't hate Hillary Clinton. However, some people prefer appearance, and like "sharp phony never gonna pass Congress specific public policy speeches" and you get that with Mrs. Clinton, in addition to having Bill Clinton around, now paid spokesperson, reiterating " sharp phony never gonna pass Congress specific public policy speeches", Bill Clinton is the ultimate empty suit. Sorry, but I don't find my choice excruciating. I don't want to live vicarously in life or a celebrities life, Authenticity rules.

[peterg76]

"Hillary Clinton has done everything right"

Clinton was an enabler of the war crimes in Iraq, and still hasn't figured out what a criminally negligent mistake that was.