My Heart Belongs to Hillary, But I'm Voting for Obama

Last week I posted a blog on the Huffington Post describing my dilemma; how confused I was swinging on the Democratic vine, sometimes towards Hillary, other times towards Obama. Truth is I found myself more often swinging towards Hillary, so why have I decided to vote for Obama in the New York primary come Tuesday?

Three little words. Hillary's war vote. The more I ponder it the more I find it not just a run-of-the-mill misjudgment, it was a catastrophic blunder, one that has stripped our country of its moral authority, nearly destroyed our economy, and most important, cost hundreds of thousands of human lives. As that wily old 19th century diplomat Metternich once said, "It was worse than a crime, it was a mistake."

Having said that, I must confess that I like Hillary better than Barack Obama in so many ways. Here I'm probably in the minority. I find her warm, sympathetic, and often courageous, much more so than Obama whom I often find cold, somewhat calculating, and hiding a real mean streak behind his affable smile and his idealistic talk. But none of this takes away from the fact that he could be a great president. He's got all the stuff to make a true leader, a measured, thoughtful intelligence, a passionate commitment to helping those who need help, and a manner that inspires the young. Oddly enough, I resent all those big-wig Democrat endorsements of Obama. They pulled me away from him rather than towards him. Sure, they are free to do so, but I don't want them influencing my vote or yours -- which fortunately they can't do. Indeed, it was Teddy Kennedy's endorsement of Obama that almost shoved me back into the Hillary camp.

Hillary is smart as hell, and God knows we need smart more than ever to get us out of this Bush hell. And I have wanted to vote for a woman because life has taught me that most women are smarter, kinder, and altogether superior to most men. But sometimes Hillary reminds me of the bright girl who sat beside me in the third grade who kept her arm over her test paper so that I couldn't copy her answers. In fact, that's at the core of my vote for Obama. Hillary's brilliance. I'm sort of okay when it comes to making a political judgment, but not half as informed or as bright as Hillary Clinton. And yet I knew at that time before the war that voting to give Bush war powers was worse than a crime. And that's what her vote did, no matter how she tries to spin it. Everything Bush had done prior to that vote showed that he would abuse his power, that he was an arrogant, willful bully and thus a coward, and would use other men's lives to prove that he was a real man. And of course, that's what he did. And she had to have known that too. Only she was preparing to run for the presidency and she wanted to seem properly bellicose to please the war crowd, and not risk being on the wrong side of history. It was just such a miscalculation that put her on the wrong side of history.

What do I like about Hillary if I fault her for all of the above? Well, she is one classy woman. The whole messy Monica affair showed that she had real guts and courage; that she could stare down public humiliation and go on to a splendid career and life of her own. This, despite the fact that some judgmental men and women were offended by her forgiving her husband and others saw it as political expediency. I viewed it as an honest effort to pick up the broken parts of her marriage and make herself, her husband, and her daughter whole again. I don't much care for her wonky oratorical style, but I like her smile, her giggle, her (God help me) charm, and I think she has raised a terrific daughter in Chelsea. I like the fact that Hillary is aging yet doesn't obsess over it, and that she deals with the important stuff like health care in a measured, intelligent fashion, and I am still wary of Obama's health care plan, and fear that all his inspirational talk can lead to demagoguery, as inspirational talk often does, still, I will vote for Obama come Tuesday.

This will be the first time in over fifty years that my wife and I will be voting for different candidates. She is fully committed to Hillary and thinks I am making a real error in casting my vote for the younger, less experienced, less tested candidate. But those three little words (give or take an apostrophe) "Hillary's war vote," won't allow me to pull that lever for her next Tuesday. By not 'fessing up and calling it what it was -- a tragic mistake -- she lost my vote in this primary. Yes, I would have voted for her had she done so. God knows we've all made terrible mistakes. It would take a book to list my own, and my vote for Obama may be one of them. Of course I will gladly vote for Hillary in the general election, should she win the Democratic nomination. She's a great woman and McCain would be an American disaster of monumental proportions, finishing the job of destroying this democracy that Bush started, engaging us in catastrophic military adventures in the name of national security, and thus lessening any security we still have, and any chance of reconciliation with the world. Add to that he would be packing the court with such zealots as Roberts and Alito, forced to play footsie with the Republican right -- and we would continue our downward slide as a democracy.

Oh yes, I promised one of my sons, the younger one, Chris, that I would publish a retraction. When I wrote last week that both my brilliant sons were voting for Hillary, Chris emailed me, "Whoa, Dad, what makes you think I'm voting for Hillary?" So I retract that statement. Only one of my sons is brilliant. The other one, like me, is voting for Obama.

Comments

[MDDem444]

Get over the vote! To compare Hillary's vote with Obama who was not in the US Senate and didn't have the political challenges that come with that is ridiculous. It sure was easy to take the position he did sitting off the national stage on the sidelines. Interesting his comments in 2004 when Kerry was running - that he wasn't sure he would have voted against it. It is so easy to look at that vote through the lens of hindsight, but I remember that time. The press was silent about the administration"s supposedly mounting evidence, the democrats were in the minority in the congress and for many, tying the hands of a president when there was not yet evidence that he was purposely misleading the country, would have been seen as partisan and treasonous.

If you are going to vote for Obama let it be because of his CURRENT positions on the issues and because you favor his experience over Hillary's. But I am sick of anyone saying he has some type of moral superiority over her or better judgment. Just look what he said today on the campaign trail about his position on gun control. Because it was expedient for him to claim he wouldn't prevent folks from owning guns...he flip flopped from his previously held positions and actions. He is just as "calculated" as everyone claims Hillary to be and apparently will do anything or say anything he has to in order to win.

His lack of experience and idealism scare me to death when it comes to any future engagements we might have to undertake (Afghanistan). If I were you I'd vote with your heart & your head.

[TommyMcCarthy]

I've become quite a fan of Sherman Yellen over time...I find him one of the more eloquent bloggers here at Huffpo..and todays post is no exception.

Mr. Yellen makes a compelling point-by-point POSITVE case, includes some endearing self-deprecating humor, and provides a coherent and quite personal discription of the disapointment, and PAIN, (no other word ) caused by the "Yes" votes cast for the Iraq war resolution by Mrs. Clinton (and many others) six years ago.

The funny thing is,....Sherm makes this compelling and positive case FOR Sen. Clinton, articulating her many strengths much better than I could and then,.....SURPRISE!...like an O. Henry story,.....he tells us he's supporting Obama ANYWAY!

While this surprises me, it does not DISAPOINT me because, little by little, and somewhat grudgingly, I've become something of a fan of Sen. Obama's as well, and I can see how people of goodwill might choose him over Hillary, as I, myself, do not.

Sherman Yellen has a great command of the language and his pieces always contain some original gems. My favorite in THIS post is actually the Metternich quote:.....

"It was WORSE than a crime,.....it was a mistake".....

There are a myriad of good reasons to vote FOR both Obama and CLINTON and almost NO reasons to vote AGAINST either.
It now comes down to a judgement of who would make the better candidate and president,..RIGHT NOW......
For me that call goes OVERWHELMINGLY to Sen. Clinton.

Obviously others feel differently,...but the very LAMEST reason to support Sen. Obama..is to punish Hillary for her failure to sufficiently ATONE for a vote she (and alot of others) made in good conscience at that time.

Mr. Yellen would do better to say "I just like Obama better"...and clearly he's not alone.

Good thoughtful piece just the same.......................................tm

[Rubiconski]

If DEMS nominate WARHAWK HILLARY they will become a WORLDWIDE JOKE overnight!! Hated and reviled by 100s of millions of people who have dedicated years to ending the Bush/Cheney/Hillary NIGHTMARE in Iraq!!

[WyteFyre]

My biggest fear is that the Republicans will take Obama down easily. They are going to make him out to be anti-national security. They will say that the economy isn"t important unless we have our "freedom" first and we need to assure this with a "victory" in Iraq. If Obama loses, it will be extremely devastating to the Democrats.

[allentownal]

You are wasting your vote. Obama has almost zero chance to win the general election, as demographics are severely against him. We ( the Democrats) act like a party of lemmings. We are basically giving the next 4 (8) years to McCain. It's about time we played with our logic, not just emotions. As Vince Lombardi once said "Winning is not everything, it's the ONLY thing. Let's finally get smart with our vote.

[heywhat]

All "issue issues" aside - I have never understood the whole problem of forcing HRC to say she made a tragic mistake. What does that change? You harrass someone into making a statement and then you never know if it was sincere or if it was a result of your harrassment. The whole notion of not voting for her because of this one point seems self-indulgent and adolescent.

[cylindar]

Yes, I admire Hillary also but she is a frigging war monger and I can not abide that.

[MrPaul]

Condemning Hillary for her vote on the Iraq war is lame. The entire Congress was duped by Bush/Cheney lies and deception. Obama is a Media Darling who is getting a free pass. How is this different than the Media Feeding Frenzy that blindly supported the Bush/Cheney criminal invasion of Iraq. I predict that should Obama win the nomination, and subsequently the presidency, this nation will once again be singing the blues two years from now.

[Guitarsandmore]

Based on what I heard at the debates I would have to give the nod to Hillary. On the issues of Immigration, energy, oil, and Iraq, she has a better grasp of the situation than Obama.
They are both lesser choices than Edwards, and I did send money to Edwards, but we let him slip through our fingers.

[The Hedonistic Pleasureseeker]

Anyone who is paying attention knows Hillary Clinton is The Establishment. A tool of corporate elites, etc. She is owned, so a bunch of y'all have turned to Barak Obama thinking this will be the "change" the country needs.
I hate to break it to the die-hard liberals out there (of which I am one). The Democratic Party HAS BETRAYED YOU. On so many levels. It was all over when Kucinich dropped out.

OBAMA is OWNED. I wish he weren't, but look who's on his team: Obama has taken on Zbigniew Brzezinski as his chief foreign policy advisor. Obama could not have taken on a more brazen spokesman for the super rich if he had hired Henry Kissinger, or even David Rockefeller himself.

Brzezinski was the architect of the current situation in the Middle East: He brags about his role in destroying the socialist government in Afghanistan, by secretly arming and training the Taliban to take power; by secretly recruiting, arming and training Osama Bin Laden. He virtually invented armed Islamic extremism.

Brzezinski is THE MOST prominent of Rockefeller servants, not merely a member, but a founder and director of the Rockefeller's Tri-Lateral commission, where the world's elite meet to plot, plan, and conspire against democratic movements and ideals on worldwide basis.

Until recently, full pages on Obama's website bragged about the relationship between Obama and Brzezinski. Most of these pages have been scrubbed from the website, but this information is still widely available on the web. http://www.democracynow.org/2008/1/3/vote_for_change_atrocity_linked_us

Obama also brought on board two individuals, Anthony Lake and Richard Clarke, who ought to be tried as war criminals for their roles in the Rwanda genocide. Furthermore, Lake's activities led directly to the deaths of 4 million more in Congo.

"HERE IS THE NEW BOSS SAME AS THE OLD BOSS WE WON"T BE FOOLED AGAIN."

[longislandlol]

Please stay the course-- and you have influenced others to stay this course-- as a member of a committee that had access to Iraqi intelligence-- and as a Senator whose role on that committee sent her to Iraq to fact-find-- how could she flipflop the 2nd time on that Levin vote? That's too much 'splainin' to do- and too serious an issue while our boys may all be in harm's way -- unless Obama gets in-- he's our hope that our boys and girls don't get drafted- we can't trust her at this highly critical juncture-- not after her track record--

[Democrab]

Just remember that the majority of birdbrains in this country, just three years ago, re-elected George Bush.

So 2 years after Hillary's big "mistake" this country still chose the "war" guy. So all whining about the war should begin from 2004 on.

The country spoke and is now choking on it's own voice.

The war vote premise for voting for Barack is the weakest excuse I've heard yet.

Why don't you just vote for the one you like the best and stop apologizing for it.

[Yenna]

Mr Yellen refers to Senator Obama as seeming "¦cold, somewhat calculating, and hiding a real mean streak." Blogger May 2002, suggests that Obama can be "¦.arrogant, ruthless, cold and calculating." Kathleen Reardon, in "What still bothers me about Barak," says, "He [Obama] can be patronizingly dismissive. His "You"re likeable enough, Hillary," "¦.was one of the earliest signs"

I can"t comment on "calculating," "ruthless," or "mean,", but I am relieved that commentators are finally calling attention to Obama"s body language and attitude in relation to Senator Clinton. As a professional counselor and therapist of 35 years, I pay attention both to information that is presented overtly, in what someone says, and covertly, in how a person acts. In this regard, I have been struck by Barak"s nose-in-the-air posture around Hillary. Reardon refers to this posture as "haughty." I call it arrogant as well. He may not be doing this consciously, but he nevertheless conveys a "one-up" attitude. Perusal of photos and videos of their interactions shows this clearly.

Obama"s rather sullen "You"re likeable enough, Hillary," and his State of the Union snub of her are consistent with a dismissive attitude toward Hillary. Reardon calls this behavior "¦.lording, which is small time, petulant politics usually not becoming of people with deserved power." Whether Obama"s attitude is particular to Senator Clinton, or is a personal style, it raises red flags for me. It would negatively influence his effectiveness were he the Democratic nominee or the chief executive.

Fair"s fair, people. Pundits feel free to comment on Hillary"s behavior and attitudes. The rampant misogyny in these comments would be the subject of a different post.

I think either Democratic candidate will make a fine US president. I will strongly support whomever we choose for our nominee. Let"s just be as well-informed about each as possible.

[InformedMisery]

I'm opposed to the war, too. Always have been. But get real. Republicans are always successful in pegging the Democrats as pacifists who hate the military and don't have the balls to use it. As a Democrat and a woman Hillary Clinton could not afford to vote against the war resolution. If the war in Iraq had gone better, she would have looked weak by not voting for it. I know the far left doesn't wanna deal with that fact, but they better. Because moderates and independents are going to be the deciding factor come November and the over-the-top anti-war sentiment just isn't gonna fly with people in the middle. It may be raw meat for the Democratic base, but for most of the country the better argument is George W. Bush and his adminstration were inept and mishandled what could have been a US victory. At the time of the vote, a lot of people thought going into Iraq was a good idea. Telling them "I told you so" is not going to win the over. Saying we were all duped is a much better way to go.

Those on the left who are so blinded by their dislike of Hillary that they'd rather have McCain are President really are misguided. Sometimes you have to make the best choice out of what you are given, and you can't really think that McCain is a better choice than Hillary. If you want the war to end, if you are Pro-Choice, if you support gay rights, and if you believe that every American should have health care, then clearly Hillary is a better choice than McCain. Saying you won't vote for Hillary if she is the nominee is petulant and childish. Grow up. We don't live in a perfect world. Sometimes you have to make tough choices. Being a brat doesn't help, and it doesn't get us anywhere. I like Hillary Clinton despite my disagreements with her. But if Obama is the nominee, I will glady vote for him. He's better than the alternative.

[magen]

Doing what's right in the long run always trumps political expediency. Hillary seems to opt for political expediency when given the choice. Yet now when 70% of the country is against the war, she refuses to admit her war vote was a mistake. That's not political expediency, so I am forced to assume that she supports the war and wants it to continue.

In the run up to the war there were protests in many American cities and across the world involving millions of people who didn't have access to the "intelligence" that Hillary did have access to, yet didn't read.