Clinton Delusional, Senile?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080331/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_primaries

In what has turned into what seems to be a never ending campaign, Senator Clinton has vowed to maintain. And, in an effort to grab headlines, Clinton claims that Obama now doesn't want people to vote. That's correct, Clinton is claiming that Obama supporters are calling for her to drop out because she trails in delegates is synonymous with Obama not wanting votes to count.

So let me get this straight, those who want to preserve the Democratic party from beating themselves up in the primary, and perhaps subsequently costing them a chance at the White House is synonymous with anti-democratic notions? I adamantly disagree Mrs. Clinton. Now, while I come across as a Democrat, I truly am not. Rather I am more of a liberal Republican, or a conservative Democrat (at best). Most likely, I'd probably be defined as an Independent. I got into a discussion last night with my mother. It was brief, perhaps about 2 minutes or so. But as we were discussing a vacuum I recently ordered on behalf of her and my dad, she slipped in that Obama supports partial-birth abortions. I listened, and politely told her that in this day and age, that was honestly the least of my concerns (My parents are extremely conservative if you couldn't tell). I also backed up what I said by asserting that in this day and age, foreign policy is perhaps the most important platform that we, as a nation, should be concerned about.

Realistically, it will be rare to ever find a candidate, particularly under the pressure of our times, that aligns his or herself directly with your political ideologies. It's just not going to happen. It's why my parents and I have differing views on abortion, amongst other things. But abortion should not be a swinging factor on who you do or do not vote for. Realistically, Roe v. Wade is set, and the decision is not going to change anytime soon. And abortion should be even less of a factor when you consider that the only formal legislative power a president has is the veto. But other formal presidential powers? Head of state, the ability to negotiate foreign treaties. Those are important powers. Those are the powers that can restore, or further weaken our standing in the world.
We are in the age of globalization. Where the Euro has far surpassed the dollar in value. Where the Canadian dollar has virtually caught up to the American dollar. Where America, although extremely influential, is not the superpower it once was. Instead, we outsource, we borrow billions of dollars from China, and we continue to lose clout. These are not things that are going to change overnight. Realistically, they are things that will never change. Consumers (myself included) will choose the less priced item as opposed to the higher priced item which support jobs in America. We complain about customer support phone services being outsourced to foreign nations with individuals who are far from mastering the English language. But do any of us desire to bear the cost of bringing those jobs back to the U.S.? I, for one, do not.
I will premise these next thoughts by saying this. I voted for Bush. I voted for him in 2000, and I voted for him again in 2004. I am not one of those persons who chooses the lesser of two evils (although perhaps at the time I rationalized it as such). In my unenlightened political state in 2000, I didn't like that Gore made claims that he invented the internet. I also thought he was hyper-mechanical. And I, in a state of simplicity, liked that Bush was a conservative. I also liked that he surrounded himself with people he thought were smarter than him. I thought it showed humility (oh hindsight, you are 20/20). In 2004, I knew Kerry was an idiot. I always told my friends, "if you can't make a retard look retarded, who is the real retard?" Pretty much as far from being politically correct as you can go, but stop and consider what I just said. Kerry had the golden opportunity and pretty much blew it. And it was quite evident from the outset that he was unprepared to properly run the country. Adages such as, "Right war, wrong time," were simple attempts at pandering to popular notions.
Why do I bring these ideas up? Because Obama is something more than a great speaker. He's more than jumping on the youth bandwagon. I do not write from someone who has been brainwashed into thinking that he's going to completely revive our country. No, it's something beyond that. While I do not ally with him 100% ideologically, Obama is a break from the monotony of the political machines. He's not Hillary Clinton, the woman who will stop at nothing to get the nomination. He does not sling mud and attempt to character assassinate his opponents. He merely defends himself when necessary. This characteristic is so overlooked. In the age when one grows tired of "politics as usual," of slander campaigns, it is truly refreshing to see someone actually be a politician as opposed to a "politician." It speaks volumes of a person when they do not resort to running smear campaigns, and instead attempts to take the higher ground. When the two Democratic candidates stand on virtually the same platform, it is the deciding factor for me.
Take a step back and consider what's going on in the state of our nation. Every great society in history has fallen. As Cannibal Ox said, "Rome wasn't built in a day, but it fell in one." Look how far Russia has fallen since the end of the Soviet Union (and also look at the financial state of the country). And don't for a second blame it on Communism. Nations fall and nothing on this Earth is eternal. What's important now, is beyond abortion, it's about restoring our economy, it's about re-engaging with those throughout the world. It's about leaving the chapter of Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, and starting new foundations for a new era of a country.