In fact I quite like him. Right now I lean towards Hillary in the primaries....But if Obama wins the nomination or Edwards or any Democrat save some nut like Zell, I'll vote for the nominee.

My reasons for liking Hillary are that I think she has more experience. I also think she took up the cause of National Healthcare for everyone long before others did and she was crucified and vilified for doing so by Republicans not to mention some Democrats. I don't agree with everything she has done, but then I don't agree with a lot of things the other candidates have done politically save Kuchinch.....and he is not my top choice simply because he is unelectable nationally.

I personally think a lot of people here on DU lately need to take a chill pill and watch and wait. .....Support their candidates and campaign for them but don't stroke out if they start to slip.

I don't know of anyone who can predict what's going to happen before the convention......we can speculate all we want but in the end I think one way or another a lot of us may be surprised at the ticket come the convention. We could have a Clinton/Obama ticket even.........or an Edwards/Obama.....but I don't see Obama being the front runner after Super Tuesday. I could be completely wrong though...who really knows anything?

But I do have a lot of concerns over what is going to happen in America in the coming weeks and months.

Things I think about:

I think America won't elect a black candudate this time around. It could happen but I personally just don't see it happening. In the end I know a lot of people won't vote for him because of the color of his skin. I know this bothers me.

I'm not sure America will elect a woman candidate either. It may happen but I am not sure of it. I know I see that a lot of unexplained anger against Clinton is deeply rooted in the fact that she is a woman who has succeeded.

I wonder if there ever will be a 'people's candidate'.

I am not so sure America really can change.

I worry that people like Huckabee can still win the Iowa Republican Caucus.

It bothers me that I don't trust any politician in any party in pretty much any country any more.

It bother's me that America's reputation is shot to hell and may never recover regardless of who wins the White House.

I worry that I will get jumped on because I am not celebrating and feeling good about the way things are going.

I probably worry too much. I can't help it. I think I see things from a different perspective than people back home. From a wider view. Maybe a bit more distant. But I see things I worry about and that bother me.

.....and I don't care what their reasons for supporting any candidate are.....or what some people think their reasons may or may not be.

When I am considering what candidate to vote for I look at the following:

1. Are they a Democrat?
2. Where does he/she stand on the issues?
3. What experience do they bring to the table?
4. Are they electable?
5. If I don't agree with them on all the issues (and I have never agreed completely with anyone on every issue).....can I live with their position on the issues most important to me?

What I also know is that the Democratic Candidate that wins the nomination is going to need a united Democratic Party to stand behind him/her and not a divisive one like I see now being showcased on DU with baiting posts, name calling, slurs, finger pointing, bitch slapping and general childishness with no rational form of debate present on many threads.

I realize that asking the everyone get back to a discussion of the issues is a lot to ask for, but we can at least give it a go?

Thank you.........I now return you to your regular posting.

In other words..........when the fuck is the Democratic Party going to stand up and say.......I am sick to death of what Bush has done to my country and I'm not going to take it anymore?????

Is it ever going to happen? The Democrats took back Congress a while ago.........why the fuck are we not withdrawing from Iraq? Why has Bush and Cheney not been impeached or tried for War Crimes? Why the hell is the economy in the toilet? Why is there still not an adequate Federal Response to disasters? Why the hell is the country still pissing in it's pants thinking some sort of terrorist attack from some bogeyman is gonna happen anytime now?

'Oooooooooh ..........let's be tough re National Security.......yada, yada, yada'. IT'S ALL BULLSHIT and designed to TERRORIZE the American public. It's not Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein who is the world's biggest terrorist.....it's George W Bush. WAKE THE FUCK UP and get mad.

(rant over tyvm)

I moved to the UK last year and aside from family & friends, the news and here at DU, I have no way of knowing what the mood is like in America regarding Bush and where the GOP has taken America. It seems like I was angry for so long in the States about Bush's attempts to destroy everything America stood for....and I was even angrier that so many Americans had let him do so. Where do those Bush supporters stand today? How do they respond to the ever increasing evidence that Bush has screwed up everything? Are they still defiant....or have they seen the light and wonder how truely stupid they were to vote for him and enable him in the first place? I would love to sit down with my old Boss who was such a Bush fan and ask him what in the hell he was thinking about when he threw his support behind such a complete bastard.

What's it really like over in the States now? Give me a feeling for what I'll be facing when I make a visit home.

One 60 year old woman, one case of claustophobia or fear of flying in a world gone mad with terror alerts, one tube of hand cream & a pack of matches....the response.......a fighter jet escort, a diverted flight, a planeload of terrified passengers and a nation quivering at it's own shadow. Score another one for the Prince of Terrorism, George W. Bush. I am so disgusted.

It's a new day. The crisis of yesterday is already waning....can we sit and have a calm discussion of just what is not working on Bush & Blair's War on Terror? Can we discuss what just may work?

Let's assume for a minute that the threat presented to us at Heathrow yesterday was in fact genuine (I know many doubt that thought, even the esteemed BBC is prefacing many of their reports with...."if this threat proves to be true"...but for the sake of argument let's just take it as a fact that the threat was indeed real shall we?). Assuming that, exactly what could Bush and Blair have done differently over the last 5 years in order to make this world a better place?

Some thoughts that spring to my mind are:

1. After 9/11, meet with our allies and even our non-allies at the time who still had some sympathy for innocent civilians being attacked. Form new alliances, work with each other to identify problem areas around the world and formulate a strategy for dealing with Terrorist Cells. Surely if we truly shared intelligence we may have a chance at preventing future attacks.
2. Security at home and abroad. What have we done wrong? Is giving up civil liberties and rights really the answer? Maybe we can give up some in exchange for a more peaceful & safe world, but not all......what exactly are we willing to give up? By giving up certain rights are we giving in and could we cause potential for abuse by our governments? How can we avoid that? Can we treat everyone fairly and equitably?
3. Iraq - not exactly a terrorist hot spot 5 years ago, but let's review our policy there. Were sanctions keeping them contained? Well....yes. Were they cooperating with UN Inspection Teams? Probably not.....Instead of barging in willy nilly and blowing the country to pieces, destroying the infrastructure....we might just could have taken a different approach to get rid of Saddam if indeed we even needed to get rid of him. What can we do today to make steps toward solving the quagmire? Some would argue the withdrawal of our troops. Are we doing any good there now? How can we withdraw our troops and not have the country sink any further? Is it even possible at this point?
4. Identify the root causes of terrorism. We know that most terrorist cells target young, impressionable men who are dissatisfied in some way with the way things are going in their world. All many have known is war, poverty, discrimination and perceived threats on their cultures way of life. Many are recruited thru institutions affiliated with their religious life. Can we change that? I think we can if we apply ourselves to the problem....but how to go about it?
5. Funding of terrorist activities? Surely if we work together across the world we could identify how and where these activities are being funded and cut off the money supply.
6. Foreign Policy - let's review that. Rather than blindly supporting one side in an argument between warring factions could we at least attempt to be a peacemaker? And while we are at it, could we not review how monetary expenditures are meted out? Do we really need to give some areas of the world so much in defense spending? Is that really the way for peace? Could we put conditions on our aid? In other words, if our money is spent to keep some areas of the native population in subjugation do we want to keep our funding flowing?
7. Globalism - it's an increasingly smaller world out there. We need to address the issues that affect us all.....and by all I mean the entire planet.What can we do to bring third world countries out of poverty and raise up their standards of living? Water, a highway system to bring in the outside world, education, medicine, food?.... The environment....drought, flood, global warming, pollution, industrialization......all need to be addressed and addressed with input from all sides.

For the simple fact that IF they had ever for one moment managed the world situation post 9/11 in an effective, sane and reasonable manner then this latest potential attack would have quite possibly never been planned in the first place.

They have blown every single fucking opportunity to unite the world against terrorism. They have alienated most of the Mid East where the roots of a good bit of the terrorism of today arises. They have invaded a country that had no links to terrorism abroad. Instead of building bridges they have blown them up. Instead of peace accords we have bombs raining out of the sky.

I can further indict the Dynamic Dipshit Duo for promoting a state of fear in their own nations and other nations across the globe. They have ratcheted up the fear factor until people no longer feel safe in their day to day lives.......despite the odds of them being caught up in a terrorist attack are still about a billion to one.

As to the mistrust of the facts presented to us by the 'Authorities' and leveling various conspiracy theories......can you blame us? We have been lied to and cheated on for 5 long years now.......WMDs, yellowcake, outing of CIA agents, Abu Gharib, votes, etc.

Yes I blame Bush and Blair. They have taken away our world that we loved so much and god damn it, I want it back.

Tony's out of the country working on his tan.......Tough guy John Reid is in charge...there's a new Terror Alert System waiting to be road tested........Labour MP Jim Sheridan resigned from his Defense Post yesterday over Blair's dismal ME policy and gave Blair yet more bad publicity.......so John Reid has decided to close the airport to keep Tony from coming back and taking charge.

It's a coup I'm telling ya.......I'll send reports from the front lines.

Exactly what the fuck is your problem? I can't figure you out...one minute I am sure you are certifiably insane......the next minute I am certain you have about as much brain mass as a garden slug.

Are you working on a timetable to destroy the entire planet? Mind sharing with us all when the rapture is due to happen because some of us have things to do, people to see and places to go to. And speaking of the rapture....just what did God say to you about fucking up the entire world before it all ends? Did he speak to you before or after 9/11? And speaking of 9/11, please go over one more fucking time with me how and what 9/11 has to do with Israel/Palestine/Lebanon and blowing the shit out of a bunch of innocent children.

Please also explain to me how in the hell you have fooled so many Americans for so god damned long? I mean, come on.....I know some people don't always get it........but for 6 long years millions are still being fooled by you. Are we that damned stupid? I just can't figure out why one single person continues to support you considering what a piss poor shoddy job you have done of fucking the entire country up, dividing us and beating us down.

I hope to hear from you soon. I really want to understand how one man could so fuck up everything.

Sincerely,

Boo

I left America for several reasons.

I can't say it was all because of Bush, but yes he played a big part in it. First the Bush/Gore election and our right to elect a president taken away from us and then when Bush won re-election it confirmed to me that America was not the same place I grew up in. The exremists in religion and politics taking over have effectively destroyed the American Dream for me.

We are now living in the beautiful valleys of SE Wales, UK. Since my husband is British, we had always planned to move back to his 'home' and later on maybe move on to Spain when we are ready to retire. Bush sped up our plans by about 5 years in moving here.

I have to say, that right now I don't have much faith in the Democrats 'fixing' America if and when they regain power. The events of recent weeks with America's blind support for Israel (as opposed to understanding there are two (or three or four) sides to the situation has confirmed my suspicions that it just isn't the Republicans that is wrong with America. No country is perfect mind you, but for us America is not an option any more.

I watched in horror as the WTC fell to the ground in 2001. I knew driving home from work in the middle of the day, through a deserted ghostown of downtown Atlanta on 9/11 that my life had changed forever. I knew that it would change America, but I never could have predicted that fear would so grip the country that it would change so much. Civil liberties eroded, religious zealots in control of steering the government, Democrats afraid to speak their minds and when they do being railroaded from office. A new world order. Ugly.

I'm happier here in Wales.....but a sadness comes over me sometimes of what we all have lost.