fashionably late - minus the fashion.
i caught a bit of the youtube/cnn democrat debate late last night, and just found myself more than mildly irritated. suffice it to say, i would give my left arm for a candidate i am throughly excited about at this point.*when hillary relayed her story about contacting the pentagon and asking about an exit strategy, only to be met with accusations of her being unpatriotic...
*when they said the iraqi government had to take days off because of the heat, while our troops are being picked off one by one. in the heat.
*when the questions repeatedly were not answered or talked completely around using well honed political speak:
question: what is your favorite ice cream?
answer: i enjoy dairy. cows are cool too. you know, when i was a kid growing up in my poor, working class family, we had a cow as a pet. and one for food. i like food, too. everyone should have food, especially kids and old people. and people in other countries that don't have any.
question: you've not said what kind of ice cream you like best.
answer: cows are a source of a great many food stuffs, you know. meat, milk, milk that can be made into cheese... have you seen that great commercial with the happy california cows that make happy cheese? i love that one. it cracks me up.
*WHEN I REALIZED THAT BUSH ET, AL. HAVE SINGLEHANDEDLY CREATED A SITUATION IN IRAQ WHERE AL QUIDA COULD EASILY SLIP IN, ERGO, CREATING A SITUATION WHERE IT WILL BE NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO EVER LEAVE - BECAUSE ONLY A FEW ON THAT STAGE BOTHERED TO ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE RUSHING IN - AND THEY WERE NEVER ANSWERED... i know what is done is done, but... please someone, anyone talk me down from this. i'm starting to think that we have let this go on for so long now, that they will be drafting bebe for this b.s. when he comes of age. the longer it continues, the worse it gets. i know the same rhetoric was used in vietnam - that everything would dissolve into utter chaos if we pulled out... and it didn't. but i wonder if this time could be different? i think about daddy bush telling the iraqi people to rise up, that we'd have their back - and we instead left them to be slaughtered. i hate this. it is breaking my heart that i even question pulling the troops out. they. shouldn't. have. been. sent. in. the. first. place. i used to think that our being there was the cause of this new turmoil, that if we were to leave, it would end. but i fear it has gone beyond that. there has to be an end in sight, right? right? so, when? after every last soldier is sent home in a casket? after the people of iraq endure even more psychological terror and death and destruction? wait. that's unpatriotic of me.
*darfur, darfur. two of them said they had been to that refuge camp. and what? u.n. peacekeepers? nato? if there was oil there, we'd be there in a second. not one of them would commit. hillary? "we need more action and less talk." good one. we've needed that for. years.
*the theatrical ire the candidates turned on when necessary - that was clearly forced. especially biden. he wins the melodrama award of the century. the runner up? that cute little gravel dude from alaska. and kucinich kept raising his hand to answer and talking about sending text messages to congress. richardson looked mildly interesting - but mcgovern-esque, lacking that certain je ne sais quoi. obama? can't tell if he's a right winger still or no - though he answered relatively correctly, for what should be expected. edwards does zilch for me.
granted, i didn't see the entire thing. i hope there was something of substance that came across in the parts that i missed. i hope i missed that great shining moment that gives me hope for the future.
*EDIT INSERT* - this was posted in a comment on my other blog. looks like i didn't miss that shining moment after all. perfect:
the debate was very frustrating. Sexism, misogyny and disregard for women ALSO abounded. My personal favorites:
1. The question aimed at Senator Clinton that asked if she would make a good president given that male leaders in "arab countries" wouldn't respect her. Obviously the guy asking the question has serious problems with a female president, but was trying to phrase it differently. asshole.
2. When Senator Edwards told Senator Clinton that he didn't like her jacket.
3. Senator Obama told Senator Clinton that he likes her jacket.
4. Joe Biden telling Dennis Kucinich that the only thing he likes about him is his wife.
Hooray!
in the immortal words of ani,
"and i wonder, who's going to be president? tweedle dumb or tweedle dumber?"
i have no idea what i will do when election time comes around. none. i do know what i won't do - and that is vote for the right. lesser of two evils? i don't like that either. one last quote, courtesy of eugene v. debs:
where is what i want? and not just a president that is different than what we have now, for the sake of simply being "different."
"i'd rather vote for what i want and not get it, then vote for what i don't want and get it."
i know i've posted this before, but here it is again. one of hill's best - that has stayed with me since i first read it:
I WANT A HERO
I've been thinking a lot lately about the meaning of the word hero. Some time ago, I lost interest in acquiring "stuff". I am entering that phase of life when I am more interested in giving back to my fellow humans, and I have found a new purpose in life. It's called passion.
I want a hero. I want a President who defines the word, in actions and deeds. I want a President who is compassionate, articulate, diplomatic, and dedicated to uphold, with the highest regard, The Constitution of the United States. I want a President who cherishes our Bill of Rights, and holds those truths to be self-evident.
I want a hero.
I don't want a presidential imposter who tortures, who denigrates those who question him, who relishes spying on innocent Americans, who lies with every spoken word,and who enriches his friends while impoverishing the rest of us. I don't want a presidential imposter who lets a major city drown, who refuses to listen to dissent, who corrals those of us who protest his crimes in a "Free Speech" zone miles from where he is speaking to his carefully chosen faithful. I don't want a presidential imposter who divides us, derides us, and laughs at our belief in Democracy. I don't want a presidential imposter who launches a war of aggression against a sovereign nation, then refuses to attend the funeral of ONE of the thousands of soldiers killed in his failed war. I don't want a presidential imposter who thinks the Constitution is just a "goddamn piece of paper." I don't want a presidential imposter who smirks while talking down to us, who gropes heads of state, who farts to startled young staffers and then laughs about it. I don't want a presidential imposter who is a dry drunk, an arrogant spoiled brat, a C student, and a former cheerleader who loves to play war, with other people's loved ones. I don't want a presidential imposter who shirked his duty in the military and who embraces those who swiftboat anyone that dares question him about his dereliction of duty.
I want a hero.
A real one. I want a President who can inspire and uplight our bruised and battered souls. I want a President who can make me do more, care more, and work harder to unite our fractured country
Labels: alternatives to war, election 2008, youtube debate
posted by supergirlest @ Wednesday, July 25, 2007
