Stars in the sky

Just in case there may be a light at the end of this very dark tunnel, today I have been thinking about the 2008 presidential election and which Democrats I would like to see in the race.

So here are my very brief analyses of some oft-mentioned possible candidates. (The links are for unofficial "Draft Candidate" sites, which provide some good info.)

First, of course, is Hillary Clinton. I have long been a Hillary fan. I believe that she, more than anyone else in politics, has gotten a bad rap. Most people have been judging for as long as they have known who she was, without really knowing anything about her. But the fact is, in her term as senator, she has served her constituents well. My enthusiasm for her has started to wane though, because I believe that she has started to pander to the conservatives in order to gain popularity. She is far too pro-war for my tastes, and her recent comments about the need to outlaw flag burning just piss me off. If she is the candidate, the Republicans will use this "pandering" as their big campaign focus, much like the "flip-flopping" issue with John Kerry. (The difference is that the flip-flopping issue was made up, whereas there is some truth to the pandering charge.) The irony, of course, is that pandering to the far right is how Bush won in 2004, but somehow people forget that.

Another candidate that is mentioned often is Evan Bayh, senator from Indiana. First off, I must say that I met Evan Bayh when I was in high school, and it was a very special moment. And this was not at some giant rally somewhere, either. A family friend was running for state senator when I live in Marion, Indiana, and Evan Bayh was my governor. Anyway, Bayh came to our friend's house, and so I stood and chatted with him in the dining room. I always liked him when he was my governor, and he seems to be a good senator now. My biggest problem with him is that I feel that he, like Hillary, is too pro-war, and believes that Democrats must all move to the center in order to win. I disagree with this.

Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia, has a lot of momentum right now. I do not know too much about him, except that he is very well-respected. A candidate from the south might be a good thing.

John Kerry and John Edwards will probably run, but I think their ships have sailed.

But my choice as of right now is Russ Feingold, senator from Wisconsin.

I think he is one of the most respectable politicians in the country, and a movement to recruit him is gaining force. He has the grassroots appeal of Howard Dean without the craziness or yelping or the no-chance-to-win. He voted against the war from the start, and he was the only senator to vote against the PATRIOT Act from the beginning too. He sometimes angers the Democrats by voting with "the other side" on some economic issues, but to me this shows his independence. I think that Feingold deserves a serious look.

I know it is early. As of today, there are still 1049 days left in the Bush presidency. Rigel, the star at Orion's western heel, may be 775 light years away, but it still shines brightly in the sky.