"I Have the Most Experience but Represent Change"

   I watched tonight's Democratic debate held in Las Vegas and was a bit confused. Where was Dennis Kucinich? I thought he had a judge's word that the debate would not be allowed to proceed without him??

   Anyway, I admire all three of the candidates that were allowed to participate in the debate and at one time thought I'd probably support each of them. If you reference my previous post on the Republican candidates you'll probably come to the conclusion, as I have, that unless something significant changes between now and November, there is a good chance I will vote for the Democratic candidate in the general election regardless of who it ends up being.

   But tonight, when it is still early, I am leaning hard toward Barack Obama.

   Hillary Clinton is losing my support little-by-little. Amazingly, to me she is starting to sound like Bush. She is beholden to special interests, is the Washington establishment candidate and is trying hard to be all things to all people (see this post's subject). And worst of all, she answers nearly every question posed to her like a true, slick, politician, bending it so that her response becomes the policy statement of her choosing, never actually answering a tough question.

   John Edwards, whose personal history I admire quite a bit, despite my general distaste for trial attorneys, is a tireless campaigner. I think he is sincere in his quest to eradicate poverty and was a balancing Southern complement to John Kerry's New Englander on the 2004 Democratic ticket. Additionally, I think his wife, Elizabeth, is a terrific person. But somehow I think he has drifted to the fringe a bit. He is fanatically for all things Democratic Party, which bothers me.

   And then there's Barack Obama. He speaks candidly about poor choices in his past, including taking drugs as a teenager (something MANY people have done but apparently is not allowed in our politicians' past). He is confident but not arrogant. He is civil and plainspoken. And most importantly, in my book, he has a proven track record of bringing together people from different perspectives (similar to the way Arnold Schwarzenegger has done in California) to find common ground and move forward. This, to me, indicates intelligence, and our best hope for the future of America, as let's face it - nothing gets done in Washington without compromise and there is a lot be done to repair the damage done both here and abroad by the present administration.