Wanted: A Politician Who Isn't Running for President

Wow, you know, I've been thinking about this for a while, and after reading this AP story, it spurred me to write this...is it just me or does it seem every politician we have is now "exploring" a Presidential run (therefore necessarily taking at least SOME of the time they are getting paid to do work for)? It really seems every single day someone is announcing they are planning on, or have just formed, an Exploratory Committee, and talk about how they'd make a Great President. I would like politicians to put their large ego's aside and let the select few strong contenders duke it out, quit trying to get your face plastered on our TVs and our Computers. I mean, really, each party pretty much has two to three credible contenders, so why should it include 15 or 20 per side? And THIS election cycle, the first Exploratory announcement came a good bit BEFORE the 2006 mid-term elections. This is getting absolutely ridiculous. I really believe money should be taken OUT of our election cycles, every contender (or the primary picks if there are as many "contenders" as there are this year) would get time together to participate in debates, and they would be given equal amounts of time on all the Public Airwaves, and that be it. They could still do interviews and tour and speak, but take all the unnecessary money out of it. Imagine what we could put that money to use for if you didn't use it trying to turn your opponent into the "Enemy of the State." Anyway, if YOUR representative of any level of government has announced the formation of an "exploratory committee," and you are sure they have no chance, please do us all a favor and write his exploratory committee and help them explore the reasons not to make us have to endure all this showboating and do the job they are elected to do.

Hillary Mania

Today, ALL the major news outlets, no matter their medium, are going Hillary Crazy. Of course, this reaction was expected, however, was her announcement unexpected? NO, everyone has been saying she's running for President in 2008 when she didn't run in 2004. Today, I will focus on The Washington Post's piece that takes the angle of the advantage Hillary will have because she is a woman (one fact mentioned here that i did not know is that 9 million MORE women voted than men in the 2004 Presidential Election. They say (and I agree) that the time is ripe for a woman to reach The Executive Office of the President. There is also a sprinkling of her opponents names every now and then, and a few obstacles she will have to overcome, however, no matter what the critics say about her, she is an amazing politician and, if I'm not mistaken, she has won every political race she has ever ran in. Anyway, we will know how many wrinkles Hillary has on her face before 2008 gets here, this is just the start of Hillary Mania!

Off The Record Commentary

(I apologize for the formatting issues on this post, Blogger is acting stupid and I cannot fix them at the moment.)

Off The Record is backing Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the next Democratic Primary, thus effectively, as the next President of the United States. We wish her well, and now that Off The Record has announced who it is backing, we will start to cover both the Democratic and the Republican Primaries, all the way through to the Presidential Election. This does not however, mean that is the only thing that will be covered during the next two years, I will cover other pressing issues, such as the plight of Sibel Edmonds and the latest updates on her case, as well as every press release she sends me from the National Security Whistle Blowers Association(NSWBC)(find out more about Sibel at Luke's two excellent blogs here and here), and we will obviously cover the latest breaking news from around the world (I've been very ill this week, but I'm back and ready to roar). I hope you join me in backing the, in my view, best person for being our next President of the United States: Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

UPDATE: I knew this would be happening soon, that's why I got out front and endorsed her. The Republican (and I might add a good number of Democrats supporting other candidates) Machines are working in overdrive to dish out Hillary dirt. Some of it is good though:

• The Times Online (out of the UK) is reporting here that Hillary is set to be presented as America's Margret Thatcher, saying "that her campaign would emphasise security, defence and personal strengths reminiscent of the Iron Lady." They do point out, however (and rightly so), the two women's political beliefs are very different on a lot of issues, its good for me, a Hillary supporter, to see her compared to the Iron Lady. The article also comments on "intends to paint the Republican nominee as President George W Bush’s political heir, particularly over the war in Iraq" which is the obvious best political strategy, although when she wins SHE will be the heir to the war, albeit with MUCH different plans. Clinton herself has said: "how to bring the right end to the war in Iraq and restore respect for America around the world," and that is an huge improvement to what we are currently having to put up with.
• Almost every comment mentions how nasty it is going to get, what they don't mention is they are often the ones that are helping the mudslinging out by promoting it (yeah, I WOULD fall into that category).
• The U.K. press seems to be giving her some kind of hell, the Daily Mail starts out here with a seemingly glowing review of her life, but then says this " Yet the only quality she cannot summon, however hard she works at it, is charm" right after talking about the always charming, no shirt posing Barack Obama (I had to through a little mud, Barack is an alright guy), but I think he may well be the ideal Vice Presidential candidate. I think his age (and, not to me, but to some, his race) will be a big disadvantage, as well as what they perceive as "lack of experience" although sometimes in politics, its better to have a fresh slate to try new things out.
• Dick Morris, who is a turncoat who used to advise the Clinton's, but had to resign in disgrace, is now determined to rip them to shreds (maybe he's bitter). He has now said he will make a movie about Hillary (wonder if he will call it Hillary's Fahrenheit 9/11). According to Robert Novak's column at Townhall.com, Morris wrote: "If you liked how the Swift Boat Veterans turned the tide against John Kerry, you understand how a top Clinton aide can turn the tables and stop a Clinton-style liberal from becoming the next president of the United States." What a sad political cheat shot and shows how desperate he is to find work (he knows this will be his last chance probably (except maybe in 2012) and he wants to try to make the HUGE money that will be paid to try to knock Hillary off her position as the shoe-in for the Democratic nomination, and therefore, in my opinion, the next President of the United States.
• Here, the AP does recognize the significance of JUST THE ANNOUNCEMENT as :"In an instant, Clinton became the most credible female candidate ever to seek the presidency and the first presidential spouse to attempt to return to the White House in her own right." The article also quotes Ellen Malcolm,President of EMILY's List, an organization that collects money for the Women (well, okay, only Democrat Women) who try getting elected to office, as saying "I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States - and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled," but I believe Ellen speaks for more than just women, I also believe she speaks for many of the younger people, as well as old people who swore they'd NEVER see a woman (or a Black) ever even run for President (or many other high offices, but ESPICALLY the Presidency), much less having a very good chance of achieving it.
• Hillary states on her website (you can also follow the previous link and see her announcement and check out the new Hillary for President logos): "I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine. . After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate and how to beat them."
• This coming Presidential election cycle, Off The Record has learned, is now even more likely to make history (at least the Democrat side, so far, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Condi drops out a year, year and a half before the 2008 election, but that's just my guess, and I think she'll go for the Republican Nomination. Colin Powell would be an excellent choice for the Republicans, because he is liked by many Democrats, and his hands are wiped clean of Bush because he has publicly admitted (the only one, besides Dick Clarke apologizing to the 9/11 victims families "We failed you and I'm sorry," the only person to EVER say I'm sorry for 9/11) that a while after his presentation at the UN concerning all the different kinds of weapons Iraq was making and had (remember the little vile of white powder he picked up dramatically, shaking it, talking about this much Anthrax would kill this many people, or the drawings of Iraq's "Mobile Weapon Making Facility," which I am sure he is embarrassed of it, but he need not think most of Americans would hold it against him, although he probably would get a lot of mud (maybe as much as Hillary is in for)), he learned that the information (most, if not all of it) in his presentation was based on what the government termed "bad intelligence." He did the noble thing and admitted it and SINCERELY apologized (not to mention he told Bush before the Iraq War: "You break it [Iraq], you buy it." I can see me voting for a Powell if there was a Democrat who was less worthy and less knowledgeable (remember, Powell is VERY WELL liked by MANY World Governments and Diplomats).

UPDATE: Cindy Sheehan has responded in a scathing piece on Senator Clinton, here it is in full:

"Hillary for President?
Cindy Sheehan

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

13 people killed in a helicopter crash today in Iraq . Two other soldiers and one marine also killed.

16 people dead in the last two days in a war that the Senator has supported since she first voted “yea” to give Bloody George carte-blanche to invade Iraq and her continuing support via her “yea” votes on giving the war-addict in the White House the key to the treasury.

Soon after Camp Casey in August, 05, I was meeting with some Hollywood people who pretended that they supported me, but really were big money donors and supporters of Hillary. I was told that the Senator was really against the war, but she was waiting for the politically correct time to come out against it. I was told that she was the best hope for the Democrats in 2008, and I should give her a break.

I don’t know who Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood and Mr. Hollywood Got Rocks thought that they were talking to. My son was used as a "soldier of Christ" in BushCo’s crusade against the world and a political pawn in such pro-war Democrat’s moves to the White House. I was disgusted and noted this in many blogs that I wrote at the time.

I supported the candidate for Senate in New York that ran a very courageous, anti-war race against Clinton : Jonathan Tasini.. CODEPINK New York did amazing work dogging the Senator and her supporters everywhere that she went and outing the fact that she is a Republican in Democratic clothing. Unfortunately, the people of New York spoke and Clinton , the pro-war candidate beat out Jonathan. The conservative area that she and President Clinton moved their carpet bags to after their presidency was over had a major impact on the last elections.

I, my sister, Dede, and another Gold Star Mother, Lynn Braddach, whose son, Travis Nall was killed in Iraq in 2003, met with Sen. Clinton in DC in September of 2005. We poured our hearts and souls out to her. We cried as we told her of our sons and our fear for the people of Iraq and the escalating body count of our brave young people. She sat there stone-faced and walked out and told Sarah Ferguson, of the Village Voice, "My bottom line is that I don't want their sons to die in vain.... I don't believe it's smart to set a date for withdrawal.... I don't think it's the right time to withdraw." She may as well have slapped us in the face using Bloody George’s line and using our son’s sacrifice to justify her war-mongering.

On Thursday, January 18th, Senator Clinton introduced a meaningless bill to put a cap on the number of soldiers that can be in Iraq set at January 1st levels. It is as weak and meaningless as the non-binding resolution and a politically safe move, since almost ¾’s of the country oppose the war and oppose Bloody George. When she introduced her Senate bill last Thursday, over 1000 of our young people have come home in body bags and tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis have died while she was waiting for the best political time to be semi-against the war. How many of our troops are lying in Walter Reed with devastating injuries that could have been prevented if a Senate leader like Clinton would have taken a moral, instead of political stance?

This occupation of Iraq can’t be won by being smarter---it was lost before we went in. The US, again, were big losers in a capricious military expedition with the support of Senator Clinton. She is an amazingly brilliant person and she cannot say that she was fooled, or lied to by George. We, the American public can be brilliant to, and we can’t buy that baloney.

In 2005, I was dying to support Hillary for president: finally a bright woman with experience. However, she is a champion fence sitter and politically heartless.

I, again, affirm my commitment to peace. I don’t care if it is a man or a woman; Democrat or Republican; white or black; Christian, Jew or otherwise. I will only support a candidate who is courageously and uncompromisingly committed to peace.

Hillary Clinton is not that person. She never will be. History speaks louder than words."