Im back
Damn its been a long time since I've last written something here. Actually, I have not been doing much writing anywhere but seeing as how the last post was about 'Troy', I thought that it might not be a bad idea to write something a little more...whats the word I'm looking for? Ah yes, current, that's the trick. Anywho, I wont give you an update on the happening on my life nor will I express my belated thoughts on the Pistons winning the NBA Championship and the subsequent breakup of the Lakers. Let me jump right into this with a little foray into the realm of politics because after all, I need to write something political in order to retain the rights to the name of the of this column.
America, it seems to me, is suffering from a mild leadership deficit right now. I am talking specifically about the two candidates running for President this year but I think the problem goes further than just two people.
John Kerry and George W. Bush both suffer from the same problem; neither of them are inspiring or compelling leaders whatsoever. It is telling that people talk more about voting against someone instead of actually casting their ballot in favor of a candidate they believe in.
John Kerry swept through the Democratic primaries because people believed he could defeat Bush in November. There was little attention paid to what Kerry plans to do once he is elected. Indeed, he has still done little to clarify how he will run the country if he is elected. One hopes that things will clear up once the Democratic National Convention officially nominates Kerry, his positions on issues will emerge from the murkiness (is that a word by the way? Someone check that...) that has surrounded his campaign up to this point.
The other side of this debate - how George Bush will run the country in the next four years - has largely been answered by the last four years. Again, it does not paint a particularly positive picture for the future. Bush has overseen a fairly dramatic increase in the national debt, a war in Iraq that has derailed the war on terror, and, almost as importantly, a widening ideological divide both within in our government and amongst countries that we considered close friends only two years ago. This increase in partisanship - along with the accompanying petty squabbles that cloud the important tasks at hand - comes directly from the Bush Administration's obstinate refusal to consider any viewpoint that conflict with their own.
This hard-headiness has created enemies where none existed before and has forced people in the position to become leaders to instead take positions behind an idelogical line that cannot be crossed for fear of alienating their party. The partisan trench warfare has consumed the American political landscape and leaves little opportunity for a rogue congressman to step above the fray and assume the mantle of being a leader.
There is one person that I can think of who would be a perfect candidate for President; John McCain. Even though I won't go into detail on him just right now, I will say this; I would have voted for him 4 years ago and I'd vote for him tomorrow. He seems to be able to cross party lines, which is something that Kerry or Bush cannot seem to do. I am sure that there are plenty of reasons not to vote for him but at least I can think of reasons to vote for him, which is something I cannot say today for either of the two candidates running for President.
Well if you read this far, congratulations. I am sure this was not particularly interesting but since I gotta vote in November, it seemed like a good thing to explore. There will be more political ish in the coming months but Ill give better warning next time. If you want to know who I will be casting my vote for this November, I'm leaning toward Dennis Kuncinich. Just wait for the next column coming out sometime next decade...peace outside.
America, it seems to me, is suffering from a mild leadership deficit right now. I am talking specifically about the two candidates running for President this year but I think the problem goes further than just two people.
John Kerry and George W. Bush both suffer from the same problem; neither of them are inspiring or compelling leaders whatsoever. It is telling that people talk more about voting against someone instead of actually casting their ballot in favor of a candidate they believe in.
John Kerry swept through the Democratic primaries because people believed he could defeat Bush in November. There was little attention paid to what Kerry plans to do once he is elected. Indeed, he has still done little to clarify how he will run the country if he is elected. One hopes that things will clear up once the Democratic National Convention officially nominates Kerry, his positions on issues will emerge from the murkiness (is that a word by the way? Someone check that...) that has surrounded his campaign up to this point.
The other side of this debate - how George Bush will run the country in the next four years - has largely been answered by the last four years. Again, it does not paint a particularly positive picture for the future. Bush has overseen a fairly dramatic increase in the national debt, a war in Iraq that has derailed the war on terror, and, almost as importantly, a widening ideological divide both within in our government and amongst countries that we considered close friends only two years ago. This increase in partisanship - along with the accompanying petty squabbles that cloud the important tasks at hand - comes directly from the Bush Administration's obstinate refusal to consider any viewpoint that conflict with their own.
This hard-headiness has created enemies where none existed before and has forced people in the position to become leaders to instead take positions behind an idelogical line that cannot be crossed for fear of alienating their party. The partisan trench warfare has consumed the American political landscape and leaves little opportunity for a rogue congressman to step above the fray and assume the mantle of being a leader.
There is one person that I can think of who would be a perfect candidate for President; John McCain. Even though I won't go into detail on him just right now, I will say this; I would have voted for him 4 years ago and I'd vote for him tomorrow. He seems to be able to cross party lines, which is something that Kerry or Bush cannot seem to do. I am sure that there are plenty of reasons not to vote for him but at least I can think of reasons to vote for him, which is something I cannot say today for either of the two candidates running for President.
Well if you read this far, congratulations. I am sure this was not particularly interesting but since I gotta vote in November, it seemed like a good thing to explore. There will be more political ish in the coming months but Ill give better warning next time. If you want to know who I will be casting my vote for this November, I'm leaning toward Dennis Kuncinich. Just wait for the next column coming out sometime next decade...peace outside.