I’m considering voting for Mike Gravel or Ron Paul should they still be in the race when Wisconsin holds its primary in mid-Frebuary. They are the only two candidates who have consistently said they will immediately withdraw American troops from Iraq.
I’m not real happy about this. I don’t know much about Gravel, and I don’t trust him not to be co-opted by mainstream Dems in their absurd rhetorical battle against the war while continuing to vote to fund it. Ron Paul is pretty much a lunatic, but IMO an anti-war lunatic is better than a rationalizer who will continue the war.
Actually, I gotta go look at WI’s rules, as I don’t think I’ve ever voted for a Republican presidential primary candidate, but I’m pretty sure I ought to be able to find a way, as I’m not a registered Democrat.
Back in 2004 I did declare here on these boards that I was going to call myself a Democrat because it was the splintering of liberals that made the election of Bush the douchebag possible. Yet again I have proved to myself what an idiot I am, believing a Democratic congress would represent a modest improvement over the status quo. Well, 2007 has proved me wrong.
IIRC, Richardson has said he’ll withdraw troops immediately. So you may have one more choice in the mix.
I’m not even really paying that close attention to the races. Because I live in DC, the candidates will be selected long before I vote. Actually, I think the conventions are actually before our primary here… Anyways, I’ll be voting for the Dem for a number of reasons, Iraq among them.
I feel the same way, only I’d phrase it as “nutjob”. I’m still mostly undecided though, and will probably vote for the Dem. nominee. Don’t know yet who I’ll vote for in my state’s primary.
I honestly can’t imagine any issue that would make me a single-issue voter. Not even Iraq, although I share your opinion that the US should end the war immediately.
Clinton’s more conservative stance on Iraq may be the issue which seals my vote for Obama. I still haven’t decided. I want the first woman President or the first Black President to be outstanding. Nothing should be blamed on gender or “race.”
Fortunately it is not necessary. But I am a peacnik. War is the failure of diplomacy which we don’t even try anymore.
The economy and the wealth of America being given to the few are also motivators.
To some extent I’d like us to stay and see what someone competent can accomplish. On the other hand, I fear that anything that could have been accomplished is now impossible since you’re never going to get the populace on our side due to the incompetent handling.
As such, Iraq isn’t a big issue for me either way. If one of the candidates was saying, “I’ll give it X-months to see if things can be redeemed in any way”, that’d sell me. But anyone saying “Let’s get out!” or “Let’s stay in!” would, I fear, do so–as Bush II has done–in the face of feasability and with no chance of backing down regardless of how conditions might change should they try it.
I am astonished that anyone really considers there to be much of a difference between Republican and Democrat these days.
I’m undecided, at this point.
The only thing I know for sure is I will continue my fine tradition of almost NEVER voting to keep an incumbent in office.
My concern is that there are a bunch of folks that are hoping that the election of a Dem President will wave a magic wand and make everything better. It’s going to take a few years, regardless of what happens. Unless they are foolish enough to give in to the “pull us out right now, no excuses!” crowd.
In which case, we’ll be dealing with the rather severe fall out of that. It’ll be ugly.
As you are stuck in the year 2000, I have a few points of advice. First, buy apple. Second, if possible, give the FBI a heads up about those chaps in flight school (please try to phrase it in more dramatic terms than “Bin Laden determined to attack.”) Third, and this one is key, see if you can’t head off those pesky butterfly ballots.
My main thinking is that I’m of the opinion that as bad as things are in Iraq, now, pulling out US troops will do two things: remove all checks on the sectarian and ethnic violence; simply shift the focus from fighting US troops in Iraq to fighting US troops in Afghanistan. I’m not trying to claim that things in either country are good, though Afghanistan seems to be doing some better than Iraq, but it’s amazing what 20 plus years of civil war can do to make people want peace. And even there, it’s not automatic.
Having said that, by the same token, I won’t vote against someone whom I liked simply because he or she were of the position that an immediate withdrawal is the best, or only, option.