I believe that the "judeans" had a female prime minister way back in the late 60s. Her name was Golda Meir.

I just love that we have such diversity this time around. We can vote for a Black, a woman, a Hispanic, a cutie, a born-again Christian, a Mormon, wow! I just think I'll vote for whomever I believe can actually do a good job. I don't care about race, gender, religion. OK, cute may play a role (snicker).

so one night last week i happened to turn on the nh democratic debate... not my habit... but there it was so i listened to a bit and heard when Hillary said "That hurts my feelings" while smiling... as the debate progressed it occurred to me in a deeper way than before that i have been reacting to her as many seem to... i just don't like her... and decided that was incredibly unfair of me and it is important to keep an ear on the issues and not the public personality... and so i resolved... (my personal favorite, Sen Dodd, gracefully bowed out and i'm shopping again..)...to listen to her ideas more carefully....

the next day, she cried a bit...which got a huge amount of media attention locally... perhaps she decided to be more vulnerable openly and certainly that's okay even as a strategy...

but reminded me of Muskie crying in the 1972 primary time.... and how it ruined his chances.. for those not old enough to remember he got teary about an editorial that attacked his wife and that ended his political life...

so men can't cry, but women can....or we have evolved so much in 35 years??? ... i think it matters some because the truth is Hillary is a woman, Barrack is a black man, etc... and hurrah as Terrie says for the diversity.... but all that is part of who they.... we... are... and helps define our experiences...

if we deny that too much we become those guilty liberals overcompensating.... and that's raised alot of hell in this world...

so with all that rambling, i'm shopping for someone who sounds really different than McCain.....how many days 'til Feb. 5??;)

Edwards Union talk will get him my vote in Massatack.

If you recall, Israel was far more secular when Golda Meir was around. The population was very secular even though they were very Jewish. Fundamentalist Judeans in Israel were only beginning to appear at that time (events in the early part of this century had some affect on faith and things). I bet it would be very difficult to elect a woman who could survive in that part of the world right now (it was awful what happened in Pakistan).

Wow.......I still can't get over be accused of perhaps being perfect along with Leo and Ceashel. I think those two may be closer than me. perfection is hard to come by, but the closest I think anyone has come in my lifetime might actually be George W. Bush. I read some of the medical journals from time to time, because in my vocation of repairing sewing machines and vacuum cleaners, it can be helpful. I was reading a while back that George W. Bush is immune to hemmoroids, because he is a perfect asshole. Like I said, as close to perfect as I've seen in my lifetime.

Hillary? Still don't know and have negative vibes regarding her as president. Of course they ALL need to push the right buttons and stuff to get elected, but Hillary to me seems to be more contrived than the others and perhaps a bit more prone to theatre than substance. As PS stated, working on her own electabilty....ad nausium. I'm starting to think she might know more about getting the job than doing it.

Obama? Like him, but still a lot of unknowns for me.

Edwards? Hard for me to like a lawyer, but I do.

Still thinking for the N.J. primary, but I'll vote for one of them!

There should be a hippie in there, too. The time has come for the "Alice B. Toklas Party"!

A coupla few years ago, Roy Howard ran for Bethel (NY) Town Supervisor on the "Wanna Party" ticket...

Well, that works, too!

pretty much mirrors my own feelings.
i do think hillary is most likely to be able to hit the ground running- but in what direction? a bit too hawkish and probably the least likely to restore civil liberties & return presidential powers.
obama certainly seems to push the right buttons but feel good isn't quite enuf for me- i'm still waiting for more substance and all this concilliatory/working with the right talk doesn't make me feel very confident that his change message will amount to real progress.
edwards to me is the best all around package, in issues, experience,and world view. how he's been marginalised and ignored by the press is outrageous. i wish him well.
the good thing is that imo,this batch of democratic candidates is a fairly good one overall. at least i don't have a visceral negative reaction to any of them, unlike when i see the republican runners.

B ill Richardson is about to announce that he's dropping out. I think it's too soon; I don't think he has enough name-recognition to build on for next time. Maybe in another month he might. Anyway, he's announcing tomorrow, according to local news.

Bill Richardson sounded like I good Man from what little I heard of him.

My prediction is that the VP on the Dems side will be Wexler from Florida.

I just saw Wexler's site (And the spelling could be wrong but he is from FL.) and he had a good speech about how Bush/Cheney had to be held to account for their deeds.

(Maybe I'll figure out how to paste that video soon.)

Richardson was my first choice, but he knew he would have been 'toast' in Nevada, the next big Dem showdown, because of things he's said in the past about nuclear waste. At least, that's what they said on the Rachel Maddo show tonight, and Rachel usually seems to know what's going on behind the headlines. Jay said earlier, and I agree, that we hope whoever wins has a place for Richardson in the Cabinet. Secy. of State would be a good fit.

Either way no matter who wins, it is going to take the people to insist on compassion and tolerance by the govt in their treatment of this Beautiful Planet.
If Arlo says Just-Ice is for the faint of heart, I wonder how true the words by the Rolling Stones were about every cop being a criminal and all the sinners saints.
(Scary thought by the Stones!)-what do they know?

I like to see politicians in the pose where they take off the jacket and look like they are ready to role up their sleeves and get to work. Obama's web site has that blue background effect...get a semi religious overtone experience going on with lots of white and cool blue...oooohhhh cool! It packs more cool than an Albert Collin's solo! Looks like he has some sort of transcendental highway thing going on there. complete with a blueprint.

I guess I am in my Cynical Years

OK one comment, throughout my entire 49 to 50 years of conciousness, everybody has been saying they were going to change the way business and government interact...wack the lobby's...close down F street...whatever...eliminate corporate power to control government processes (trust me its a common theme along with tax reform on all the websites and mandatory health care for children has cropped up as a popular promise)

So my question is:

what is the alternative proposal for communication between "corporate America" and government America...I mean corporate America has been global since Andrew Jackson and does more to create an "international" impression of America (outside of the cowboy image revamped so stupidly by GW in the past 8 years) than anybody. And the "globalization" of the jobs and investment markets absolutely changes the playing field for all of Leo's American Worker concerns. So, I want more, I not only want to know how we are going to obsolete are current systems...How are we going to create our new ones...because we need an effective link between corporate America and Government outisde of the current lobbying Tax/rebate (subsidy) system that was so effectively used by (for example) that Senator from Texas, a certain Vice President and that Dubai Corporation Halliburton or (another example of Corporate America gone wild), the mortgage game.

And Remember

There is no such thing as Free Enterprise in the Corporate World..It is very much a place of Managed Enterprise (or Mismananged as the mortgage fiasco of packaging and selling debt clearly demonstrates)

I am tired of Slick Willie and the Suits playing the same tunes over and over again

oops, my electron quota is spent

I found a few more electrons

and another thing, there is no such thing as energy independence in the 21 first century. there is a change in dependency or a new rational international energy policy…but energy is a global issue and always will be..so don’t be fooled by anyone saying they will work to make us energy independent