On Politics, Al Gore, and 2008

There is a truly nasty episode playing out in Maryland right now as Michele Malkin, a nasty excuse for a human being, launched a personal jihad against Graeme Frost and his family. She posted the addresses of anti-war protesters in 2006 because they dared to say Iraq was not worth it. She spews bile and hatred at every turn she can. She's Ann Coulter only scarier. The SCHIP program is a program that WORKS and it allows states to tailor the program as they wish. This is not a program that would be "an unfunded mandate," but had a source of funding attached. It appears as though the New York Times and the Baltimore Sun have picked up on the right-wing attacks on the Frost family. Good, no American family should be exposed to this kind of scorched earth attack because they dare to disagree with a president who has lied, cheated, and stolen the past 6 years. The fact that Bush is drawing the fiscal line on Children's Health Care instead of his farm bill, highways, or IRAQ is maddening.

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I am hoping beyond all hope that Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize this Friday. I hope that on Monday he then decides to get into the presidential race. I do not trust Hilary Clinton at all. She is boxed in on Iraq and will keep the war going. John Edwards and Barak Obama just don't strike me as presidential.

Gore has all the credentials he needs and it isn't as if he's been out of the public eye recently. The electoral map looks favorable, but difficult for the Democrats right now. The Republicans are in a world of hurt, but Clinton gets their goat. Gore has a true vision and has found his voice. I don't think there will be any pandering - just talk about what people need to hear, not what they want to hear! (Did you know Atlanta is under such a severe drought that they may have to make radical changes to have any drinking water soon?)

As of right now the Senate has all the makings of a disaster for the GOP in 2008. Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nebraska all have GOP retirements and the Dems are favored to pick up those seats. New Hampshire is almost as good as gone for the GOP and Maine may pull a Rhode Island next year and vote out a popular Senator because she was too close to Bush. The next big danger spots are Oregon and Minnesota for the GOP, to say nothing of brewing scandals in Alaska. The Dems are at risk in Louisiana and South Dakota, but not terribly at the moment.

Back to SCHIP; the more the far right attacks SCHIP and the current crop of GOP presidential wannabes support Bush, the worse it makes it for them in 2008. The GOP has already endangered their Hispanic vote and now they play on economic fears in the lower and middle classes.

The Democrats need someone to actually weave a coherent narrative for 2008. The GOP is imploding and the Democrats have the chance to do a 1980 to the Republicans. They need to get the top of the ticket right though. I honestly feel this is Al Gore's time to come and restore American leadership and right the ship of state.