Hagel would make a fine, moderate Republican candidate. I might even consider voting for him, depending on who the Democrats nominate. Republicans could do far worse, and they will. The leadership won't allow someone like Hagel as the nominee... he's not radical enough for them. Solution for the Republican Party? Get rid of their current leadership... clean house. And it won't happen until they truly get hammered at the polls. Keep D&D Civil!!
As a Democrat, I could see myself voting for McCain or Hagel--both of these men strike me as true examples of "straight talk". However, if my man Barack Obama decides to leave his Senate term early(as he says he will NOT...alas)and persue the nomination I have found my candidate. They don't get MORE "straight talk" than that man--he does not soften or backdown from his message to a crowd that might not like what he has to say. I think Bush-ites beleive that their fake-Texan-numero-uno is endowed with this quality, the rest of us see it as bull-headed, ignorant bravado.
Obama would be my guy, but is he even old enough to run? The common wisdom is that he "needs seasoning," which I don't really buy into. He could run in '08 without losing his Senate seat, couldn't he? I can't remember... haven't had my 3rd cup of java yet. Keep D&D Civil!!
Ottomaton, Thanks for bringing up Hagel, I forgot to include him on that list. IMO, the Republicans have a lot more legitimate candidates to choose from than the Dems, and IMO they have more 'moderate' potential presidential candidates than the Dems (imagine that! ), which means that they have more candidates that would appeal to the masses. My personal favorites on the GOP side would be Graham, Lugar, Hagel, and Guiliani; on the Dems side I am more of a Joe Biden fan. I just hope the GOP don't screw it up and actually field candidates that will appeal to as many mainstream voters as possible. Same goes for Dems.
LOL! Well, at least he will give us a few nice sound-bites during his tenure Chirac, Shroeder, Putin: Mr. President, must work with the UN if you want to have the legal basis to invade Iran. Cheney: (pointing at Chirac): aller merde vous (pointing at Shroader: Gehen Sie fickt sich (pointing at Putin): идите трахают себя --Translation: Cheney showcases his language skills by telling each leader to "go f yourself"!
I think he'd make a good president, but I doubt he'll run. He's more of a behind the scenes guy, and the president is a figure-head above all else.
I think he could win but I would rather see McCain or Rudy run. If Bush could win when the country was this divided then so could Cheney. Bush proved that if you rally the base you could win. Hillary would do that for the republicans in this election just like the gay marriage did it for the last.
count me as a fan of obama. here's a couple quotes: In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope? I'm not talking about blind optimism here...No, I'm talking about something more substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too. The audacity of hope! Source: 2004 Democratic National Convention I am a great admirer of our founding charter and its resolve to prevent theocracies from forming and its resolve to prevent disruptive strains of fundamentalism from taking root in this country. I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God's mandate. I don't think it's healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism, or dialogue with people who disagree with them. Source: Chicago Sun-Times, "I have a deep faith" Apr 5, 2004
