Afraid of a fair fight

When opponents want to bring down a political candidate - as many Democrats and Republicans would like to do with Hillary Clinton - they examine every word he/she utters, knowing there is always the possibility of finding a quote that will embarrass the candidate and add fuel to the fire.

Many Obama supporters and other political operatives want Hillary to drop out of the Democratic primaries so that Senator Obama can be anointed the Democratic candidate who will face the Republican, John McCain, in November.

During an interview with the editorial board of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper in South Dakota, Hillary discussed the calls for her to drop out of the race. She said, "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it."

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How far is Obama prepared to go?

Senator Barack Obama won the North Carolina primary by 14 percentage points. Senator Hillary Clinton won the Indiana primary by a narrower margin of two percent. Neither candidate scored a knockout punch, but Obama came out ahead.

Clearly Senator Obama who had the most to lose - it would have been considered a huge loss if Indiana went big for Hillary - also had the most to gain. The race goes on and will go on until a decision is made at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The fat lady here is Hillary, and she won't sing. I'm part of her primary campaign until she wins or withdraws. I simply do not trust Senator Obama's judgment.

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Two types of failure

I am dumbfounded that there has been no drop in Barack Obama's standing in the polls following revelations that he sat in Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years and did nothing, publicly or privately, to voice disagreement with Wright's hate speech. Indeed, Obama's poll numbers are going up. The most recent CNN national poll shows Obama with 50 percent and Hillary with 40 percent of likely Democratic voters.

One reason for the up tick in Obama's popularity may be that Hillary Clinton has had to explain her out-and-out falsehood of having been under sniper fire years ago in Bosnia. Her account of landing in Bosnia amidst sniper fire was totally demolished by a video clip taken at the time and now flashed all over tv showing her strolling across the tarmac with Chelsea to receive flowers and kisses from a waiting child.

McCain was handed a gift

A February 21st New York Times article examined the relationship between Senator John McCain and lobbyist Vicki Iseman.

The article created a firestorm by asserting, "Convinced the relationship had become romantic, some of his top advisers intervened to protect the candidate from himself."  

The Times quoting John Weaver, a friend and adviser to McCain reported, "He [Weaver] had "warned Ms. Iseman away [in 1999] because of 'what she had told people'  that had 'made its way back' to the McCain campaign."  According to the Daily News, McCain, when 'asked directly if he ever had a romantic relationship with Iseman, replied, 'No.'  He added that if aides were concerned about the possibility of such a relationship, as the [Times] article said, "They didn't communicate it to me."

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The final three

The three remaining serious candidates for president - Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain - are all qualified for the job. The fourth candidate - Mike Huckabee, who flip-flops on accepting the theory of evolution - is not. How, in the modern age, can we have a president who wavers on basic biology?

So, the ultimate choice will be between three widely different candidates. Hillary claims experience and a steady hand with moderate balanced solutions to the myriad of problems facing the US Barack claims energy, vision for a new beginning, and the ability to reach out to others. McCain, a moderate conservative, claims a lock on straight talk, war hero status and willingness to seek a military victory in Iraq. He understands the perils we face worldwide.

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The presidential primaries

With the presidential primaries fast approaching, I believe it is appropriate for me to share my thoughts with you regarding some of the candidates.

I am a supporter and campaigner for Hillary Clinton for president. Of all the Democratic candidates, she, in my opinion, is the best of those running, and I intend to vote for her, as I did when she first ran for the US Senate and again when she ran for reelection. She believes in moderation and espouses many of the best ideas for reform of our system which desperately needs reform.

Hillary has demonstrated an ability to succeed and get things done. I don't agree with all of her positions, nor did my supporters agree with all of mine. You will recall I said to those whose vote I was soliciting, "Pick a dozen issues. If you agree with me on eight out of 12, vote for me. If you agree with me on all 12, see a psychiatrist."

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