The Moderate Liberal

oh, my God!

Metaefficient reported that Britain is planning 25 GB of wind power. By 2020, its possible that Britian will be completely wind powered.

In 2020, what will America have to show for the trillions of dollars it is throwing down a rat hole in this illegal War in Iran?  Squat, that’s what.

Is the “peace” that we are “winning” in Iraq along with the “liberty” and “democracy” we are “exporting” to the middle east going to yield a dividend on our $1 trillion (and mounting) war costs that exceeds what we could have realized by investing that money into alternative energy?  Doubtful.

Bush is squandering our money, and worse — he is squandering the precious time we have left to act on global warming.  Bush is squandering America.  In 2020, far from being energy independent and realizing a benefit from investments in alternative fuels, America will be bankrupt, thanks to the policies of George Bush and his cronies.

Recent CNN Polls reveal the following: In national matchup against Republican presidential contenders, only John Edwards beats ‘em all, actually blows them all away:

Edwards (D) 53%, Giuliani (R) 44%
Edwards (D) 59%, Romney (R) 37%
Edwards (D) 52%, McCain (R) 44%
Edwards (D) 60%, Huckabee (R) 35%

To bad for Edwards, though, right? Clinton’s got a lock, right? Oprama has the momentum, right?  So you Edwards supports can just stay at home, right?

If you are a typical moderate liberal, you are certainly planning to vote in 2008’s “really big shoe” Presidential Election.  But in this election cycle, the ‘liberal liberals’ are attempting to co-opt the primary/caucus process. This is so very clearly obvious to party politico’s that they have been tripping all over themselves trying to schedule their state primaries to be first or second or third.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, and it is YOUR FAULT. Yes, you!  Because you are only planning to vote in the national election, you have proxied your all imporant primary voteto those who will show up and nominate the party’s national candidate. The way things are going, you will be expected to vote for Clinton, because you proxy voted for her. 

This may indeed tick you off, and perhaps you will become indignant and agry. After all, you “don’t like Hillary, and refuse to vote for her,” and you don’t see the U.S. Presidency as a family heirloom or monarchy. Because of your indignation perhaps you will instead cast a protest vote in November ‘08 for the Green Party Candidate (they match your concern on the environment), or the Libertarians (they match with you on civil rights), or Ralph Nader (he matches you concern for corporate responsibility) or whatever third party du jour decides to run.

Get your butt out on Primary day and vote now for the Democratic candidate that you want to see in the national election.  You’ve never done this before, I know — neither have I! That’s why we’re moderate liberals and not radical liberals. However, the stakes are so high in this election cycle — you have to do this.  Do not let the process be co-opted.

When you see polls that indicate that Clinton is ahead of Obama by 40% to 22% — those figures represent “likely voters” in the primary.  They don’t include you, because you have never previously voted in a primary, and thus your vote is not likely.

Change the rules! Get your butt out next year and vote in the primaries!  The presidential election is simply the culmination of a politicla process.  The reality is, you have to show up to be counted, both on primary day as well as in November, 2008. 

Plan to vote in the primary.  Learn how now, put it on your busy calendar, and go do it.  Vote for your candidate in the primary, so that you can vote for your candidate in the national election. Otherwise, just suck it up and expect to vote for Clinton.

Sadly, its come to this:  what is good news for America is bad news for The Bush Administration.

In recent days, the release of the National Intelligence Estimate (i.e., the CIA’s best guess) suggests that Iran had a nuclear program, but halted it way back in 2003.  This is what Iran has been saying all along: we are not working on nukes.

But in this dangerous era, there can be no good news for America.  So the President today called a major press conference to share this dire “warning.”  Apparently, Iran doesn’t have nukes, and doesn’t have an active nuke program, but beware!! They could someday!

“What’s to say they couldn’t start another covert nuclear weapons program,” intones Bush?

The answer of course, is nothing.  There is nothing to say they couldn’t start another covert nuclear weapons program.  But is it in the best interest of Iran to do so?  With Bush beating the drums of War, any rational country interested in its self preservation could hardly conclude otherwise that it is in their best interests to have a covert nuclear program.

Every cruddy little 3rd world nation who picks up a physics science book “could” someday have a nuclear weapons program.  Rhetorically, Mr. President, shall we invade them all? 

The AP reported that Chavez was humbled in his first electoral defeat, which would have granted him virtual dictatorial powers in Venezuela.  

 U.S. officials were predictably arrogant:  “We felt that this referendum would make Chavez president for life, and that’s not ever a welcome development,” U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. “In a country that wants to be a democracy, the people spoke, and the people spoke for democracy and against unlimited power.” 

But what about the United States?  The Bush administration, which has blocked Congressional oversight of its activities by invoking executive privilege at every opportunity, imprisioned people without process, who spirits people off to secret prisons and  will not condemn waterboarding as torture,  who has spent our children’s future by plumitting this nation into $9 trillion of debt, who is erroding the value of the U.S. dollar thereby stealing from us, who has brought partisan exploitation to the department of Justice, and is attempting to disenfranchise millions of U.S. voters, has absolutely no moral authority to speak on behalf of democracy.

To the people of Venezuela, I say “congratulations.” 

To the people of the United States, I say “wake up!”