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SEND IN THE CLOWNS   

As we get closer and closer to the inevitable Presidential campaign for 2008, I find myself checking my medicine cabinet to be sure I am well stocked with anti-depressants. The events of the last few weeks only serve to exacerbate my anxiety. The foiled terror plot in England coming on the heels of the Joe Lieberman lynching are leaving me with an enveloping sense of dread.  I am not a political expert; indeed I only became interested in politics after 9/11. Like many of you, as a parent and citizen, I felt it was time to pay attention as the future of our country became more and more tenuous. I wonder, also, if one needs to be an expert to have a valid opinion on the direction our country takes both in domestic and world policy.  I am a firm believer in the notion that there is a common-sense thread to follow within most issues.     What seems to be happening, and the Lieberman debacle supports this, is a deep chasm growing between political parties, and people in general. I see it in conversation with friends, having always been one to ignore the time-worn policy of avoiding the discussion of politics and religion; there is an increasing emotion, anger really, in people’s defense of their views. Take the Lieberman situation as an example. The vote was so slanted, Lieberman defeated by a relative unknown, and all of it boiled down to the issue of the war.  I am not issuing pity for Joe. I think his political history is pretty clean, I certainly don't agree with him on everything, and it's not the end of the world that he lost.  What bothers me is that everything he has done, all that he has achieved, is dismantled and discarded over his support for the war. That is short-sighted politics on the part of voters. I know enough about him to know, and it is generally agreed, that he is a decent, honest, family man who cares deeply for his country. He has managed to practice politics without infusing his religious beliefs into it. He has always struck me as straight-forward and I like that. 

I've heard much on talk-radio and read as much in print that the terror plot which unfolded in the wake of Lieberman’s defeat will send an "I told you so" to those who voted him out. I don't believe it. Anyone who does not yet believe that we are entering a new world order, isn't going to believe it until they actually see the wing leaving their airplane in a cloud of flame and smoke.  Sadly, the division between us makes the necessary repairs less likely to transpire in time. And with all this in play, the war in Iraq, Israel and Lebanon, North Korea, a plethora of ills here at home...I doubt my ability to mentally cope with another Presidential campaign.

In my voting history I have been all over the map. I am not bound to one party. I look at the candidate, listen, try to get a feel of what the person is made of, and then decide.  I make no secret that I was very impressed with John McCain when he ran for President.  He swept New Hampshire and we fell in love with him up here. I had a chance to meet him and listen to him at a few of his "town hall" meetings. How refreshing to hear a politician just be himself. Always ready with a humorous comeback, a no-nonsense style, a patriot and war hero, lucid and cogent answers to questions with actual solutions to problems at hand.  It was almost dreamlike, after years of hearing the same rehearsed responses from candidates that, when subject to analysis, rendered no solution at all. That Copperfield magic where a candidates mouth moves, sounds come out, and we all walk away actually thinking we got an answer. 

Then something happened to McCain. More than just the shameful attacks and rumors spread by his opposition...his "handlers" got a hold of him. They reeled him in. His campaign became rote, the same speech delivered time after time, campaign-finance reform becoming his centerpiece. In short, they sucked the magic out of him. I hope with all that is in me that if he runs again, he will do so as himself.  As for the rest of the usual players I will have to self-medicate in preparation for enduring their assault on our state. They show up at gas stations, diners, rest areas...you name it.  I'll listen with a small dribble running down my chin, nodding in feigned agreement, resigning myself to another four years of non-leadership.  My fantasy of a true leader, a maverick, rising out of the fog of confusion that is enveloping the world, and leading us out, will evanesce like fog itself.  Stuck with the same loquacious politicians talking about health-care and taxes. How about some discourse over the governments spending habits and the way they just throw our money away by the billions with no oversight. Instead, I'll hear about the extra $150.00 I'm going to get back on my tax return next year. I find that stuff insulting. I almost want to throw a punch. Get real with us, or get the hell out of the race.

I believe we are at a critical juncture as a nation. We need to clean house, examine everything, find a way to institute change more expeditiously. The wheels of Congress turn to slowly for today’s problems. We need a President who will hop on a plane for issues other than Terry Schiavo. We need a maverick and to get over our fear of a maverick. Moreover, we need to be involved, listen, consider points of view other than our own and finally, act as a nation with a common sensibility.