Asbestos Suit & Other Presidential Candidates

NEVER CALL FOR A NEW CZAR is a Russian proverb that projects the risks from any new national leadership as possibly worse than the existing one. Despite GW Bush's over the top, damaging and incompetent leadership, the next crop of presidential candidates in both parties makes the American people cringe from low expectations and despair.

Presidential debates have presented both parties' candidates as scripted, dehumanized robots, pandering to values that escape most of the US population. They are theatrical productions that have sound bites passing as wisdom. The Republicans, except for Ron Paul, want more war and most Democrats, except Richardson, Dodd and Kucinich want it too, but in another form or with a different strategy. About 70% of Americans finally understand the expensive and deadly folly of the Iraq war and want out immediately. They do not give a rats ass over what big business, the Neocons and the Israeli Lobby want, but the Congress and party leadership on both sides jump through hoops to please these special interests. The American people listen and watch with consternation as the illegal immigration issue is booted around with more concern over the illegal immigrant, by the majority of candidates, than over the welfare of the working American. The gap between the Republican and Democratic leadership and the American people widens with each illegal alien crossing into the US; with each person dying in Iraq; and with each dollar wasted in a corrupt Iraqi occupation.

The last debate was a CNN staged production in Las Vegas designed to promote Hillary Clinton. CNN's Wolf Blitzer was a biased moderator who stood by as the audience erupted into a prepped cheering section for Hillary and booing her opponents when they attacked Bill's wife. Questions by Blitzer and his team were framed to help Hillary by projecting her as a victim. Obama and Edwards, if they had a sense of moment, should have walked off the stage rather than endure such crass manipulations – they probably would have boosted their poll numbers by 10 points for that action. But, since when do Democrats face stress with sang-froid? Kerry and the Swift Boating are cases in point. Governor Richardson, who believes human rights are more important than national security, is another frightening face of the Democratic Party. The guy should not be governor of a state, or VEEP – not even a dog catcher, because he would figure out a reason why he should not catch dogs. On his last trip to North Korea, as an envoy for GW Bush, he officially visited the the captured US Pueblo, now a North Korean War Museum that represents a 20th Century US Navy humiliation for surrendering a ship to the enemy under fire.

When confronted by a question of how Hillary contends with criticism during the debates, she replied with the answer that she was wearing an asbestos pants suit to protect her from such onslaughts. It is uncertain how much asbestos or testosterone you can put into a pants suit, but ladies who wear them regularly often are trying to hide an expansive backside or unsightly legs. If Bill's wife is media savvy, that is the last place she wants the American public to rivet their attention. Anyone who has to broadcast how brave or tough they are is usually neither. Bill's wife is the candidate of choice for the Republicans for good reason. Without her husband, Hillary would not be the senator of New York. Should she succeed as the Democratic candidate for the general election, Bill Clinton will be the stalking horse for the Republicans who will tear at Hillary's mask in quick order. There will be an assault on Bill's lust for life with his record of peccadillos, past and present. All the sleazy Clinton pardons, and Hillary’s Rodham brothers' influence peddling and pilfering of the White House will be be gleefully paraded by the Republicans. President Bill Clinton's foreign policy team of stuffing-his-bloomers with documents Berger and Clueless Holbrook would return to face the next looming Balkan war stemming from their mishandled last one. Many of the Clinton faithful would return to business as usual with all the moral turpitude attendant to his past administrations. Maybe there would be a review of White Water all over again. Some of Clinton's new and old bimbos might write books and be interviewed by Larry King. All this is a public relations nightmare for the Democrats that smart party leadership should avoid. Clintons are screaming tabloid material that could make sorry GW Bush look saintly by comparison. Hillary's complaint over Obama's and Edwards' criticism of her policy as mud-slinging is only a rivulet, compared to the slimy deluge the Republicans will launch on the very vulnerable Clinton couple. Before the election is over, the Republicans will paint them as Bonnie and Clyde.

Bill's wife at this moment is the national front runner for the Democrats; 9/11 Rudy presently heads the pack for the Republicans. Rudy has almost the same potential for the tabloids as Bill's wife. His NYC gaomba, Berny Kerick, was recently indicted by the federales. All his warts will be glued to Rudy's bad judgement, despite Rudy's repeated mea culpas. Harpy Judith Regan, believing herself a woman wronged and scorned, has a lawsuit pending that is certain to keep Rudy's name linked with the doomed Kerick. Rudy’s NYC firemen are after Mr. 9/11's scalp for the mayor's inept actions during the Jihad strike on the Twin Towers. Rudy's sybarite life stye is unattractive to at least 25% of the Republicans despite Pat Robertson's Judas embrace. Rudy talks a good game, but still has not faced the main assault by the Democrats and his many enemies. As with GW Bush's Neocon adviser Wolfowitz during his first campaign, Rudy has a Super Neocon Podhoretz as his National Security advisor. So it explains Rudy's fixation on promoting wars and his blind spot for Israel. Rudy has been in Israel's pocket for a long time: e.g. he stopped Arafat from attending a concert in NYC and rejected serious Arab donations of financial assistance to the city after 9/11.

At this stage I cannot endorse any candidate as the political situation is still flipping and flopping. There are, however, some guidelines that I will apply. No part of the Clinton or Bush tribe should be elected. The next President should end the Iraq war immediately with no long term US troops based in Iraq. I would reject any candidate who takes Israeli Lobby money. Next President must close the southern borders to illegal immigration. Any politician who would make human rights a priority over national security is unqualified for the US presidency. Admittedly, with these requirements my chances of voting are less than that of a snowball in Hell.....

Too bad CNN wasted a canned softball question on Hillary at the last debate on whether she preferred diamonds or pearls. It should have been saved for our cross dressing pal, 9/11 Rudy, during the next Republican debate this November in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Colonel Robert E Bartos USA RET