Pretty fun. In one corner, we have the Replican party. They've backed the -arguably- most hated president in history for 2 terms now. They have whole hearted supported the most unpopular war in recent American history, they have completely whored themselves to 'large corporate interests' at a staggering cost to the american people, so much so in fact that the largest economy in the history of the world is collapsing in under it's own debt burden as the wage earners are getting screwed to the wall in order to cover the retirement bonuses of the likes of Countrywide's Mozilo. The list of the raiding/raping of American by the Republicans is endless. Staggeringly shameful. And their candidate of choice, a man I actually respect, John McCain, has run on a platform of "More of the same, I promise". McCain has promised if elected, to continue to run the country into the ground..

In the other corner, working hard to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, we have the party of the idiotic power mad 'do-gooders' aka Democrats. I said as recently as 2 years ago, that if the Democrats decide to run Sen Clinton, then it's obvious they are totally out of touch with the country at large. Sure, there are good things to be said about Sen Clinton, but it also true that a lot of people, and I mean a *lot* of people HATE her. And I mean raw, visceral hate. Simply put, Sen Clinton, amongst her talents and virtues, is also an unapologetic elitist who holds the vast majority of the American people in deep contempt. And, that vast majority (McCain + Obama + the majority that has already given up) know it, and they know it full well. By allowing her to run, the Democratic party has publically acknowleged that they do *not* understand this basic fact of life.

Now we have Sen Obama, who Sen Clinton is winding up to destroy if possible. As all the political pundents will say, the Clintons are quite confortable in a political street fight. In my ignorant point of view, Sen Obama is complete wildcard. I have no idea who this guy is, what he really stands for, and for that matter, it appears that neither does anyone else. Running on the power of the cult of personality alone, he is holding his own really well, and just might bring it home. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I have no idea what Obama is about, and that, and that alone, is enough for me. I have some idea what the other candidates are about, that is also enough for me. I don't want any of them.

Yes, I supported Paul. Aside from the fact I agree with his 'vision' knowing full well that a Paul presidency is wholly unworkable, and that the man is basically unelectable, I wanted his views to be given the gravity they deserve. Paul had/has a lot of popular support, and his views need to be in the dialogue. That he has been completely marginalised by the press speaks huge volumes about what the press at large thinks of the people at large. It's a complete disconnect.

I suppose that makes me a cynic, but that's not completely fair, I am a skeptic, and as such, I am seldomly surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised.

Let's sit back and watch the democrats self-destruct.
 

Well, Obama said he would definitely cut NASA's budget and redirect it from space to technology development & preschool education. This is the first generation which clearly wants NASA to cease being a space administration & become a technology administration with some space. The media isn't covering McCain but anecdotally he would have continued the space oriented NASA.
 

I looked over Obama's proposed space policy with quite a bit of dismay (not least because there was no depth to it)

I had issue with Ron Paul's policy as well, but was willing to hope that with vast sums of capital freed up from the federal government that individual states and corps would be able to pursue more aggressive space oriented planning.

The other remaining candidates, so far as I know, haven't got a science policy to stand on. Religion is far more important than science nowadays.

This is why I opened this blog entry with:

I would like a president that wasn't interested in re-fighting vietnam or reliving woodstock.

Which is one reason why McCain and Clinton bother me so. My generation will finally get it's shot in power when the boomers stop clogging the political pipes.

I would like a president that wasn't afraid.

Paul consistently used this phrase in a sentence, I hated that. Fear should not govern us.

I would like a president that rebuilt a country that built stuff.

My biggest problem with all the candidates is that they seem to believe that america can get by by outsourcing all its manufacturing overseas, and by selling hollywood movies rather than real things. It's a fantasyland that I don't want to live - or work - in.

Leading in science - and applications of those sciences - was one way that America got from 1940 through the cold war, now America seems intent on writing poetry and flouncing through the future, rather than building it.

There's 6000 bridges falling down... and no-one willing or able to maintain them.