[Bill,
November 16, 2007]
On the Republican Side, I'm still thinking ...
Probably McCain. After Dubya, we need more than someone who can win. We need someone who can demonstrate national leadership. Bush was a decent governor of the United States. We need someone presidential this time.
My thoughts:
1. Mitt Romney. Seems plastic. Typical politician. Once put his dog in a cage and tied the cage to the roof during a family vacation. Dogs are a powerful constituency, as we've seen with Michael Vick, and the story may make him unelectable.
2. Rudy Giuliani. Too liberal on social issues; too conservative on economic issues; just right on national security. I think he might be an effective president -- but he's got an authoritarian streak. Better than Hillary.
3. McCain. Great, but a little old, and not getting much traction. Also, pro-life credentials somewhat in doubt.
4. Mike Huckabee. What a nice guy. A pearl of a gentleman. Right on all the right issues. I don't have anything against him. Just not ready to endorse yet-another-southern governor.
5. Fred Thompson. Turns out to be a bust. Seems lost and unfocused on the campaign trail. The confident leadership image he cultivated seems to be coming apart.
6. Ron Paul. Also a great individual who has led an exemplary life. He does make a lot of good points about how the company has gotten off-track. (No pun intended -- Ron Paul was a track star back in the day.) But he's a little too isolationist and libertarian for me.
7. Um, did I miss anyone important?
I'm still thinking.
My thoughts:
1. Mitt Romney. Seems plastic. Typical politician. Once put his dog in a cage and tied the cage to the roof during a family vacation. Dogs are a powerful constituency, as we've seen with Michael Vick, and the story may make him unelectable.
2. Rudy Giuliani. Too liberal on social issues; too conservative on economic issues; just right on national security. I think he might be an effective president -- but he's got an authoritarian streak. Better than Hillary.
3. McCain. Great, but a little old, and not getting much traction. Also, pro-life credentials somewhat in doubt.
4. Mike Huckabee. What a nice guy. A pearl of a gentleman. Right on all the right issues. I don't have anything against him. Just not ready to endorse yet-another-southern governor.
5. Fred Thompson. Turns out to be a bust. Seems lost and unfocused on the campaign trail. The confident leadership image he cultivated seems to be coming apart.
6. Ron Paul. Also a great individual who has led an exemplary life. He does make a lot of good points about how the company has gotten off-track. (No pun intended -- Ron Paul was a track star back in the day.) But he's a little too isolationist and libertarian for me.
7. Um, did I miss anyone important?
I'm still thinking.