The ideal Democratic nominee in 2008: a moderate anti-war candidate

[bluestateguy]

I'm not going to name names here because it's just too early to begin doing that, but I can think of an ideal profile.

A candidate without a long list of old congressional votes that can be ripped apart in 30 second ads. A candidate who will admit that the Iraq War was a mistake, that the war was wrong and that it did not make America safer. Unfortunatley, a presidential candidate is probably not going to be successfull by spending a lot of time talking about Iraqi civilian casualties. Americans are just never going to be able to identify with the Iraqi victims of war. That's not how you get conservative white people in Missouri to oppose the war. So stay focused on the toll the war has taken on America in terms of our security, our tax dollars and thousands of lives. The ideal nominee would provide a firm and concrete timetable for the absolute pullout of all US troops in Iraq. By 2008, that will be a very mainstream position.

[geek tragedy]

1. Better yet, a moderate governor who never had to take a solid

stand on the issue, but who favors a realistic and earnest effort to get the troops home as soon as possible.

[tedoll78]

2. Ooooh.. "moderate" isn't a very nice word around here.

:P

But I'd gladly take a moderate as president.. if he/she pledges Supreme Court nominees like Stevens. If I were a single-issue voter, the Supreme Court would be it since in reality it covers all issues.

[napi21]

3. It's probably too late to use SCOTUS as an issue.

By the time 2008 gets here, Shrub will have already skewed the court for decades to come!

[David Dunham]

Al Gore is the only potential 2008 nominee who opposed Iraq War

Gore would have a much better chance than Hillary and he is a moderate

[Clark2008]

9. Ahem... no he's not.

Wesley Clark opposed the war and he's a potential 2008 nominee - you know if you don't buy into the Hillary! propaganda.

[David Dunham]

16. Clark has little chance of getting the nomination. 2004 was his chance

[Clark2008]

21. Not if I can help it.

Me - and all those thousands of other enlightened Dems who keep picking Clark over every other candidate in every poll on every Democratic or left-leaning blog.

Oh - and I'm a Tennessean. Love Gore, but his time has past, not Clark's. We need someone with some national security bona fides.

[Lecky]

22. I disagree

I think Clark has a great shot.

[David Dunham]

Al Gore is the only potential 2008 nominee who opposed Iraq War

Gore would have a much better chance than Hillary and he is a moderate

[David Dunham]

Al Gore is the only potential 2008 nominee who opposed Iraq War

Gore would have a much better chance than Hillary and he is a moderate

[David Dunham]

4. Al Gore is the only potential 2008 nominee who opposed Iraq War

Gore would have a much better chance than Hillary and he is a moderate

[David Dunham]

5. Al Gore is the only potential 2008 nominee who opposed Iraq War

Gore would have a much better chance than Hillary and he is a moderate

[Southsideirish]

8. I agree 5 times over!! Gore and Boxer in '08. Real Democrats.

[tedoll78]

7. Not necessarily.

Rehnquist & O'Connor being the only two to leave through 2008 is a very possible scenario. An article I read a few weeks ago stated that Stevens is doing quite well healthwise. And Ginsburg's cancer is still in remission; she's very physically active (racquetball with Scalia, etc), which is a good sign.

With Ruth Bader & John Paul still on the court, we'd need to protect them and their potential replacements, and the best means would be to elect a moderate/lefty president and/or a Democratic-controlled Senate.

And Kennedy's gotta retire at some point..

[moddemny]

11. "Ooooh.. "moderate" isn't a very nice word around here."

Yep...... most people here would label a genuine moderate a bush-lite, repub-lite, an enabler, etc. Ideological purity seems to be more important than being in touch with reality.

[FlemingsGhost]

6. Yes ... because by 2008, elections will be fair

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz ....

[bluestateguy]

10. Then just leave the country, OK

I don't have time to deal with people who won't even try.

Did I ever say the election was going to be fair? Exactly what does that word mean anyway? That the voting machines are rigged in favor of the Republicans? Well, then let's get Democratic Secretaries of State to rig their states' voting machines. Or that Republicans have more money? John Kerry proved that we can raise as much as they can. Or that they will run distorted ads with groups like the Swift Boat White Men? We should do the same thing. Or that it's a corporate media that wants Republicans to win? We are building a media infrastructure of our own that will be far more developed by 2008.

Hardly any competition ever starts out fair in this world. You play with the chips you have and fight. Only crybabies stay at home and suck their thumbs, whining about the game not being "fair".

[FlemingsGhost]

18. No need to do that ... yet.

Instead, I left the Democratic Party.

[ruggerson]

12. Mark Warner

Repeat after me: Mark Warner

(Brian Schweitzer would be good too, but he's in his first term in MT)

[ruggerson]

13. dupe - deleted by poster

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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[FlemingsGhost]

15. Do you really want to base your argument on:

"... radical jews and Powers That Be"?

Still, regardless of the rough edges, you bring up some provocative points.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. The "moderates" are the ones who voted for the war.

They aren't about to risk their "pro-defense" standing by getting us out of the mess they helped create.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

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