MY PREDICTION: Based on history and my love of conspiracy....

[liberalitch]

With the whole scooter thing coming out..... I am reminded of how the GOP had to get rid of Agnew before the jackels caught up with Nixon.
They knew two things:
A) The pussy-boy Ford (warren commision and the whole 9 yards) would be more acceptable and would pardon Nixon.
B) Agnew was wildly unpopular and could never win the whitehouse in 1976. ... of course who knew about the Governor of Ga.

Now the GOP know two things:
A) Bush may not make it through this term.... he may be impeached after 2006 midterms.... or he just may snap.
B) They can NOT have crashcart become president because he can not win in 2008.... so they have to get rid of him..... so they can get someone like john mccain in the VP spot.... who might very well win in 2008.....

Now I know ONE thing..... we need a jimmy carter in 2008.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. We need a Russ Feingold in 2008.

Ashcroft vote be damned, Roberts vote be damned, we need Russ. He picked up 10% of the Bush vote in WI without selling out a single principle. I know a hardcore Repug whos says if they run Russ, he can't think of a Repug candidate he'd vote for instead, even though he disagrees with Russ on a lot of issues.

But of course it won't happen. They're gonna shove Hillary down our throats.

[liberalitch]

2. That is what we have to prevent!

[billbuckhead]

3. Team Hillary is stronger than the Democratic party

"Were you better off under Clinton or under the Bushes?" "It's the economy stupid"

[Clark2008]

4. Team Hillary can't win, though.

She won't flip one red state - with or without Diebold. We have to do that to win.

Oh - and neither would Russ Feingold, even though I like him a lot.

[rasputin1952]

5. I don't think Hillary is going to get the nod, I think it is more flak...

as they try to get things in order and find a candidate that can crush the GOP. Think of it this way, Hillary will be so polarizing, that anyone that comes in behind her will look simply perfect as a person who can reduce the polarization, hence a massive shift to the Dem's by 'swing voters'...just my 2 cents...:)

[cdsilv]

6. Wesley Clarke.....n/t

[Burning Water]

8. I may be totally off the wall, here.

I don't think the Repukes are as worried about polarization as we are. I think they thrive by pointing out the differences rather that the similarities between the parties.

While we try to appeal to the "middle", they appeal to the base. Why don't we?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. I 100 % agree with you

When we appeal to the middle, we become Republican light (to our own detriment). We do not then accentuate the true major differences between the parties and we alienate our own base. We need to point out the differences and not the similarities, as you so excellently point out.

Liberal - flowering, flowing, expansive,inclusive, reach towards light


Conservative - repressed, tiny, in-bred, exclusive, depth seeking

[rasputin1952]

11. You make a valid point, however, politics is like war in many ways....

feigning the nomination of Hillary, and using her stature as a method of 'drawing fire', it becomes much easier to out flank the opposition.

The GOP is in disarray, it doesn't show on the surface at this point, we see only what the media tosses out, but with DeLay and Frist going into the maelstrom, there is great discord w/in the GOP that will come to a head shortly. Then, add bush into the equation with his insane deficit spending, and a war w/o end, and you can see that the fiscal and legitimate conservatives are about to toss the the whole neo-con agenda overboard as a failed attempt to reroute the nation.

As for going after swing voters, we should never underestimate their power. Because of them, we got JFK, FDR, and Carter as well as Clinton. To ignore the moderate swing voters, is to ensure our status as a '2nd' party for a long time to come.

[many a good man]

7. ScooterGate shows they put personal above party

Nation comes last. This is the "Katrina Presidency" and Republicans are writhing around like snakes with their heads cut off.

More than anything Dems need to project COMPETENCY.

[gardenista]

10. I love your photo. The look on the guy's face opening the door

(but not enough to let bush get through) is priceless. I also love the way it show bush trying to get out there in front of Clinton. He's like a 2 year old who has to go first.

[malachibk]

12. Jimmy Carter!?

What the hell was so great about Jimmy Carter? Was it his undying support of the Vietnam War -- and then his refusal to give aid for reconstruction? His cabinet appointments that appealed to big business? The continued support of oppressive regimes in the Phillipines, Iran, Nicaragua and Indonesia (East Timor)? Increased military spending -- to the tune of a 10 billion dollar increase? Opposition to federal aid to poor people who want abortions? 18 billion dollar tax reductions for the wealthy?

We do not need a Jimmy Carter.

We need a...well, there is no precedent for what we need. But it sure isn't an ineffectual millionaire peanut farmer.

[gulfcoastliberal]

13. I hate to be an '08 fanboy but I want Gore

That's as close as you'll get to a modern Carter. Gore knows the score on the environment.

[nvliberal]

14. The GOP didn't get rid of Agnew.

Agnew screwed himself on tax charges.

What we need are fair elections, not another Jimmy Carter because no Democrat is going to win in 2008.