BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Last week the Clinton campaign began sowing seeds of doubt about Obama’s preparedness to become the Commander in Chief, hinting that he would be unable to answer the phone at 3:00 in the morning and take the appropriate actions. 

Additionally, Senator Clinton began complaining that Senator Obama was getting more press attention than she was.  Well, my two boys used to argue about who got the larger piece of cake.  Sometimes one got a piece that was a little larger and sometimes it was the other way around.  I figure it all worked out in the end.  Maybe Hillary wasn’t getting the majority of attention for a few days, but no one ever insinuated that the media was fair or gave equal time.  There have been days when she was all over the television and Obama received a blip.  It’s up the the campaigns and the candidates to be creative, not whiny and derogatory, to get positive attention.  It all works out.

I did enjoy the SNL skit that became the topic of one of the debates, but I was surprised that we have turned totally to SNL and The Daily Show to set the gauge for coverage.  Needless to say, Hillary made up the gap by appearing on both shows before the latest round of primaries.  Maybe, the squeaking wheel got the grease.

On the other hand, Senator Obama announced yesterday that he is no longer Mr. Nice Guy.  The gloves will be coming off as he takes a few jabs at his primary opponent.  Obama has maintained a road higher than most for a campaign strategy up until now.  Is that going to change?

What I find strange is that while either or both of the candidates can talk about what the other isn’t capable of doing on the campaign trail, when they get face to face they most often look like a mother cat licking her kittens.  Let’s get beyond the back biting and have a civil discourse face to face on the issues that matter.  I always find it better to meet someone face to face when I need to state a grievance.  We have seen that when speaking to supporting crowds the candidates have no problem taking a swipe at the other, but when it comes down to saying the same thing face to face, both have a tendency to take a step back. 

So, what are the real issues?  Hillary believes she can answer the phone better in the middle of the night, because she lived in the White House previously.  Obama believes, based on her vote for the War in Iraq, that even if she answers the call, she can’t be trusted to make the right decision.

Both arguments are ludicrous and to quote Obama we are entering “silly season”.  First of all, Senator Clinton is trying to claim that while her husband was in the White House, she was privy to all that went on.  Well, not to dredge up old news, but we all know that there was a lot that Hillary didn’t know.  With no security clearance to speak of, one should not assume that President Clinton confided every detail of his policy decisions with his wife.  Hillary may well have a much better working knowledge of the President’s office, but let’s not get too presumptive.

Barack Obama is relatively new on the Washington scene and doubtless there are many things that go on in the Senate that he is still grasping.  To assume that he has complete knowledge of the Office of the President would make an ass…. well, you know that thing about “assuming…” 

It would be a mistake, in my opinion, for anyone to underestimate Hillary’s knowledge of politics.  She is extremely well versed on the issues, or at least to the untrained ear, she seems to be.  No one should doubt her abilities or capabilities if she should become the next president.

On the other hand, Senator Obama is no slouch.  I believe he could fill the seat behind the desk in the Oval Office equally as well.  He brings a slightly different dimension to the office.  He has the ability to listen and from all I have seen and heard he is a quick study.  Would he be prepared on day one?  Probably not fully prepared.  But, in fact, I don’t believe Hillary would either.  It’s definitely one thing to stand in front of the desk and another to sit behind it.

I’m tired of hearing about “on the job training”.  Of course, there is on the job training, like it or not.  Whoever becomes president will face issues that no other president has faced.  And, I dare say that if it were possible to seat either President Carter or President Bush (41) behind the desk again, they would have to be brought up to speed.  So, let’s not put too much emphasis on who can sit best in the chair.  I don’t believe anyone is ever prepared for the job in its totality.

All that said, the Democrats have a serious problem.  For the first time in years, maybe decades, the Dems have too many highly qualified candidates.  I can remember a few years ago when we were beating the bushes… well, we didn’t exactly get credit for beating the Bush, but we were scavenging for one candidate to represent the party.  If was gloom and doom across the board.  Not one Democrat seemed to be able to rise to the occasion, and we got our “ass” whipped.

This year, we have too many candidates that are highly qualified.  Everywhere you look there is someone who could fill the Oval Office and that includes most of the candidates who dropped out of the race before it really got started.  Think about it.  Biden, Dodd, Richardson, and Edwards.  Any one of them would have been electable and capable.

So, where does that leave us as a party?  We are left with two people, two candidates who each bring something unique to the table in addition to intelligence and stamina.  My concern is that within the exuberance to reach the Oval Office we will watch the two candidates steer away from the issues and spiral down the dark hole of name calling, making enhanced accusations against the other and dividing the party so deeply that the end game will leave us with McCain sitting behind the desk.

That scares the hell out of me.  We can’t survive another four years of Bushit and Dickdom.  Ideally, I would love to see an Obama-Clinton ticket.  But, the chances of it are slim to zero.  So now we are left with the most important question remaining during the Democratic primaries.  Will the candidates create so great a divide in the party that come the general election, the Democrats will crash and burn?