A Running Commentary

(see RE: The Dougie Watch page for background on the continuing thoughts and adventures of Dougie)

Dougie doesn’t understand why he is stuck synthesizing all of his political views into one Presidential candidate.

In 2004, for example, Dougie may not have been thrilled with President Bush’s handling of the war, but John Kerry’s murky position on withdrawal seemed hardly the right message to send to our troops and terrorists at large. So Dougie believed Bush better on national security and defense.

But then what about the environment? The global warming debate aside, the resources of the world are limited and Dougie thinks conserving them, finding alternatives, and taking steps to do nature no harm are no-brainers. But should that trump national security?

And how is Dougie supposed prioritize his desire for small government and efficient fiscal policy, a supposed pillar of Republicanism, against the Bush Administration’s siege against personal freedoms beginning with the USA Patriot Act in 2001? Would the Democrats even do better given the chance? Or would they be just as bad in an attempt to disprove their stereotypical weakness on “security issues”?

Now as John McCain awaits the winner of the Obama/Clinton bracket for the national championship, the same frustration returns. Obama is a fresh face and appears willing to avoid the political skullduggery that has tainted politics for years, something a Clinton administration would certainly perpetuate. But that doesn’t change the fact that Barack’s positions, to the extent they are known, are alarmingly liberal. McCain may be a proven independent but he often sounds even more militaristic that Bush; hardly the candidate to restore America’s global standing.

So Dougie is frustrated. How can so many varied issues come down to one person in a winner-take-all election?

Answers to follow.