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There are flaws with all of them. None of them are perfect. The real disturbing thing is, the flaws are so much on the surface I can't believe some of the blindness here. A base description of a politician might be:
A charismatic and ambitious individual who spouts the ideas an idealistic group of people believe in to win their support, and to acquire and maintain power.
Does Dean want a discussion on race? My guess is he wants more votes so he can win. Was he extraordinarily brave in denouncing the war? My guess is he took a VERY smart risk when he needed to in order to avoid fading into complete obscurity--his slowly building opposition didn't require him to cast a vote, and he played it perfectly. Did Kerry have a torturous night of the soul deciding on what was the right vote for the IWR? My guess is he was covering his ass for the upcoming election. Can you take any candidate who lacks a record at their word when they promise a policy? I would have to say no. Will candidates try to present a vision that is as obscure as possible while appealing to most of the people most of the time, all without much intention of really following through on it? You bet!
Some are better than others. In my estimation, Kucinich, Dean and Kerry are the best of the lot (all with plenty of flaws to go around--I'm sure you are aware of them). I don't know enough about what Clark or Edwards would do in office, and I know too much about what Gephardt and Lieberman would do. Sharpton is incredibly charismatic, but plays loose with the truth in some deadly serious situations, and Moseley-Braun has met with some rather unsavory people.
I would vote for anyone against Bush. That's the good news--they're all better than Bush. DON'T believe your politician is the only one out there who is telling the complete truth all the time without a trace of guile. The only one who might come close is Kucinich, but whether telling the truth sticks you on the fringe or being on the fringe makes you risk telling the truth once in a while, that's where he is.
Sort of a ramble, but having total faith in a politician is just a way to tie yourself in knots trying to rationalize every bumbling mistake, flip-flopping explanation or treachery. Keep them at arm's length, but fight like crazy for them in the elections, because that's something every one of them will need. Enthusiasm is great, but fundamentalism should be shunned, and it's very easy to get wrapped up in candidate-worship--we've all succumbed at some point I'm sure. :)
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