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Hey,
I never thought I'd be one of those voters still undecided the week before an election, but this is a case where I will be obliged to violate an important part of my conscience to vote for anyone. So, which principle to throw to the wind?
I knew, all my friends knew, 95% of DUers knew, most of the world knew, that the Iraq invasion was catastrophically wrong, based on lies, doomed to disaster. If Kerry and Edwards didn't know this, they are too obtuse to be president. If they did know it and went along anyway, they are too morally bankrupt. No matter how much I can find to like about either of them, I can never forget that they enabled the greatest foreseeable, avoidable evil of our times. It's not a matter of never forgiving, but of never being able to trust them to know or do what's right.
Electability is nonetheless important, as I believe it is morally wrong to vote for someone who hasn't a prayer of nomination; hence no matter how much I might like their positions, Kucinich and Sharpton are simply not options. Which leaves Clark and Dean, maybe. And yet the bottom line is how capable a nominee and president one's candidate will turn out to be, and here the morally obtuse or corrupt Kerry and Edwards look much better than either Clark or Dean.
Finally, a criterion that eliminates all my options: arrogance. Dean, Clark, and Edwards have all announced that they reject being anyone's running mate. This suggests to me two things: they think they are too good to be VP (despite some very slim resumes) and their loyalty is to themselves and not the party. I was already bothered by Edwards's apparent belief that a second term in the Senate is beneath him. A friend is urging me to vote for him to help insure that he's Kerry's running mate-- but what if he really disdains that opportunity like he says he does?
So, what principles trump the others, and what choice results? I have five days to decide. At this point, Clark seems to come closest to the ideal: right about Iraq, electable--maybe, plausibly presidential, and no more arrogant than the rest of them. But I can see myself voting for Dean, Kerry, or Edwards if persuaded that some criteria outweigh others.
CYD
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