Just once before I die, it would be nice if either of the two parties would nominate someone I could get truly excited about supporting. Last time I felt that way about any (even a prospective) candidate, it was 1968 and things ended rather badly at Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel.

Since then it seems I have seen signifigantly more energy spent trying to defeat the opposition than to promote any candidate. Maybe it's always been like this and when you are young, you're too naive to notice. So a sign of age perhaps, and nothing more, but I have grown decidedly weary of it all. Regardless of who wins, things only seem to get worse in this country, and we grow more divisive among ourselves.

Just once I'd like to see a candidate who could unite the Red and Blue states, bridge the cultural divide between urban and rural America, find a common ground between the religious right and the freedom from religion people, protect our security without needlessly killing innocents abroad or the brave young people we send over there to wage war in our name.

One who can focus our vision on a common good that will benefit all of us and not antagonize half the world in the process, who will not tax the hell out of the working class to support those who won't work or have squandered their opportunities in life, yet not allow the Enrons and Exxons and Haliburtons of the world to belly up to the trough at the expense of the less fortunate, one who remembers that it is government that exists for the benefit of the people, not the other way around. Someone who understands our health is OUR responsibility, not the government's, but that financing it is not a license for insurance companies and hospitals to commit larceny. Somebody who actually has ideals and values that are not subject to the whim of the latest opinion polls nor to the vagaries of what is politically expedient. Someone who actually lets you see what they stand for rather than trying to be politically amorphous.

Hillary Rodham Clinton? What? Would I like fries with that?
Somehow it's not what I was thinking of ordering, but thanks anyway.