People would rather go down with the ship than admit for one second that they had made an error in judgement.

I voted for Bush too.... for the simple reason that you do not change presidents in the middle of a conflict if you can help it..... but if there had been an actual opposing candidate that was worth a damn.... I would have seriously considered it.... the Bush / Kerry presidential campaign was the worst run campaign I have ever witnessed.

When are we going to get an honest and straight forward candidate to put in the Presidential seat?

The next election is an excellent opportunity to get the third party we so desperately need to restore balance to our system.... a third party is IMO a major key to the progress of this nation.... if we could get someone into the White House..... that would spin this whole game on its head.

We need a candidate!

I agree with you up till the third party candidate part. Yes, I would much rather see a third party candidate become president, but in reality that will NEVER happen given the structure of our electoral system. You have to be a realist and understand that third party candidates eliminate votes for Democratic candidates. And yes I understand that Democrats are corporate hacks as well, but I doubt they would have invaded Iraq.

This isn't a partisan comment. I just think most third-party voters would rather see the lesser of two evils become President.

Exactly why the third party has to win.... you tell me who you think the lesser of two evils will be in the next election?

Hilary Clinton?
John McCain?
John Kerry?
Barack Obama?
Rudolph Gulianni?
???????????????????????????????????????????

The main reason that a third party has never been a viable option.... or a competative candidate is because they have never been established as either.

If they never get their percentage of vote then they are not going to get a share of the federal funding needed to run.... and they will never get invited to debate on a national stage.

The system is controlled....yes

it's easy to see that a third party candidacy is one of the things that they fear the most..... exactly why we need one. If they control both parties... which they do... they can control everything.... including the issues being presented for debate.

the way campaigns are run is devised to divide the people.... they are dirty... and touch on issues that they know will split you one way or another.... but in the end it's already decided.

A third party would be the hitch in their giddy-up.

the whole game changes.... but we have to have someone we know has a chance to win. And they would have to run a campaign unlike any ever seen before..... the marketing would have to be primarily over the internet... and by word of mouth and getting out.

Just to answer your first question real fast, I despise all of the candidates you listed except Obama. Certainly he won't revolutionize our government, but I think he would be relatively refreshing.

I understand your desire for a better system and better candidates. And I agree with you that we need a diversity of political parties!! But our system is not structured that way, and it is a pity. The fact of the matter is George W. Bush became president in part because of Ralph Nader. I'm not educated on Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, or the politics of third parties, but I do know they indirectly contributed to W becoming president. Third party candidates DO NOT drain significant votes from Republicans. They DO drain significant votes from Democrats. It is true that most third party voters do not like the corporate nature of either Democrats or Republicans, even despise them both, BUT given the choice, they would in all likelihood choice a Democrat.

In any case, I am not for Democrats or Republicans. I am for good people in office. There are Democrats and Republicans of great integrity, and there are Democrats and Republicans who are deplorable and sell-outs. Sorry to be rambling...

I resent people claiming votes for Nader helped Bush win. If the Democrats actually represented things I believed in AND acted to make them so they would get my vote. Actions and words are two separate things. Unfortunately, the human mind likes to work in the present and most people don't take the time to see that Democrats and Republicans don't represent them any more. They represent the corporations. Democrats are in for a rude awakening with the next congress.

They are both corporate hacks--but I've said before, the Democrats cred rests on pretending to be the working class vote--which gives activists a foot in the door.

Currently the problem is not enough activism by the disorganized, over-worked, underpaid population. Enough people harrass the Dems it can netraulize their corporate connections by putting them into a catch twenty 22--I listen to the corporations, I'm politically dead, I don't listen, my approval goes up but I may not get money any more---

That corporate money can only go so far. And the point of course is not to sit back once the Dems have won--the point is now we have a wedge--push, push, push! And use the opportunity to build a BETTER system for everyone.

Pelosi drives me NUTS for this reason--"yes, we have power now to impeach but NO, we don't plan to USE it." Then what's the point, Nancy?

Impeachment. Accountability. A better world.

I've said this before ,a few times on 9/11 blogger.
My intrest in the the murder of JFK lead me to finding the truth about 9/11.
Growning up my dad was always a democrat.
He said they were for the working man.As i grew up my thoughts were that they were all corrupt.Controled by money.
There are exceptions in every case.(Cynthia Mckinney) One person can't correct the system.You either play ball or your out.
This peaked my interest in to how the system works.I highly recommend the folling video's that put the system into perspective.You may have to go to Google Canda to see a few of these.The one in paticular is called ....The Money Masters,and is in three parts.Starts out dry ,but gets DAMN good!
Another is Monoply men Federal Reserve fraud,and last of which is one iam sure most of us have seen is Aaron Russo's Freedom to Fascism.
I would also like to let all of you in on a great page to look at.It provides alot of food for thought.
Google truth seeker. Yes the world is controled by the elite,and our politicians BOTH republicans,and democrats have sold the american people out a long time ago.
I LOVE MY COUNTRY ,AND I WANT HER BACK!

They guy who did the Money Masters sounds like the guy who did the voice for all of those Ronco products in the 70's... Pocket Fisherman, Smokeless Astray, etc...

<edit: Ron Popeil is the guys name - http://www.biography.com/broadband/main.do?video=ronco-new-smokeless-ashtray > 

I read "The Creature From Jekyll Island" probably two years ago+... and I have seen several Documentary Films since... Including Freedom to Fascism.... very good... lots of unanswerd questions.

I often think of the direction this country was headed prior to the creation of the Fedeeral Reserve.... we were booming... innovation was at all time highs.... the country was on the rise.

Then the Federal Reserve came into play..... then the wars started.... the stock market fluxuations.... The Great Depression...

and in the end it's the banks who always win!

That's the point!