Throwing in my Hat...

While this blog has continually critiqued candidates for political office, it rarely states with specificity where I stand, who I will vote for, or makes an outright endorsement for a candidate. This is going to be one of the few posts where this model changes.

As an American voter, I feel as though the 2008 Presidential race will require that I have a contingency plan depending on the outcome of the primaries early next year. For example, I don't support Hillary Clinton, but she leads the poles among Democrats, so I need to know which, if any, of the possible Republican candidates I will support in the even that they represent a lesser evil than the second half of the Clinton dynasty. This is the breakdown:

My Ultimate choice for President: Barrack Obama.
If Barrack is not a candidate: Ron Paul
If Ron Paul is not a candidate: Hillary Clinton

What does this mean? I support Barrack Obama. Not just because he is from Illinois, but because he is the only candidate with a positive vision of the American future. In addition, after meeting him in person before he was ever thought to be a candidate for President, he struck me as honest and sincere, something none of the other candidates, save maybe Ron Paul, demonstrate. Most importantly, he is a civil rights lawyer, so he knows the cost of his policies to the fundamental core structure of this country, the Constitution and its guaranteed freedoms. I trust Barrack, though inexperienced, to consider all of his options before making a decision, which is something that can't be said for President Bush especially when he advocates World War III. That being said, I am voting for Barrack Obama for President if I get the chance, regardless of who the other candidates.

Ron Paul has a good head on his shoulders. He is a real conservative. The kind we have forgotten about since the dawn of the New Deal era. He advocates small federal government and reducing our abusive and down-right imperial approach to world diplomacy. He understands the risks that prior Presidential policy presents to the American public. Above all, he advocates for the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, and is likely the only Republican candidate who understands what it means to follow the supreme law of the land.

Hillary Clinton is my last resort. I consider her to be the least of all the evils running for President aside from the two aforementioned candidates. However, this is literally a last resort since refusing to vote only results in tacit acquiescence to whims of the American majority. If I have to vote for Hillary, I will be doing so begrudgingly. I think the Southern Avenger may be on to something with this opinion demonstrating that electing Hillary will result in another 4 years of current neo-conservative policy. There is plenty to question with Hillary. First, she has a history of interesting supporters and this recently includes Pakistani lobbiests who recently reached the maximum level of support they can provide for a political candidate. This almost sounds like support for the newly self-appointed dictator, Pervez Musharraf. The only reason I am inclined to support a second Clinton administration is the hope that it will put us back on a sustainable economic track, though even this possibility is debatable.

As it stands, Hillary is a last resort, with Obama out front and Paul close behind. Hat, meet ring.