All I want from the next President

[cali]

is sanity, a depth of intelligence, a functioning conscience, and a D after his or her name. Anything else is gravy.

[madokie]

1. I'll second that

[Ringo84]

2. I'll THIRD it! (n/t)

[Skink]

3. Dennis D Kucinich then.

[AnOhioan]

15. Actually Dennis "J" Kucinich

And as much as I like him, the voting population is not ready for him. And that is truly a shame.

[Philosoraptor]

4. Somebody who speaks and understands English

Would be a great start, somebody smarter than Bush, which could well be millions of individuals.

I couldn't agree more.

[wtmusic]

5. I'd put commitment on the list

That will weed out most of the current crop of Dem hopefuls

[robbedvoter]

6. Lack of bloodlust, honesty, respect for Constitution, to work for the

American People....

[rep the dems]

7. All I want is for

his name to be Al Gore, Russ Feingold, or Wesley Clark. If any other contenders arise that I think are true democrats like these 3, I'll add them.

[niyad]

8. I want to make sure we HAVE a next president!!!

[SammyWinstonJack]

14. Indeed! nt

[blm]

9. I want the books opened on BushInc to make sure it can never grow back

ever again.

[Telly Savalas]

10. In other words, you're saying Bush won.

Your post seems to suggest that Bush has set the bar so ridiculously low, that so long as the next guy isn't a total fuck-up, then it's OK.

Just because somebody's last spouse physically abused them doesn't make it OK if their next one forgets the wedding anniversery, if you know what I mean.

[cali]

11. No, and that's not such a low bar when

you stop to think about it. Depth of intelligence and a functioning conscience aren't that common in presidents. Neither is sanity, and all three together are a goddamn rarity. (plus I was being somewhat tongue in cheek in my OP, attempting to convey the weariness and strain bushco has put on me)

[Telly Savalas]

13. I dig.

I agree that even my least favorite Dems would be a breath of fresh air after Bush, but I don't see these qualities as being that rare. One could make a convincing case that every Democratic president we've had in the last century as well as Eisenhower possessed these three traits. That doesn't mean I agree with all their decisions--quite to the contrary, the fact that such men could exercise bad judgement at times is precisely why I feel we should have higher standards.

[Brigid]

12. What do I want?

I want competence, compassion, experience, intelligence, the ability to form a coherent sentence in writing and in speaking, an ability to listen to differing opinions, and the courage to do what's right. Plus, a D after his/her name would be just great. How much of this will I get? Only time will tell.