|
The Democratic convention took three ballots to nominate Adlai Stevenson in 1952.
The idea of a compromise candidate is that no single candidate came to the convention with enough support to win the nomination, so the party bosses wheeled and dealed and picked somebody on whom they could all agree, even if he wasn't anybody's first choice. We've had some pretty bad presidents picked that way -- Pierce and Harding come to mind -- and some excellent candidates chosen that way, too (I've just mentioned Stevenson).
I share your anger. I am more angry at Senator Clinton now than I have ever been. There is too much of a cold political calculating machine about and too little human warmth or concern for the consequences of her actions, like the thousands of deaths resulting from her vote for the IWR. Her vote for the IWR was disappointing and her vote for the Kyl-Lieberman resolution even more so. She should know Mr. Bush well enough not to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially on matter of war, but she did it not once but twice, the second time long after it was established that he lied the first time.
What she is doing now is too much. An attack on any Democrat from the GOP noise machine is an attack on all. Rather than call the Rove wannabes on their smears against Obama, she remains silent in the hope that it will damage him and give her an opening. It is selfish, despicable behavior. Such behavior does not suggest leadership qualities. If we want such an ignoble person in the White House, we can either elect Senator Clinton or make Bush president for life.
If she does worm through, I will hold my nose in November and vote for her. Having her in the White House is better than having American troops remain in Iraq. However, like you, I am afraid that that there will many who will be too angry to go to the polls on election day. And then, this time next year and the year after that, we will still be in the streets protesting the war in Iraq, we will still hear the news anchors grimly report higher casualty figures, and we will listen to President McCain say that he had a mandate to continue the war and he will see it through to victory.
|