What I am saying is that I don't think you are going to get the big changes you think, or hope will happen.

They are not going to be able to do simply yank out of Iraq- in fact, they don't want to.
They are not going to open up by starting impeachments- though if they are that foolish- more power to them.

You are also hopelessly naive if you think Dems are not beholden to special interests. In fact- that is so naive and blind as to be laughable. Of course they are- as much as the GOP.

What is also sad is that for alot of you it seems to have less to do with supposedly turning the country around than it does with putting a wall in front of Bush and the GOP- it's hardly altruistic.

I just suspect this may not turn out to be all that different-

Actually, I think we've got people all over the place on this board. Of course, Dems are not really "left" to me.

The reason I am leaning towards the left is because the right got too big for its britches with inflated self importance, and pushed me out of the middle ground.

I could not have said it better myself. in (what amounts to) a two-party system, I dont think its ever a good idea to give either total control.

Actually, if I remember correctly, you were chastized for doing so while sounding like a smarmy jerk.

The wall that I want around this government hardly has anything to do with altrusim or lack thereof. They have made so many bad choices that I would rather none be allowed to be made at all. And, DAMN STRAIGHT I want to turn the country around. I don't believe it's possible with this president-- I have no faith in him or respect for him-- so all I can hope for is to curb him until we can vote someone else in.

I never said I thought we were going to pull out of Iraq, nor did I say I wanted it. I have only ever said that I wanted us to never have gone into Iraq. Because we are there we have no choice but to try to clean up the puss that came out when we squeezed it.

And, yes. Politicians are always beholden to special interests. It's just that the Democrats' special interests are far more special to me. Yes, I'm being snarky and not entirely serious there, but I have my doubts that the blue politicians are as tied into the oil market as the red ones.

And, PS. Big changes? Don't be so pessimistic. We've seen big changes happen before. We sure got big changes when this administration entered the white house. Huge budget surplus turns into horrific budget deficit and unprovoked offensive attack on another country. As clearly this demonstrates, big changes can always happen, and perhaps in the aftermath of the 08 election, big changes could happen again.

You remember incorrectly. I certainly wasn't a smarmy jerk..and certainly didn't attempt to insult anyone like you just did. So, I would say the jerk would be you good sir.

I was chastized for making the absurd assumption that most on this board lean left, which I thought to be pretty obvious. Ah insulted for pointing out the obvious...lovely.

I neither said you were smarmy, nor a jerk. I said you sounded like it when you made your observation.

ETA: ah yes, now I remember...that was the "I know you're going to discount my post because you're all a bunch of hippies" post... [yes I'm paraphrasing]

Perhaps he doesn’t like the smell of our patchouli… ;)