"I'm going to vote for..."

And yes, I really am ashamed that it's come to this.

There are some people for whom this presidential election will be a major letdown.  There are others for whom it will be a wonderful event.  For the record, I'm in the first camp.

I can't, in good conscience, vote for either JM or BHO.  When you cast your vote, you should vote based on your candidate's stance on the issues.  Does that particular candidate believe the same way you do on matters of affirmative action, border and national security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the loss of American jobs overseas, the economy, etcetera?  (Note please that this list is not complete, nor is it in any particular order.)

Granted, finding a candidate that agrees with you 100 per cent of the time would probably be impossible, so you have to go with the best match.  Generally, you'll wind up OK doing this.

But there are some people that will vote for JM simply because BHO defeated HRC in the primary.  That's right.  For some of these voters, the only thing that matters is ...

...gender.  And since BHO beat HRC, they're going to "get back" at him by voting for JM.  This is, in part, what has made me ashamed of American politics.  And the grab-a$$ politicians with one hand in the pork-barrel and the other up each other's rectums hasn't helped. 

I remember when Ms. Pelosi became the Speaker ... she was going to "clean up" the place and seriously reduce pork-barrel spending.

If you've been reading the news, you'll know it increased ... and by a rather healthy margin.  But I digress ... again.

To get back to the point of this entry, there are some people for whom gender is the most important qualification to be the president.  And since HRC got defeated by BHO, some of her supporters are going to "get back" at BHO by voting for JM.  And that's sad.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating ... so I'll say it here again.  I would have no problem whatsoever with a woman being the President.  Unfortunately, Dr. Rice isn't running.

I would have no problem whatsoever with an African-American being the President.  Unfortunately, General Powell isn't running, either.

To be fair, I happen to know of several people who will vote for BHO simply because their choice of a Republican got defeated.  And to "get back" at JM, they're going to vote for BHO.  That too is sad.

Have we truly become that childish? 

Being able to cast a vote is a privilege ... one given us by our Founding Fathers, and those who have fought and died to ensure that we keep this most cherished of freedoms.

Does it really mean that little to us?