We have a unique opportunity this election.  The remaining candidates are both sitting members of the Senate.  That allows us to go beyond just examining their stated platforms to actually compare their voting records.  Furthermore, since Clinton is also a senator, her supporters have the opportunity to compare each candidate's voting record to Clinton's.

It is rare, but occasionally I am driven to bursts of poetry.  It has been a few years, but tonight, while killing time in a hotel room in Austin while on a business trip, thinking about all that has happened to our nation the last seven years and what this next election means... I was driven to write the following.  For me, writing poetry is a bit like sneezing... its an involuntary action that is over with quickly and I'm not usually happy with the results.  Nevertheless, here it is in its raw, unrevised form over the flip.  Feedback is always welcome.

My girlfriend is an interesting portrait of political contrasts.  She sometimes describes herself as a 'conservative', but when you talk to her about the issues, she tends to land on the liberal side of them more often than not.  I know she is not alone in that.  Numerous polls have shown that the public leans left on most issues, even when they describe themselves as conservative or independent.  My GF is currently leaning toward McCain, but I suspect if she really examined where the candidates stand on the issues, she would probably flip to Obama.

The problem as I see it, is that people often vote the same way they shop.  They settle in on a particular 'brand' and then don't want to be bothered with constantly checking the ingredients lists.  Politicians certainly don't make it any easier.  They often speak in hard-to-verify generalities and purposely distort their opponent's record.

This election season, however, we have a unique opportunity.  The three most likely presidential candidates are currently all serving in the Senate.  We need only compare their voting records to clearly differentiate where they stand on the issues.  Follow me over the jump to see how I suggest we do this.

Recently, I visited a friend that teaches at a typical small state university.  Over an assortment of delightful micro-brew beers, we discussed the many problems and complaints one commonly finds on a college campus.  This included the usual complaints that students have about faculty, the school, the local town, and local police force.  My friend described one discussion in which his students expressed particular displeasure with the local government and the conduct of the police force.  There was plenty of complaining, a general sense of frustration and helplessness, but no solutions to be found... not even a sense that solutions were possible.  The town government was what it was and there was no changing it.  That was the common wisdom.

Then my friend decided to remind them of a few facts.  Join me on the flip-side for the details.

Ruilers Newswire - August 7, 2007

Whitehouse press secretary Tony Snow today answered questions
about a newly revealed terrorism prevention program.  Documents
leaked to the New York Times reveal Department of Homeland
Security contracts with Haliburtan subsidiary DPG Security
Inc. to develop an 'Integrated Surveillance Threat Response
System' (ISTR).

The system appears to consist of millions of small devices
that can gather data, funnel it back to a central location
for processing, and upon identification of a threat, detonate
a focused explosive charge that can neutralize the threat.

More after the jump...