T1B

Ed Rollins wrote:NEW YORK (CNN) -- We're coming to the close of the longest and most costly presidential election in our history.

Whoever wins, this race will be historic. We will elect in a week either the first African-American president and the first Catholic vice president or the oldest man to be elected to a first term and the first woman vice president.
Another asterisk for the record books would be the election of the first president born in Hawaii or vice president raised in Alaska.

Fifty-six times Americans have gone to the polls to select our presidents. This is the first time two sitting U.S. senators are facing off against each other. It is the first time since 1928 a sitting president or vice president is not a candidate. But two presidents, the incumbent and his immediate predecessor, cast giant shadows over this election season.

The biggest shadow of course is that of President Bush. Our 43rd president's goal in life was to surpass his father, 41, whom he admired but felt was weak.

Guided by his political guru, Karl Rove, it was Bush II's ambition to make the Republican Party the majority party for decades to come. He and Karl wanted to create a political realignment that would marginalize Democrats for at least a generation and maybe more.

Not satisfied to change only American politics, Bush and his neo-con advisers, led by Dick Cheney, wanted to use American military might to spread democracy to places that had been led only by tribal councils and ruthless dictators.

If Bush had accomplished these goals, he truly would have been a historic president much like his newfound hero Harry Truman. But his failures were unimaginable. W will go down in history, all right.

He will leave office with the lowest approval ratings of any president in modern times and will be judged as a catastrophic failure who destroyed his party, left his successor with two unpopular, unfinished wars and left the country in the worst economic condition in nearly eight decades. That's not even counting the Bush administration's inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

By comparison, his father's failed presidency looks pretty good. Barack Obama has very effectively tied John McCain to Bush and tried to convince voters that electing McCain means four more years of Bush's failed policies.

The second president in this election season whose shadow looms large and goals remain unfulfilled is Bill Clinton. Clinton seemed to think if his wife were elected president, his presidency and his legacy would be renewed.

His meddling and missteps may have helped undo her effort to become the first woman president. Hillary Clinton's dream obviously disappeared with the nomination of Barack Obama.

Although a political loser this cycle, Hillary Clinton will remain on the political stage in a very large role as long as she chooses.

Unlikely as it seems today, she still may be America's first woman president. But for her immediate future, "If only we had done [fill in the blank]?" will be part of her daily thoughts and those of her supporters. As for Bill, the ex-president's club is pretty exclusive and he will remain a factor in world and domestic politics for as long as he chooses.

This brings us to the last two men standing after this marathon election cycle -- McCain and Obama.

McCain began his quest for the presidency over 10 years ago, never giving up on his pursuit of that office.

I will vote for McCain, but I do so knowing he has run one of the weakest presidential campaigns in modern times and is probably going to lose big.

I support him because I think he is a courageous man, a tested leader and a man who can direct this country through the tough times ahead. I also believe in what he stands for, even though he has not articulated it as well as I might have liked.

But unless some unforeseen event occurs, I believe McCain's quest comes to an end in a week.

What he does after this campaign is a serious question. Returning to the Senate where his party's numbers will be greatly diminished would be a giant letdown -- and he will likely be blamed, at least in part, for those diminished numbers.

I believe Obama is likely to be our next president but he will not have long to savor his victory. He faces the prospect of real nightmares for most or all of his term. Every skill we have seen brilliantly displayed in his near-perfect campaign will be needed during his term.

Having worked for four presidents, I know what tough decisions rest on a president's desk each day. No matter how smart his advisers are, the decision is his.

Whoever wins, the next president may enjoy only two days of his presidency: his inauguration day and the day years later when he dedicates his presidential library.

For Republicans, if the polls are any indication, Karl Rove and George Bush's plans for a major party realignment may come true. It just won't be the party they wanted.

I am afraid this election is about to be a debacle for Republicans and a long election night; and unless we get our act together it may be a very long time in the wilderness.

But rest assured. Next week, if McCain loses, small groups of folks will start plotting and planning for the candidate of their choice for 2012. To paraphrase Arnold Schwarzenegger's slogan in the movie the Terminator: "We'll be back!"

Goober McTuber wrote:And it doesn't look good.

Washed-up Has-Been wrote:NEW YORK (CNN) -- We're coming to the close of the longest and ...etc, etc...

Cuda wrote:

Goober McTuber wrote:And it doesn't look good.

Washed-up Has-Been wrote:NEW YORK (CNN) -- We're coming to the close of the longest and ...etc, etc...

Ed Rollins hasn't worked on a successful campaign for anything in 10 years

Goober McTuber wrote:

Cuda wrote:
Ed Rollins hasn't worked on a successful campaign for anything in 10 years

Which does nothing to discredit his observations here. Tard.

I support him because I think he is a courageous man, a tested leader and a man who can direct this country through the tough times ahead.

Gobbles McTubesteak wrote:

Cuda wrote:
Ed Rollins hasn't worked on a successful campaign for anything in 10 years

Which does nothing to discredit his observations here.

Cooter wrote:

Gooober McTuber wrote:

Cooter wrote:
Ed Rollins hasn't worked on a successful campaign for anything in 10 years

Which does nothing to discredit his observations here.

Oh, no... being a neon failure makes anybody an expert.

The biggest shadow of course is that of President Bush. Our 43rd president's goal in life was to surpass his father, 41, whom he admired but felt was weak.

Guided by his political guru, Karl Rove, it was Bush II's ambition to make the Republican Party the majority party for decades to come. He and Karl wanted to create a political realignment that would marginalize Democrats for at least a generation and maybe more.

Not satisfied to change only American politics, Bush and his neo-con advisers, led by Dick Cheney, wanted to use American military might to spread democracy to places that had been led only by tribal councils and ruthless dictators.

If Bush had accomplished these goals, he truly would have been a historic president much like his newfound hero Harry Truman. But his failures were unimaginable. W will go down in history, all right.

He will leave office with the lowest approval ratings of any president in modern times and will be judged as a catastrophic failure who destroyed his party, left his successor with two unpopular, unfinished wars and left the country in the worst economic condition in nearly eight decades. That's not even counting the Bush administration's inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

By comparison, his father's failed presidency looks pretty good. Barack Obama has very effectively tied John McCain to Bush and tried to convince voters that electing McCain means four more years of Bush's failed policies.

mvscal wrote:

I am afraid this election is about to be a debacle for Republicans and a long election night; and unless we get our act together it may be a very long time in the wilderness.

Uh....OK

Really hard hitting stuff right there.

mvscal wrote:Not really. Right wing whack jobs aren't voting for McCain.

Goober McTuber wrote: If he’s right, it’s definitely going to hit some people pretty hard, including the right wing whack-job faction in this forum.

War Wagon wrote:
Good luck with that. I almost hope bitter bitches like yourself get their fucking wish, nevermind the consequences. Then us "right wing whack-jobs" can sit back and point fingers at the collosal clusterfuck that ensues.

Mikey wrote: Couldn't be much any worse than the collosal clusterfuck foisted on the nation by 8 years of Republican rule. I'm just hoping that some of the crap that you assholes dumped on us can be undone in my lifetime.

Mikey wrote: Couldn't be much any worse than the collosal clusterfuck foisted on the nation by 8 years of Republican rule. I'm just hoping that some of the crap that you assholes dumped on us can be undone in my lifetime.

War Wagon wrote:

Goober McTuber wrote: If he’s right, it’s definitely going to hit some people pretty hard, including the right wing whack-job faction in this forum.

When did you become such a political whore, Goobs? I thought you had total disdain for politics, especially in light of how stridently you bitched about partisan rants in CDS. Like it really fucking matters where a poltical discussion takes place. They happen everywhere.

Anyways, I guess we can put you down as a liberal whack job, eh? Not surprising, being from a college town. So now you're rubbing your hands together in glee in anticpation of an Obama White House and both the HoR and Senate being controlled by a filibuster proof majority.

Good luck with that. I almost hope bitter bitches like yourself get their fucking wish, nevermind the consequences. Then us "right wing whack-jobs" can sit back and point fingers at the collosal clusterfuck that ensues.

Goober McTuber wrote: but when Obama gets elected, the right wing meltage in here will be tres amuse.

mvscal wrote:why hasn't obammy fixed the economy yet? I'll tell you why, because Onegroid is too busy hanging out with William Ayers plotting ways in which to destroy this country. His tax policies are killing this country, and all On...igger does is pander to the dregs of society. His socialistic policies are Marxist and he's got this country headed to the abyss. I blame everyone

Felix wrote: you can pretty much anticipate that three days after Obama takes office, the rep tards on this board will be in here demanding why Obama hasn't yet fixed the previous 8 years of fuck-ups foisted on us by Bush and Co.

mvscal wrote:

Tom In VA wrote:You won't hear it from me. I assure you.

That's OK, I would be happy to return the favor.

Tom In VA wrote:Besides, with a super majority Obama will start creating his own fuck ups very quickly so that should provide plenty of fodder in and of itself.

Felix wrote:

Tom In VA wrote:Besides, with a super majority Obama will start creating his own fuck ups very quickly so that should provide plenty of fodder in and of itself.

it's called self fulfilling prophecy.....you'll find something to criticize no matter what he does....

Tom In VA wrote: if I don't agree with the man's policies before he gets elected - of course I won't agree with him as he executes them. Are you suggesting the man is above reproach ?