An interesting election

This is what I remember of a conversation that I overheard in a hotel bar ... The details are fuzzy because I'd had a few drinks.

A group of five business men, drinking, at a table. Some one says something that I didn't quite hear.

"Oh, Obama'll fix it.", retorts one.  General laughter.  Hearing the name made me perk up.  Where were these denizens of corporate America saying about Obama?

"I was listening to him the other day," says one, "and he says he'll take all your money and give it away."  That is true. What a lot of latte-sipping Obama supporters may fail to realize that he is a liberal. Taxes will go up.  Since I paid penalties last year to the IRS because I underestimated my tax bracket, I'm quite aware that if Obama wins, I'll have to start paying more to Uncle Sam.  And I would be lying if I said that the prospect doesn't bother me.

"That McCain, he's one hell of a mother fucker," one of them said.  And then conversation turned to his accomplishments in Vietnam.  His self-effacing stand to being tortured impressed several of the fellows.  "He is tough," agreed another fellow, "he's not going to dick around."

This is going to be an interesting election -- both the Democrats and Republicans are nominating their strongest candidates.

As for me, I'm torn. I'm with Obama on a more nuanced foreign policy but with McCain on domestic issues like school choice and earmarks.   Obama's pandering on NAFTA turned me off a bit, as did McCain's riffs on bombing Iran and a 100-year occupation of Iraq.

P.S. Am I not jumping the gun thinking it's going be Obama vs. McCain? No ... contrary to innumerate media reports, it's impossible for Hillary Clinton to win the Democratic nomination at this point.  Obama leads by 150 delegates and 800,000 in the popular vote.  Her "big" win in Ohio netted her 15 delegates and less than a 100,000 vote lead. She needs at least 8 more Ohios. She has just one -- Pennsylvania. The best I can tell, her game plan is to weaken Obama so that he loses to McCain and she can run in 4 years.  If Obama were not goody-two-shoes, he'd run advertisements in the general election saying "Vote for me so Hillary doesn't run in 4 years!"