Never underestimate the role of family values.

I think Giuliani's campaign is pretty much dead since he came out as a pro-choice candidate. He was already very weak on the family values front with the whole living with one woman while married to a different woman, and estrangement from his children, but now to top it off he's pro-choice! No way he's winning many primaries, I'd be surprised if he won any. His only hope is if the Republican field is split among several strong candidates and he gets a decent percentage from the more moderate wing of the party. But so far it doesn't look like that'll be the case.

Barack Obama's wife, Michelle, recently scaled back her job in order to spend more time as the obligatory adoring candidate's wife. It is unfortunate that a high powered, very successful woman doing a job she seems to love has to basically quit because her husband is running for president. Presidential candidates have frequently been criticized for the actions or words of their spouses, and an outspoken, or absent, or too smart spouse can mean trouble for a candidate. Just ask John Kerry, Howard Dean, and Bill Clinton. Instead of working full-time as VP for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, she now has to work full time talking about domestic life. Despite her background, she hasn't even spoken out on health care policy yet, probably taking a lesson from a certain first lady, now presidential candidate, who received a lot of flack over her attempt at tackling US health care policy.

This is a little old, but a few weeks ago Hilary said that if she were president she would appoint Bill to be some kind of roving world ambassador. I am displeased that Hilary is trying to subtly campaign on a two for one deal. Elect me, and you'll get Bill back too. As the first serious women candidate, it is annoying that she is using her husband as a way to woo over reluctant voters who loved Bill but aren't too sure about Hilary. I'm also frustrated that Bill gets to galavant all over, giving speeches on the lecture circuit, without any serious expectations that he be there at the end of every debate to give Hilary a hug, or smiling and schmoozing at every fundraiser like the wives of the other candidates are.
It's all part of the reason why I'm fully convinced that America is much more ready to elect a black man as president than a woman of any skin color.

Science is Optional, Another Massachusetts Flip-flopper, all Part of the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate.

Last night was the 2008 Republican presidential candidates debate. I read a recap of the debates and was more than slightly dismayed to see that 3 of the candidates indicated that they do not believe in evolution- Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, and Tom Tancredo. How did we get to the point where it is optional to believe in science? Man, I wished I could have pulled this back in high school chemistry. "I'm sorry, I don't believe in protons, electrons and neutrons. Can I skip the test?" You can bet these guys don't believe in global warming either.

It is interesting that Sam Brownback was one of the candidates who says he does not believe in evolution. His main hook as a candidate is that he is a very vocal and proud Catholic. However, Catholicism is not one of the religions that preaches against evolution. It is totally acceptable to believe in evolution, because the idea is that God is the one back there pulling the strings and making creatures evolve. So Brownback is not only out of the mainstream of the general population, he is also misrepresenting the Catholic position.

Mitt Romney spent part of the night defending his major flip-flop on the issue of abortion. Romney is the former governor of Massachusetts, and while governor, he was pro-choice. However, as he started to sniff the airs of presidentiality, he suddenly decided he was pro-life. Just like that, he switched sides on one of the most personal and also most public issues of American politics. But that's what the smell of becoming president will do to a candidate. Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich, though long a staunch progressive, was always pro-life. That was, until several years ago when he decided he would like to run for president in 2004. And just like Romney, he switched his position and is now pro-choice. I'm so excited that America will be run by old white men who can switch their view on issues like abortion for political convenience and never have to personally be affected by their positions.