Argh!

About a month ago, I told my sister that I thought that Bill Clinton was actually working to undermine Hillary's candidacy -- maybe unintentionally/subliminally, but nonetheless. After all, he's always been the consummate campaigner. When he was running, he rarely made a misstep. But now he's screwing up royally. It's got to be because, deep down inside, he doesn't really want her to win, doesn't it?

The last few days, I've been hearing pundits say the same thing. See, I should be actually blogging what I think when I think it, so that I can become one of the elite blogosphero-types that get Listened To. Yeah, that's what I oughtta do.

I've always basically liked Hillary, except for those glaring moments when I wonder what she could be thinking. But I also like Barack and, if he gets elected, I hope that he can count on the same combination of charisma and good strategic advice that we've seen throughout this campaign. He seems relatively unruffle-able, and he clearly has a good campaign team keeping him on message. Whether it works to actually unite Americans, who knows. Whether it works to inspire less pessimism in America globally -- well, that would be even better.

My biggest concern, no matter who gets in, is to what extent they can resuscitate the Constitution. I never thought I'd see the day that the government of this country (all branches) would be able and apparently more than willing to relegate the Law of the Land to the shredder. Will no one in the Legislature or the Judiciary stand up for the Constitution, at long last? Doesn't the United States government care -- don't the people who were elected to these posts give enough of a damn, any of them, to stand up and say "Enough!" loudly and persistently? What the hell is happening to us?

So bloody sick of people waving the flag in a threatening manner and shredding the Constitution at the same time. It's like a funhouse mirror; everything is completely topsy-turvy. Without the Constitution, what does the flag represent? Lies, deceit, treachery.

To me, it's not enough to say you're going to change the country if your first step is not to demand that our leaders, our judges, our legislatures stand up first and foremost for human rights, dignity, habeas corpus. For keeping not only *our* young people alive and out of a pointless war, but also for the innocents who are not Americans from dying for this miserable mistake. To make sure that people get a fair trial. To destroy secret prisons, to stop anything resembling torture, and to apologize for what's been done. To stop pouring money into lost and misguided causes and right the economy. You know, the Bill of Rights. And, dammit, to make those who are responsible for these crimes be held accountable.