The race to the Keystone State, Pa., is on ' the Democratic race to the party nomination, that is. We've seen twists and turns that put most roller coasters to shame, such as the revelation that Barack Obama's pastor of 20 years and spiritual advisor, Jeremiah Wright, is so nutty that he asked for God to damn America and claimed that the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS, is a weapon of biological genocide aimed at the black community. Also, in 1995, Obama paid a social call to two of his friends, William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, who just happened to be well-known members of what is widely considered to have been America's first leftist domestic terrorist group back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Weather Underground.
For those too young to remember who the Weather Underground were ' probably most of you, dear readers ' here's a quick recap. In the 1960s, a splinter group of Students for a Democratic Society, the Revolutionary Youth Movement II, declared itself to be the true voice of SDS and took control of the national SDS movement. This radical movement, more anti-capitalist and ultra-liberal than the SDS members you may see bumming around College Green these days, decided that working inside the system was no longer an option. Through the 1970s, the Weather Underground bombed police stations in New York City, led class-warfare riots in Chicago and made gunpowder plots against multiple civilian and military targets in the United States. Obama's friends Ayers and Dohrn had decided that the only way to change the system was to destroy it utterly and rebuild America in the image of Communist China. Truly, there were none more deluded or dangerous than the 11 socialist sociopaths central to the 1968 fight for control of leadership of SDS.
Obama's shady friends aren't the only twist or turn that the race to the general election bully pulpit, either. Recently, we were shocked ' shocked! ' that Hillary Clinton lies about things. Specifically, she lied about how she visited US troops stationed in Bosnia under mortally dangerous conditions, all because she cares so much. While Hillary remembers having to duck and run for cover upon landing, CBS News film footage shows her calmly shaking hands and receiving a somewhat lukewarm welcome on the tarmac. Whom should we believe: Hillary's memory or CBS News' footage? No offense, Hil, but I'm going with the film.
In spite of all this deliciousness, there are people who want the primary season to be over and want Hillary to drop out of the race. Now, I will concede the fact that most of the people arguing that Hillary should give up the ghost are Obamaniacs
and therefore are probably calling for this out of self-interest. Senator Patrick Leahy and Democratic primary also-rans Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd have all called on Hillary to quit. They say that it is mathematically impossible for her to win. But, if she quit after Super Tuesday, the tipping point of the primary, do you think that we would have found out about Obama's shady friends, or heard from his crazy race-baiting pastor of 20 years? All signs point to no.
The Democratic race needs to go on as long as possible. The American voter has a right to properly vet and consider the respective histories and positions of both Obama and Hillary. Many Republicans made the mistake of letting their side of the race prematurely end in February, when the last serious candidate, Mitt Romney, dropped out of the race to let McCain be the lead elephant, giving the pack a head start on the Democrats. Now, some Republicans regret that decision and are stuck with a candidate who has been measured and found wanting. In the interest of having a general election in which the two best candidates are the ones running, Democrats, don't be too hasty in crowning Obama with the win. There is still plenty of time to mull the decision over. Let the media do their job and report on the vices and vagaries of both Clinton and Obama, and then make your decision when it's time, not before.
Jesse Hathaway is a junior English major. Send him an e-mail at jh309105@ohiou.edu.
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