Reasonable people know this --

By Carol Gee

Do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Do not replace the current administration -- or Democratic members of Congress -- with another set of inept Republicans; it would be a strain the nation could not survive. Voters must select enough Democrats to assure that Congressional majorities can prevail in crucial votes. And I am not saying all Republicans need to go down to defeat. There are a number of good independent thinkers out there whom I admire. And their proposed president, John McCain could be just as bad as our current president (OCP), given his consistent mental lapses. I suspect I am not alone in this thinking.

What would we do without a little muckraking to help us find out the things voters need to know about the candidates? Looking past the law or the rules seems far too easy for Republicans. Here are just a few examples. The Federal Election Commission lawyers are claiming that John McCain may be able to change his campaign financing deal in midstream. Senator Ted Stevens says his arrest was unconstitutional. Senator Norm Coleman may be using undisclosed gifts to his personal advantage.

With possible massive economic collapse a possibility, and loss of privacy a certainty, and an ever-growing "military industrial complex" threat a reality, we do not need to replace leaders who already know about, and act to combat, these risks to the nation's well-being. If soldiers stationed in Iraq can favor Senator Obama, then Clinton supporters need to be clear-eyed voters, not angry Dem spoilers. It is time to close ranks, forgo catharsis, and get on with the general campaign. Reasonable people know this.

(Cross-posted at South by Southwest.)