Yes, it's a free country and all of that, but running for president is NOT Nader's business. Typically, if someonee asked something like, say, the dimensions of your genitalia, you would reply 'I'm sorry, but that really is my business.' If, however, you appeared on a nationally televised news program, and announces your intention to insert said genitalia into America's rectum, that is no longer 'my business'. Do you understand, or shall I demonstrate? http://slate.msn.com/id/2095593/
I understand that a lot of conservatives despised Clinton, and discussing why any longer is useless - it's a known fact. Gore inherited much of that antipathy, and he earned a good deal of it with his impersonal campaigning style and appearance of waffling on issues.
But for conservatives to attempt to take the personal antipathy that they have felt towards one man, and attempt four years later to use it towards any Dem that happens to run for Prez, is using a very wide brush that's not very fair or balanced (if I can use those words without Roger Ailes' lawyers attacking me). It's as if the GOP has only one trick now - acting like vicious Rottweilers - and they're gonna use that trick every chance they get.
I know that there are some Republicans who would make fine leaders of this country. If John McCain had been in the general election against Al Gore, I would have struggled mightily, but I probably would have voted for McCain, because I think he's a better leader than Gore (or Bush). Likewise, I think that I trust Kerry's decisions more than I trust Bush's decisions - even though I don't agree with all his positions (and I doubt I'll ever see a candidate where I do agree with 100%). But we don't have John McCain... or others. We have Shrub. And Shrub scares moderate Republicans with his spending, his environmental policies, his intrusions on civil liberties, and his WMD-based tap dancing. And that's moderate Republicans! (Which, thank Bog, we still have some of!)
But this country has been led through times of trouble and strife with Democratic presidents, men more liberal than anyone we could put on the ballot today - and lived to tell the tale. This country has had great leaps forward with Republican leaders (TR and his support in labor laws comes to mind - something I can't imagine coming from the GOP today). The fact of the matter is, the debate shuld be on the issues, not on personal attacks, and you can't make a case the the country would be unsafe with John Kerry at the helm. You can say it, in big bold letters - but you can't make a case for it. You can try to use fear to sway voters - because in this case, you sure don't want them to use their minds.
Are you better off than you were four years ago? Do you feel safer than you did four years ago?
Vote Democrat - the party for fiscal responsibility and national security.
(PS to git: Acknowledging where the American electorate is right now nationally, Ralph and Kucinich and such should spend their time on local races, building a track record, which in the long term could finally break the two-party system - but only if it starts locally. And it will take years.)