that's the level of discussion here, and in most of america. and that's the level of political evolution here.

mandate? there is no mandate, for you are not selecting a program of policies, beyond vague generalities, mere shibboleths. all you got, with your vote, was a person- the 'good' king, not the other 'evil' king.

american politics is locked in a time warp, progressive by the standards of businessmen and slave-owners in 1789,but primitive and ineffectual in 2008. those grandees of the new nation saw the utility of being able to change the constitution. but they made damned sure only the agents of the grand in congress could do it. consequently, there is no democracy, no citizen initiative, and no change that is unwanted by the elite.

america likes to talk about being a society governed by laws, not men. this is doublethink, and newspeak, for you are only ever able to vote for men, not laws.

obama will do what he thinks best, and can persuade the other beltway 'betters' to support. the rest of america must stand passively watching, like the sheep in the field they are. take what you get from them, and be humbly grateful if he is a better person than dubya.

mandate? who do you think you are? you're civilians, not citizens. tax cows who can talk, but cannot act.

but serial killers are victims of horrific childhoods, still we put them in jail, or kill them. the bush regime is killing indiscriminately in iraq, afghanistan, and now pakistan. she's a member of that criminal organization, and should be crying in a concrete cell in belgium, if america were at the level of political evolution equal, say, to serbia.

since 47% of american voters still like the republicans, saint obama is going to have to smile and change the subject.

"don't look back, look ahead!" americans cry. that's partly because the charnel house in the rearview mirror is mildly embarassing to a 'christian' nation.

"i'm proud we voted for obama", are you not also legitimizing the vote, twice, for dubya?

if you really want to be proud, stop voting for whatever crook, fool, egotist, the parties throw up as would-be kings.

instead, vote for the various programs that management companies offer the country through referendum. make them carry it out in public, and fire them if they fail. refuse to go to war, save by national referendum. it's called 'democracy, and until you have it, you are pawns of money and spin-doctors, the helpless mugs of bureaucrats who lie to you to please their real masters.

mike gravel saw all this, and offers a path to democracy. look at his 'initiative for democracy' site, and ask yourself, "will we be worse off, if we can control the politicians?"

a nation that the evil king can take from you, and the good king can give back, is not your nation, it's the king's. so it should be, it was designed that way.

when the fundamental law of the land is citizen initiative, no evil king can take it, no prince charming give it back- then it's your nation.

but gary isn't ready for real democracy, it's too hard. too hard for you, as well. better hope the supply of evil kings has run out...

when he put his hand up, it was in terrible shape, but since then we had to redefine 'terrible'. good luck to him, and put a shoulder to the wagon when you see it. gonna need every body, this is an "all hands on deck!" moment.

how'd he get there?

dropped in, in the dead of night, by a cia black chopper, and substituted for the smart lovable dubya y'all voted for by a team of ss agents under the direction of cheney?

well, maybe. funnier things have happened since. but a better bet is y'all don't know how to pick'em. once you understand that, would everyone that voted for dubya twice pleases withdraw from the electoral rolls? yer just holding the country back.

give the 'socialists' a chance, the liberals, the tree-huggers, the pro-choice, pro gay marriage real americans have all been telling you what a loser dubya is, and now everyone agrees. well, there are some really slow learners out there, but you know what i mean.

fair is fair, guys. go to the back of the class, and stay there for about 20 years.

the previous 8 years were as empty, what a much better president he would be.

but he represents america, bible in one hand, gun in the other, dumb in between.

don't know why he is so unpopular, he hasn't changed a bit from the murderous fool america took to it's heart. you'd have to conclude voters are stupid to vote for him twice, and hypocrites to disown him. the fact that he still gets 25% approval means quite a few are merely stupid.

"and then we press this button, and vote to bomb people on the other side of the world, that have never harmed us. usa! usa! usa!"

if americans were presented with this choice, would this be their response? perhaps you can see why i urge democracy over oligarchy.

there's a big difference between bad and terrible. dubya is a notable example of terrible. he is not unique. america has been killing abroad from day1, and drone bombs make it possible to continue without disturbing the voters with american casualties.

enjoy obama while you can, there'll be another dubya along soon, as nero followed caligula and both were succeeded by incompetents and maniacs. do look into democracy soon, it's the only hope for a peaceful and secure future.

"now,what are you gonna do about iraq, about afghanistan, about the recession, about foreign trade and job exporting?"

do you really think there'll be any trouble laughing at obama?

but the good news is, from a choice of two, america is going for the better one. this must be harder than it looks, in view of picking dubya twice.