I tried. I really did. I listened to five or six Obama speeches in their entirety. I read his book. I visited his website. I listened to his supporters. I saw the enthusiasm for him. I heard the punditocracy/talking-heads opine about him as a candidate. I tried to find out where he stands/stood on issues important to me. What I saw, heard, gathered and absorbed was basically: "Vote for me because I represent hope." Whoopee.

Obama's muddled "message" omits specifics, nuances his past and present votes for/against the war in Iraq and subsequent monetary support for it, elides his coke-snorting past, varnishes over his shady dealings with Mr. Rezko...and, the list goes on. I'm not impressed with: "Vote for me because I'm not Hillary."

I do remember the '90s. I remember Bill Clinton's time as our President. I made money. My portfolio flourished. We were (mostly) at peace. He did the right thing in Bosnia. The budgets were balanced and we even had a surplus. When I travelled, my dollar had value. We were respected around the world. We were engaged without being the bully of the world. In short, I was proud to be an American...abroad and at home.

I support Hillary Clinton because I want to return to the way America was when Bill was President. (Go ahead; insert your trite and lame Monica Lewinsky joke here.) Seriously, it was a good time to be an American.

Voting for Barack Obama just for "a change" is the worst reason to vote for anyone. I want that candidate to exude experience, be replete with competence and inspire confidence.

I like Barack as a person...a nice guy. As President, however, he's about eight years too early. He needs to come back in, say, eight years, after two terms as VP.

Hillary would be well-served by having him as her's.

Obama supporters seem to delight in dissing Clinton as the "candidate of the past". As I remember the "past", i.e., the '90s, I remember peace and prosperity in abundance.

When Bill Clinton sent our military to join many other countries in limited warfare in Bosnia, it was ethnic cleansing at its worst that drew us in. I had no problem there. George W. Bush sent us to Iraq based on many lies. I had a lot of problems with that one.

When Bill Clinton left office, the economy was humming along and my investments were doing very well. There was even a healthy surplus. Dubya...well, you know how that has turned out.

The world is a dangerous place, filled with bad people. I want a President who has the life-experience to be able to deal with those bad people...from day one! Hillary Clinton, simply by virtue of her 16 years more of life experience, is better-equipped to deal effectively with friend and foe.

Barack Obama is simply selling pie-in-the-sky, cotton-candy and "change". Lovely. Sell all that snake-oil you want, but, you haven't given SPECIFICS!

Change, just for the sake of change, is no better than a crap-shoot. I'm not willing to vote for Barack Obama just because he "excites people." Bush, with litle practical administrative experience and zero international experience, "excited" the electorate in 2000.

How'd that work out for the country? I rest my case.

One of the things I love to muse about is the role of the spouse of the eventual Presidential winner and how he/she would fill that role of First Gentleman or First Lady. The thought is both hilarious and frightening.

Michelle Obama is one angry woman! How DARE anyone diss her man or not like him? Strident only scratches the surface of her attitude. Wow.

Bill Clinton's ambition...and libido...know few bounds. Like him as I do, he needs to find a hobby if Hillary wins. (No, not that hobby!) Make him a roving ambassador.

Cindy McClain. That is one, tough-looking bleached-blonde with a pinched face. She may be younger than husband John, but, she's at least as crotchedy as he. Scary!

Janet Huckabee. I'm sorry; she looks like an ugly man in Wal-Mart drag. The make-up is from Jethro of Little Rock; the hair color is straight out of a box. However, I bet she can bake a delicious possum pie, though! Yum!

Whoever wins, we will need to be prepared for the First Spouse. I'm not sure I can...without laughing.