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As a long term, proud political dissident and rebel I have had some admiration for the national tea party movement. I welcome all that shakes up and reforms our dysfunctional political system. But in the end I find far too much distasteful about what these people embrace to participate in or support it.

Most of us witnessed someone getting angry at someone else they can't strike out at, and going home and kicking the dog, instead. Poor dog. Nancy Pelosi has become the Republican's dog they love to kick because they can't seem to land a blow on Obama. She is a liberal and a female with power in a traditional man's role, and for many Republicans, that makes her the 'bitch' they love to kick if they can't undo Obama.

America doesn't have to worry about an Article V convention. America doesn't have to worry about Congressional term limits. America doesn't have to worry about any 3rd party coming to power through the likes of GOOOH or the Independence Caucus. The reason is very simple.

A great smile does not make a truth teller. A talker of change does not define a reformer. Make no mistake, for the good of the nation I want President Obama to succeed in getting us out of the scandalous economic meltdown we are immersed in. But I do not like many of his actions, policies and strategies for accomplishing this, nor does the stock market.

President Obama has so far made good on his campaign promise to work in a more bi-partisan manner. And while there's been signs of bi-partisan cooperation made by a few Congresspersons, Congress remains as partisanly combative as ever. And with partisanship battles come lies, half-truths, distortions, and the misleading of the public for partisan purposes. Let's examine some of these surrounding the use of the word 'bi-partisan'.

Republicans. Can't live with them in the majority. Can't live without them as a minority. Or, so contemporary American history appears to read. It seems the GOP will be the minority party in American government for at least another generation. The reasons are adequately highlighted by Perry Bacon Jr. of the Wa. Post as he writes about the GOP's challenges faced by the new RNC Chairman to be: "how to attract young and minority voters, win outside the South and counter an increasingly powerful Democratic majority."

Electing Barack Obama president was the first step in redeeming American democracy. The second step must be indicting ex-president George W. Bush, giving him a fair trial, finding him guilty of many criminal acts and putting him in prison. Forget revenge. Think rule of law and justice.

When the electorate, predominantly Republican, will elect a Democrat, rather than their convicted felon incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens, there is hope and reason to work within the Vote Out Incumbents Democracy movement and organization. Congratulations Alaska, on narrowly doing the right thing. We empathize with the only other choice being a Democrat.

As always, elections are about variables so myriad as to make polling effective only in trend for some elections, and entirely unreliable in others. It appears to me this 2008 election however, is about a crisis in confidence toward authority, and the presidential winner will be the person having shown the most credible judgement.

McCain/Palin and other Republican politicians running for office are throwing the 'socialist' tag at their Democratic opponents in the hopes it will stick to voter's foreheads while lining up to vote. Rather odd and illogical tactic unless they are targeting voters who have been oblivious to the socialist doubling of the national debt by Republicans these last 7 and 3/4 years.