Vote Hillary
Editorials Commentary from the Journal-Spectator

We recommend that Wharton County Democrats vote for U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary.

Unfortunately, we make this recommendation on the weakness of U.S. Senator Barack Obama's message, or lack thereof, rather than on the strength of Clinton's candidacy.

While Obama is no doubt a very intelligent individual and a gifted orator, we have been both amazed and disappointed at how very well he says almost nothing of substance. It appears that instead of running on a platform steeped in a bold policy vision for America's future, he has opted instead to offer himself as an empty crucible in which Americans are asked to pour their hopes and dreams. Instead of contemplating what policies would make America stronger, Obama appears to be asking the electorate to trust him just because he is a friendly face and charismatic figure.

In truth we have heard precious little from Obama that we have not before heard from a beauty pageant contestant. As charming and even unifying as these platitudes about hope and pledges to work for "world peace" are, a scrupulous audience must also ask how he plans to achieve these end results and at what cost.

These are dangerous times and the nation cannot afford to take an escapist holiday from the harsh realities of the world that we find ourselves in today. In fact, a strong argument has been made that part of the reason we find ourselves in such a dangerous world is because we took a holiday from history in the previous decade and turned a blind eye to insidious dangers that were growing and gathering abroad.

Obama's campaign of platitudes about feelings and emotions instead of actual public policy recommendations and a coherent overarching political philosophy may yet prove to be a cynical stroke of genius on his part. If it does, it will be a disturbing sign that America may be in danger of turning the race to become the leader of the free world into the biggest beauty pageant on earth.

While Clinton no doubt greatly exaggerates her experience, her full term as a senator is more than Obama's three years. Still, she should not be able to get away with her implicit claim that a lifetime married to a state attorney general turned governor turned two-term president imputes to her that same experience. We would say the same of her husband if their roles had been reversed.

Though some of her public policy recommendations are quite alarming, we must commend her for actually formulating and articulating some real proposals to solve America's ailments. Clinton's courage to formulate and propose ideas for all to scrutinize is an important step in demonstrating real political leadership. In fact, until Obama's candidacy, it was a foregone conclusion that this was something necessarily expected of any and all presidential contenders.

While her Senate record has been muddled as she has tried to build a voting record that both mollifies the fringe left wing of her party while hedging enough to appeal to the political center in order to win a nationwide general election, Obama's record of voting "present" in the Illinois state senate and not voting in the U.S. Senate on many controversial issues instead of taking a stand one way or the other is even more troubling.

Also, as a senator representing the state where the most significant attack on America since Pearl Harbor took place, we think Clinton probably has a deeper appreciation than her opponent for the terrorist threat that America still faces today.

Ironically, what makes Clinton such a divisive national figure could also be part of what could make her a better president than Obama.

As part of the rapid-response team on the numerous political scandals that threw her husband's administration into turmoil, Clinton showed that when she knew who her opponent was she could demonstrate an unparalleled focus of mind and tackle those problems with cold, calculating zeal. We hold that if Clinton is able to muster half as much energy in fighting America's enemies as she was able to conjure in attacking her husband's critics (and victims), we suspect that America would stand a chance under her presidency of being safer the next four years than under an Obama presidency.

We therefore urge Wharton County Democrats to reject the canard that they must choose between voting for either race or gender. We recommend with hope and confidence that they will instead vote in the Texas primary on March 4 for Hillary Clinton - a candidate offering at least some substance over a candidate offering little more than soaring rhetoric.