Ready to Run

Lots of people are talking about "change" ... but what exactly does it mean?

Does change mean replacing an administration that is morally bankrupt? An administration that took a surplus and turned it into the largest deficit in history; that stomps the Constitution into the ground whenever possible; that believes faith is a justification for preventing sound scientific research?

Or do we just want change, with no clear definition of what that means?

There are two candidates who offer the most dramatic change ever -- Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. An African American man and a woman. You won't find any other candidate that offers more dramatic "change" than that.

Before 2008 it was unthinkable that an African American or a woman would be considered viable presidential candidates, and here we are with both.

Anyone looking for "change" has two viable options. So now how do we decide?

I was struck by something I read this morning, and I want to share it with you here:

About a year ago, I had dinner with a friend who knew Barack Obama in law school. He thinks very highly of Obama, and is supporting him strongly in the campaign. So as an undecided Democrat, I asked him, "Okay. What is the centerpiece of the agenda for the first 100 days of the Obama Administration? What's the thing in his gut that he really cares about and is going to fight for?" And my friend answered, "I don't know."

I suppose that's why I've always leaned towards Edwards. I don't agree with him on everything, but I know that he cares a lot about poverty and the uninsured. (These are not causes that figure to win you the Presidency, so you'd better believe in them if you're going to run with them at the heart of your campaign.). The centerpiece of the Edwards Administration would be universal health coverage.

It's not good enough to cite policy proposals. I want to know what the candidate really cares about. I think that's why people are still wondering about Obama.

Now that Edwards seems fatally wounded, I'm still wondering whom I should vote for. So I'll ask it again: what is at the center of the Obama Administration's first 100 days?

Does anyone know? And how do they know it?

I want someone ready to lead from day one. Someone who won't have a deer-in-the-headlights look when faced with commenting on the death of a world leader. Someone who has withstood the Republican attack machine and not backed down. I want someone ready for prime time ... I want someone ready to run.