I believe OUR children are the future.

Nyceve's (excellent) diary today entitled, "Can we talk?" inspired this diary.  I was motivated by this line, in particular:

We have a bunch of wonderful children angels who will lead us to victory. But you want me to tell you something, none of our angels are perfect.

Far be it from little ol' me to point out the flaws in our '08 presidential contenders.  Oh, who am I kidding!  If you are interested in my take on them, and you have a sense of humor, follow me over the jump.  If you have thin skin, please don't.

Joe Biden:  Very passionate.  Almost always does the right thing.  But he can sometimes be blinded by money, to the exclusion of worrying about the less fortunate.  But overall, a very smart, loving kid.

Hillary Clinton:  Very clever.  Shrewd.  Always aware of who is around and just how she should present herself.  Manners of a saint -- plays very, very well with others.  Always tells the truth, but she doesn't think she has to tell it all at once.  :)  Ambition is a great attribute, but I wish she'd learn the difference between cleverness and intelligence.  

Chris Dodd:  Low-key and studious.  Always does his homework and chores, without complaint.  The quiet, good kid of the bunch.  He's really overcoming his shyness lately, and coming into his own.  We're so proud of him!

John Edwards:  Was once a very well behaved young'un.  Exceedingly smart.  Scary smart, some would say.  But he became quite a problem child.  Fell in with the wrong the crowd.  Some very bad characters, actually.  But, for the past few years, he seems to have returned to the straight and narrow.  He is very kind, and goes out of his way to help others.  He cares very much about the rest of the family.  Is his new-found goodness real?  Is he our prodigal son?  Time will tell.  Myself, I really think he will continue on this new path.

Mike Gravel:  What can you say?  I think he means well, but he is sometimes very, very mean to the rest of the family.  Suffers from severe emotional issues.  I hate to think it, but we may have to put him somewhere where he can get the help that he needs.  With his outbursts and dangerous behavior, it is not fair to the rest of the family to keep him around.

Dennis Kucinich:  The rebellious son.  Never did anything really bad, just has a problem with the way things are (not always a bad thing).  He has a heart the size of Texas. The sweetest kid we have, but he is prone to episodes of irrational exuberance.  He'll never be rich, but in many ways he is the conscience of the family.

Barack Obama:  Such a handsome young man.  And very intelligent, with a profound sense of empathy.  But he still believes the world is a great place, and that everyone is working from a place of goodness.  I certainly don't want to disabuse him of those notions.  I expect reality will do that soon enough.  Someday, this one will make the whole family very, very proud.

Bill Richardson:  The salesman of the bunch.  Could sell ice cubes to Eskimos.  A unique talent, but also a liability, in that he will sometimes shade the truth to close the deal.  Also, he has a tendency to smack the other kids around in an attempt to feel better about himself.  But Billy does mean well, and is usually a pleasure to have around.  

One, big, sometimes happy, dysfunctional family.  How American is that?