The nomination process was starting to appear too complicated for me, so I decided the best thing to do would be to just list all of the positions and traits my ideal candidate would have.
I want the Democrats to nominate someone who:
-voted for the War in Iraq
-voted for the Patriot Act
-voted for No Child Left Behind
-believes that Bush's tax cuts helped the middle class
-wants to significantly increase the size of the military
-has a Health Care plan that has no chance of passing
-received the most money from lobbyists of any member of the Senate, Democrat or Republican
-is an expert on national security issues, so he can write to his constituents and tell them that he was both for and against the same policy
-can support Bill Clinton by saying that anyone who uses their Vietnam experience to try to get elected is ruining the memories of the men and women who died there, and then turn around and base his entire campaign on his own Vietnam experience
-wants to execute Osama Bin Laden without a trial
-is a multi-millionaire (almost billionaire), who can spend $7 million of his own money, while other candidates have to actually raise money from voters
-promises us we can increase the military, expand health care, maintain tax cuts, and balance the budget
-can say that Al Gore's mistake was trying to win in the south, and then say in a debate that he never used the word mistake
-is vane enough to cosmetically alter his appearance and then lie about it
and finally for purposes of electability, since beating President Bush is so important, follows the same winning formula that has worked for Democrats in the past
-is a strange-looking, uninspiring speaker, from Massachussets, who supports Gun Control
Now I know there is no way I can find someone who can fit all of these and be my dream candidate. But I do believe that the Democrats need to set the bar this high when picking a candidate to make sure that we can take back the White House and Congress.