There’s been a lot of complaining about Democratic leadership (and the lack therof) lately. I could probably find a half dozen examples from this week alone. I’ll spare you a rehash of the standard “what’s wrong with ____?” post and just point to this powerful example of what happens when a politician is put in a position between following his heart and following the polls. Here’s the Republican mayor of San Diego (via waxy):

Sad to think that I can’t remember the last time I saw a politician being this honest.

I’m off to Europe for a week and a half to pretend that I’m a Canadian, so if you find yourself asking why I’m not writing anything, the excuse has changed from “I’m so frustrated with politics that I’m mostly speechless”. Here’s what I would have written anyways :

- The President is a liar.
- Ron Paul is still a loon.
- The Democrats are lame.
- My new iPod is awesome.

That’s it.

What happens when a grandstanding fool whipped into a patriotic fervor makes a sucker’s bet that George W. Bush would do a good job?

Bob Flournoy swore after 9/11 that he would wear the same patriotic tie until the day Osama bin Laden was captured or killed.

He figured that it would take the USA a couple of weeks to find the notorious terrorist leader. Despite that miscalculation — it’s been almost six years — the city attorney has kept his word. He’s been wearing the same red-white-and-blue necktie since the attacks on America.

“It looks like Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner,” Flournoy tells The Lufkin (Texas) Daily News. “It is faded, worn and tattered. It has been reworked, patched and pieced together. Velcro has been added around the neck because it is too fragile to tie and untie. It is smaller and even a little smelly, but it is still a grand old flag. Betsy Ross would be proud.”
. . .
“If Bin Laden is alive, I challenge him to prove it by Sept. 11, 2007,” Flournoy says. “If he does not come forward with some proof, I am personally going to declare him dead, and I will be able to take off my tie and give it a proper burial.”

Poor guy just wants to take off his smelly tie and in a few more days…

Crap. Osama just messed with the wrong Texan.

Flournoy said he has had enough of waiting for proof of bin Laden’s death. He thinks his friends and those around him every day will be very happy once he stops wearing the tie.

“Flies kind of gather around me, and I don’t have quite as many friends,” Flournoy said.
. . .
“If by chance Bin Laden is not dead and proves it by Sept. 11th, I offer to meet him, man to man, at the park at City Hall and fight him to the death of one of us,” Flournoy said. “He just can’t kill Americans and get away with it.”

Flournoy doubts his challenge will reach Tora Bora, but wants a way to put his tattered old flag tie to rest once and for all.

“It’s been fun, but the fun’s about to end,” Flournoy said.

That’s right, Osama. You’re about to get your ass kicked by somebody wearing a disgusting tie. Let’s Roll!

I’ve been a fan of John Edwards for a while now, but with the way his campaign chickened out in the face of right-wing’s manufactured outrage and his insistence on living up to Republican stereotypes that he’s an effete phony, I’ve had serious doubts that his campaign has it’s shit together enough to win a general election. My vote is Edwards’ to lose and he’s been doing a pretty good job at that.

Enter Barack Obama. Contrasted with the Edwards campaign, Obama has been on fire lately. He’s been reminding voters that unlike the other top candidates he opposed the war before it began. He picked a fight with Pat Robertson by debunking the “America is a Christian nation” myth. He was smart enough to avoid getting dragged down by the Clinton campaign’s tempest in a teapot controversy over talking with America’s enemies, knowing that backing down from his statements in any way would underscore the notion that Obama is too inexperienced to be president. A week ago I was this close to shifting my support.

This week with the GAO Iraq report, Petraeus testimony on the way, and an active debate about whether the surge has been a success and whether it should continue, Obama seems to be avoiding the issue altogether. I’m with Kos on this one :

So it’s Friday, and the two front-runners are still refusing to lead.

Last supplemental, Hillary and Barack hid in the shadows, refusing to talk about the issue. They voted at the last second possible. They may have voted the right way, but did ZERO to move their caucus, the party, and the national electorate on the debate.

For a bunch claiming they deserve to lead our party and our nation, they’ve done everything possible to avoid any leadership.

Dammit, Obama. You’re killin’ me here.