It all depends on how the company is making their money.

Halliburton does a needed job, but they get hired for those jobs because they have connections and are great rent seekers (all successful businesses are these days).

the Republican candidates.

With that in mind, I dispute your contention that Hillary CAN'T win. To the Contrary, even EDWARDS, who is currently the Democratic 3rd runner could beat ANY Republican candidate. Obama and Hillary would mop the floor.

just because they are different... And because it would make US look better to other countries. Yes, it really is important to not vote on the issues but more in order to make others be less cynical about US. That's profound and positive.

That's the Obama candidacy in a nutshell... Just hope he doesn't screw us all with his change.

I haven't heard more crap with less substance for a long time. When "genuine, likable, and honest (?)" are the "issues" that prop up a complete unknown without any experience, we are in trouble.

I know him as much as...
...I knew Bill Clinton in 1992.

Before the 1988 address at the Dem convention.... an address that was horribly boring and was being booed by the conventioneers.... I had no knowledge of Bill Clinton at all.

Did you know much about him before he began running for President in 1991?

In 1991 I was a sophmore in high school. I was paying zero attention to presidential election much less presidential primaries.

The problem for Hillary... and this is a problem that is substantial for the General Election.... is that most Americans know her very well. And she has over 50% negative opinion ratings.

Americans know her.... and by and large, they dislike her....

As I've argued before the hatred of hillary is blown entirely out of proportion. notice that for someone supposedly so hated she is the leading candidate so far (Obama's big win in SC and big endorsements may have him contesting that in the near future).

How exactly is that possible if she is anywhere near as reviled as you claim?

The words "President Obama" upgrade the perception of the United States around the world Immediately.

That's great, but Obama isn't going to be president for one day. He'd be president for at least four years (barring something terrible happening). Do you honestly think you know him well enough to be sure he wouldn't do anything outrageous in four years? I don't think it's likely that he would, but I've never seen him in a position of significant power. I don't know if he has a hidden volatile temper that's just been kept quiet. I don't know if deep down he believes in some apocalyptic vision of the middle east.

I just don't know.

Now granted anyone could have an extremely deep seated neurosis. Anyone could be the guy the neighbors describe after the shooting as "such a nice quiet young man." But after several years of being in the limelight you at least winnow the chance *way* down.

The Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton cycle does nothing but increase the cynicism that the rest of the world has towards us.

I agree that the dynastic element is unfortunate and undesirable, but if a Clinton is the best person for the job (and I'm really not saying *this* Clinton is) I'm not going to turn them away just because of their family ties. Put it this way if your choice for dem nominee came down to Clinton vs Kucinich which would you pick?

Barack Obama winning the presidency literally does say that anyone in this country can be President.

electing the hobo down the street sends that same message, but there are much more important qualifications for president.

Something tells me that Obama wouldn't be getting the endorsements he's getting, from other Senators who have worked closely with him, if he had some secret character flaw that might make him snap and destroy the world.

First- I don't suspect that Obama would really destroy the world, my point was to show just how much power we are entrusting to one person.

Second- consider what a screwed up bunch of megalomaniacal wannabe tyrants make up the Senate I'm not inclined to give their recommendations all that much weight. :P

And even if someone is a psycho, but able to hide it from his closest friends, family and coworkers for three years, then he's probably able to hide it for more years than that.

You are presuming that a person's closest friends and family would rat them out. I find that unlikely personally. Instead it seems likely given human nature that the people who genuinely like him will rationalize or minimize any flaws. We all do that about the people we love. That's why it is best to have them in a position where we all get to see what they are made of, rather than relying on potentially prejudiced insider views.

So, feel free to not vote for someone because you are afraid he might be insane, with zero evidence to back up that fear, but you aren't even close to convincing me!

Ask yourself this- what if Obama had a deeply held conviction that a particular reading of St. john's Revelation was correct. This reading requires there to be an apocalyptic battle in the middle east that paves the way for the second coming.

Now do you think you'd actually have any clues to that effect? This isn't something people are likely to volunteer, afterall. It's something that will be intensely personal to them, and yet could have unbelievably enormous repercussions on how they deal with the middle east.

There's always the possibility that my wife is a Russian spy or a serial killer. But I can say from spending a great deal of time observing her that the probability is very low.

Hillary might be a brilliant GOP plant, but the likelyhood is negligible.

Look at how well everyone knew and loved George Bush. How'd that work out for the conservatives.

On the contrary it worked out for conservatives pretty well. Who it didn't work out for were all the independents who only heard Bush during the campaign and thought he was a mild moderate kind of squishy.

They had some serious buyer's regret.

to disobey a direct order from their commander in chief is not what I call a "check" or a "balance."

There's a reason we require the president to get war authorization from congress...