Well, we’ve had our electoral fun here in Canada, at leat those of us who could stomach siging up for the Liberal party in order to have a say in who would become Prime Minister. And “we’ve” elected ourselves another Brian Mulroney. Well done all round. The US is just starting to get into full swing for their real election. Bit of shock here folks: there appears to be a decent candidate for the Democratic leadership on the stage.

I am not, of course, talking about Howard Schmoward Dean. Woopity-do, he has a blog. I have a blog, and I’m not reccomending anybody elect me President. Zowy, he’s left wing. That’s about all you can say: he’s left wing. In the politics-not-policy sense of Left Wing, in which “left wing” people dutifully say vaguely socialist things until they get themselves elected and then, to quote left-winger Bob Rae “govern from the center”. Dean, if he were elected, which he won’t, would be like Clinton but way worse.

I’m talking about Dennis Kucinich. There are two good things about Dennis Kucinich, either of which would be enough to make him better than every other Presidential hopeful in the US, and both of which together make it a damned damned shame he won’t win.

1) He really appears to mean what he says. My spidey-sense tells me he’s sincere. Wow. And he’s forthright. He doesn’t politician-around. He doesn’t intentionally misinterpret questions. He doesn’t always answer them, but when he doesn’t it’s because he’s too busy telling the respected personage who asked the question how trivial it is compared to actual policy questions. A politician who thinks policy is more important than strategy in the political process. Did the Americans do something really good while I wasn’t looking to deserve such a good option?

2) He says great things. And does them. He is one of the what? 7? senators and congressman who actually shut up and voted against the war. Of course, heaps and heaps of them (including my old pseudo-representative Dianne Feinstien, D California) have made an industry out of talking against the war, but only 7ish reps in all of the combined houses of US government actually put their necks on the block and said “no” when the vote came down. And one of them could, in theory, be the next president. And he’s got a whole bunch of other decent policies.

What can I say? Kucinich for President!

Unfortunatley his ears are to big and he really beleives in non-centrist politics so nobody will vote for him. Nice to see him coming around giving it a go though.