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Democratic candidate Dennis Kucinich said Thursday that if elected president, he would issue an executive order legalizing the use of medical marijuana ``as an act of compassion and expression of humanity.''
``If a doctor makes that determination, or the patient asks for it, I think it ought to be permitted,'' Kucinich, who is campaigning in California, said in a telephone interview. ``I've talked to too many people who have had family members suffering from terminal illness who feel it would provide them the most relief from pain and suffering.''
Kucinich is the only Democratic candidate to state his support for legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Such use is legal in California and seven other states, but federal law prohibits the use of marijuana for any purpose....
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It's not too early to start now. Go over to Stop George in 2004 and get your high tech anti-Bush re-election materials. Good stuff. [link via Cursor]
The Democrats aren't the only ones wanting Bush, Ashcroft and Rumsfeld gone. So do the Greens. The Greens are considering not running a candidate of their own in 2004, but rather, supporting the Demcratic candidate in hopes of unseating Bush:
As the Green Party hashes out its plans for next year's presidential election, some of its activists are urging the party to forgo the race and, instead, throw its support behind one of the Democratic candidates -- all in the hopes of unseating President Bush.
The Greens could be a huge asset in unseating Bush. We hope they keep their eye on the ultimate goal. From our vantage point, Anyone But Bush will do.
Democratic presidential contender Dennis Kucinich issues the strongest criticism to date of the drug war.
It comes as news to us (if not to you all) that included in the Bush Budget are billions of dollars to refurbish and enhance our nuclear weapons facilities and capabilities. It appears we are about to get back into the nuclear bomb business big time. Congress has been debating the proposals, and committees resume meeting this week.
Proposals in President Bush's 2004 budget would refurbish virtually every facet of the nuclear weapons complex, ranging from the nuclear test site in Nevada to the Savannah River plant in South Carolina.
There has been intense opposition in Washington to some aspects of President Bush's nuclear weapons policies. The Democrats have fought, for instance, a proposal to build a new generation of smaller warheads, which cleared a Senate committee last week. But there has been virtually no congressional dissent or debate over the president's proposed multibillion- dollar resuscitation of America's nuclear infrastructure.
....The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved $15.5 million for research into the bunker-busters, officially called the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator. It set aside an additional $6 million for research into advanced nuclear concepts, and approved a repeal of the 10-year-old ban on the development of low-yield warheads. Democrats say there is little hope of halting the initiatives.
Our states are going bankrupt, social services are cut to the bone, the economy is in deep trouble, and Bush wants to build nuclear bombs?
Even worse, outside his perceived military success, his re-election campaign is apparently going great guns. One democratic strategist referred to him as "John Wayne in the Oval Office." Norman Mailer says we are in a "pre-fascist atmosphere" and about to become a "megabanana republic."
So where are the Democrats? Why can't even one of the nine contenders in the crowded field of announced candidates generate some excitement--or at least genuine interest?
San Francisco party activist Jeanette Gitler says "... the unfortunate thing about Democrats is, they haven't taken a proactive approach. They've slid into the woodwork." GOP strategist Sean Walsh likens the democratic contenders to a first grade soccer game.
They're running all over the place and yelling at each other, and they've had to backtrack and apologize on comments" -- from Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's quip about a "regime change" to Dean's attack on Kerry for lack of "courage." "It's driving them absolutely insane that (Bush) won't engage on their level, and he's flying high above them," Walsh said.
We're still waiting for a candidate who excites us. We wish a hard left-of center candidate would emerge to give the voters a real choice. Right now it's Bush vs. Bush vs. Bush, and what that adds up to is a Bush/Ashcroft/Rumsfeld win in November.
It has been one of the truly great blessings of my life to have had the finest people one can imagine as friends and supporters in many public causes. I don't know of any candidate for any public office who has enjoyed such support from so many dedicated and talented friends. And our recent exploration of a national campaign was certainly no exception.We thank him too, for sharing his wisdom, insights and ideas and for giving us a clearer vision of where our country should be headed. We will keep up the good fight and stay involved. Anyone but Bush and Ashcroft in 2004.Although I will not be an active candidate for the presidency, I want each and every one of you to know that I will never forget your commitment to the cause of rescuing American politics and government from the corrupting influence of special interest money and the access and influence it purchases.
And I hope all of you will continue to oppose an economics of class and wealth, a global policy of unilateralism, and a military policy of preemption.
I will never be able to thank you enough for the many hours and the many small contributions that made this effort so worthwhile for me...and I hope to a degree also for you. I urge you to continue to follow the path of reform of politics and policy and the restoration of the values of the republic.
In the coming days I will be returning the many contributions that were made to this website and to our effort. I know that many of you have many charities you are supporting. If you choose to do so, you might consider sending all or part of your original contribution to me to one of the several very worthy efforts I support...such as Share Our Strength, Operation USA, or Global Green.
For myself, I intend to keep fighting. Through writing, speaking, and teaching, I hope to continue to make an effort to elevate public discourse and dialogue and to change the direction of our nation. I urge you as strongly as I can to do so also. Never give up.
In the words of the immortal Yeats, I close: "Think where man's glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends." I thank you all.
Gary Hart explains his decision not to run in an op-ed today in the Denver Post. He will continue to fight, but not as a candidate.
Hart was interviewed by the Denver Post about his and others' chances at securing the Democratic presidential nomination.
In a long, biting survey of his own chances and the nine Democrats currently running, Hart said that young supporters could have raised $20 million for him over the Internet in eight months and that he had the best chance to beat President Bush. While resisting a request to handicap the remaining contenders for the White House, the former Colorado senator offered these observations about some still in the field:
Bush is still "inexperienced" as the chief executive, having pushed ineffective tax cuts that have failed to kick-start the economy. Bush is hiding a "stealth agenda" of radical federal cutbacks from the American people. In evaluating Bush on three key leadership areas, Hart gave the president nearly failing grades on his stewardship of the economy and as a head of state but relatively high marks as commander-in-chief, based on successes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont, lacks crucial defense or foreign policy experience.
Joe Lieberman, U.S. senator and former vice presidential candidate, is making a futile appeal to the "amorphous middle" by parroting Bush policies.
But Hart concluded that he couldn't trim his own complex vision of American economic revitalization and international cooperation to television-friendly sound bites, and he acknowledged that at age 66, he may be 20 years too old to take a populist fight straight to a majority of voters.
Political analysts interviewed in the article say that Hart "accomplished his goals of restoring himself as a national sage and a respected critic of both Republicans and Democrats."
There's lots more in this article on Hart's positions on domestic issues and his view of the Democratic contenders--we highly recommend you read it all.
Update: Two terrific bloggers who became a central part of Gary Hart's testing the waters campaign, Matthew Langer of Untelevised and Kevin Thurmond of Getting in the Game provide their thoughts on his decision.
We just got word from Gary Hart's media spokesperson that Gary Hart has decided not to run for President. There will be articles in the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News and Associated Press, and that is pretty much it. Sen. Hart leaves on a European trip tomorrow.
We're sad, we really hoped he would run. He feels he can have his voice heard and get his ideas out without running for office --he will still be active in public service.
We wish Sen. Hart the best and know it was a tough decision.
Update: We just received a newsletter from Hart in which he says he will continue his blog.
Former Senator Gary Hart has written a book review in the May issue of Washington Monthly, "Elective Surgery: Democracy and freedom don't necessarily go hand in hand." The book is The Future of Freedom by Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International. The book challenges the assumption that democracy is good for everyone and "posits a superior alternative, one he calls constitutional liberalism."
Hart says the book is really three books, and it is the final one, on the subject of democracy in America, that is likely to cause the biggest stir:"[M]ost Americans have lost faith in their democracy," Zakaria says, because, as it becomes more "democratic"--that is to say, popular, diffuse, and open--it has eroded individual liberty. Americans don't trust their government and thus are alienated from it.....By making the political system more open, we have also made it more porous to armies of lobbyists and interest groups. Gone is any sense of national purpose, unity, or common good. The constitutionally protected media, under the rampant influences of democratization and marketization, "sensationalizes, dramatizes, and trivializes news" and inflames rather than tempers public passions."Hart doesn't fully embrace the theory, and instead encourages debate about it, particularly with respect to alternatives for the 21st century other than the two Zakaria provides, which Hart describes as either
dimensional "democracy" or a more nuanced constitutional liberalism with institutional instruments underwriting individual liberty.In other Hart news, Jack Sparks, his media spokesman, told the Rocky Mountain News that Hart may not declare his intentions (or lack of them) until late spring or early summer.
[thanks to Eric of Hamster for emailing the link to the book review.]
Former Congressman Bob Barr is dropping out of the race to return to Congress. The reason: He no longer has "the fire in his belly." We'd love to hear the real reason.
Unless Alabama's election law is changed, there could be one notable candidate missing from the state's 2004 presidential election ballot -- President Bush.Now wouldn't that be sweet!....The problem is that the Republican National Convention is being held later than usual to avoid conflict with the Olympics, and the GOP won't choose a candidate until September 2 -- two days after Alabama's August 31 deadline to certify presidential contenders.
Republicans are asking the Democrat-controlled Legislature to change the law and extend the deadline until September 5.
That bill is on the work agenda in the House for Thursday, but some Republicans say they are concerned the bill has been placed behind several contentious issues and may not come up for consideration.
WE NEED YOUR HELP - GET INVOLVED! In 1984, the enthusiasm of volunteers vaulted a young senator from Colorado to challenge for the Democratic presidential nomination. In 2003, we are no less dedicated to building a foundation of passionate volunteers. We currently need people across the country who are willing to help us promote local appearances, organize local volunteer groups, and contribute ideas in support of Gary Hart's efforts to test the waters of a potential candidacy. If you're interested in volunteering, please email us at .Sounds like a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a possible campaign.
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