Do More Debates Enhance Understanding Or Add Confusion?


I’m working on a new theory and I believe it has some validity.


It goes something like this: Based upon those who I’ve talked to, it seems that as the number of forums increase, the amount of new information decreases and the level of confusion increases. Furthermore, as the number of forums increase, the greater the likelihood that the front runner will be unseated by fellow party members eager to promulgate their own agendas.

I’m labeling the theory as one of Creative Dissonance, Leadership Threat and Reduced Understand and Clarity.

The theory works like this. As the number of forums increase, the new information imparted is inversely proportional to the number of forums scheduled, while the threat to the front runner is increased proportionately as is the level of confusion.
Understanding, like the amount of new information imparted, is inversely affected with negative consequences.


Therefore, the greater the number of forums, the greater the dissonance that occurs and the increasing murkiness of the data presented.

In other words, an increasing number of forums at this point only seems to hurt the candidates. And there may be an even bigger negative attribute of scoring more forums than the other side.


Most importantly, as the number of forums increases per party over the other party, the chances are that they advantage may shift to the side offering the fewest forums or debates using the existing system.

Consequently, there may be a genuine benefit in limiting the number of forums to a maximum of three so as not to contribute to the growth of dissonance and misunderstanding while keeping clarity and content to a maximum.

Three is a somewhat arbitrary determination based on the results through the Third Debate where it seems that the disadvantages of the forums outweighed their benefits.

Most thought that three forums might be the maximum that the citizenry can absorb productively.

Something the Party might want to consider in coming elections..

Again, these findings are only preliminary and predicated on conversations with friends and colleagues and my own observations seeking to determine the longer term benefits of limiting the number of debates as opposed to whatever measures will increase their clarity.


Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon

Humor's Not Dead; it's Just Morphed Into Something Else...


Just when I thought humor was pretty much dead in America, I remembered about the Mark Twain or Sam Clemens Awards, I don't recall which, at the Washington Kennedy Center and they were honoring Billy Crystal.



I don’t know why I always seem to forget about Billy Crystal when it comes to humor considering his vast body of work and his gentle humor that seems to hold so many truths for us of another generation.



As people are beginning to relate to Neal Young, Leonard Cohen and Dillon, many have begun to gravitate to the humor of their parents and are beginning to recognize the timelessness of a good story well told.



Billy is a master. I first saw him on Soap where he played the first openly gay young person in the early 70’s. It was a breakthrough at the time.



Soap became the vehicle for his great talent and his subsequent successes on SNL which later brought him to the movie and eventually a winning host for eight seasons at the Academy Awards.



Billy was a local guy from Long Beach Long Island who made it big with a lot of hard work and talent and I think he was an inspiration to all of us struggling to make a name for ourselves, whatever our line of work. He was living proof that a local boy could make it in New York, seemingly a million miles away and then in Hollywood.



He didn’t need to pretentious or vulgar to do it. His humor was always gentle, the humor of an observer with a flair for timing and accents.



He was never the bad boy Richard Pryor or crazy like his closest friend, Robin Williams.

And it showed last night when a broad cross section of the greatest names in the communication industry came out to pay their respects.



It was a good time to realize how fortunate we are to have someone of his ilk to add a needed dimension to life: humor that you could take home to the kids.



Thank you, Billy Crystal for making it one great night!



Les Aaron.




Note: I have a few copies left of the original run, Blueprint for Winning: Taking Back the White House--08--this book is a primer and guide to winning in 08 and includes a Twenty Point Program for America ; and Final Warning, the Environmental Chiller. Both are 24.95 plus 5.50 h&s.

These will be autographed first editions. Let me know ASAP...

For excerpts of each or to place your order, contact: hubmaster@aol.com.

Proceeds to help the work of The Committee for Positive Growth...



les Aaron

You may not know the name Rick Reed but you will.



He is the man associated with the nonprofit called the Swiftboat Veterans that did such an effective job of mortally wounding John Kerry’s run for election in 2004.



And he’s coming alive again.



Recently,he was responsible for forming a new nonprofit known as a 401 (c) (4) which is helping to support John McCain’s cash strapped campaign.



Although the campaign is only working in South Carolina, one of the early Primary States, it is a precursor of things to come.



McCain, upon learning of the effort, called Reed to ostensibly stop it, but apparently McCain’s efforts were not perceived as strong enough, and the campaign goes on.



The only problem is thanks the Supreme Court’s recent decision, this form of nonprofit does not have to disclose where it gets its money, whether its donors have already contributed to the legal limit and how it spends its money.



The irony is that McCain has fought against such bills having written with Senator Feingold the McCain-Feingold bill that outlaws such funding.



The problem is that this is only the tip of the iceberg.



Candidates can expect to see much more of this type of activity in the weeks and months ahead and, as we’ve seen before, despite the gathering of tens of millions of dollar by the campaign, vested interests can raise many times those amounts to influence the outcome of the campaign and have pretty much free reign as to how they do it….



Apparently, the only limitation of the nonprofits is that the operators must be able to argue that the issue that they support takes precedence over the candidate that supports that issue. And that provide a great deal of latitude to a nonprofit that is set up to do mortal damage to its political enemies….



Clearly, the Courts have opened a Pandora’s box here that just might allow vested interests to change the course of a political campaign and not always for the better.



Only time will tell whether the Court’s willingness to support such activities is really in the best interests of the people. In the meantime, we can expect that Rick Reed and his kind will not stand idly by.



Les Aaron

The Armchair Curmudgeon

If the Forums Are Good, are More Forums Better?



I’m working on a new theory and I believe it has some validity.





It goes something like this: Based upon those who I’ve talked to, it seems that as the number of forums increase, the amount of new information decreases and the level of confusion increases. Furthermore, as the number of forums increase, the greater the likelihood that the front runner will be unseated by fellow party members eager to promulgate their own agendas.



I’m labeling the theory as one of Creative Dissonance, Leadership Threat and Reduced Understand and Clarity.



The theory works like this. As the number of forums increase, the new information imparted is inversely proportional to the number of forums scheduled, while the threat to the front runner is increased proportionately as is the level of confusion.

Understanding, like the amount of new information imparted, is inversely affected with negative consequences.





Therefore, the greater the number of forums, the greater the dissonance that occurs and the increasing murkiness of the data presented.



In other words, an increasing number of forums at this point only seems to hurt the candidates. And there may be an even bigger negative attribute of scoring more forums than the other side.





Most importantly, as the number of forums increases per party over the other party, the chances are that they advantage may shift to the side offering the fewest forums or debates using the existing system.



Consequently, there may be a genuine benefit in limiting the number of forums to a maximum of three so as not to contribute to the growth of dissonance and misunderstanding while keeping clarity and content to a maximum.



Three is a somewhat arbitrary determination based on the results through the Third Debate where it seems that the disadvantages of the forums outweighed their benefits.



Most thought that three forums might be the maximum that the citizenry can absorb productively.



Something the Party might want to consider in coming elections..



Again, these findings are only preliminary and predicated on conversations with friends and colleagues and my own observations seeking to determine the longer term benefits of limiting the number of debates as opposed to whatever measures will increase their clarity.





Les Aaron

The Armchair Curmudgeon






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A Veteran's Day Lament



I was waiting with baited breath to hear about all the good things for Veterans that would be launched by our government today to help our young veterans of this and other wars.
. Including perhaps a little appreciation.

Maybe that’s why, despite the sun, it was a depressing day.

What I was happy about was Jim Webb’s and Chuck Hagel’s editorial in the NYTimes reiterating the argument for restoring the full GI Bill for those who serve in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I think that would be a great idea.

Today, the now-called Pell grants don’t really even come close even if you are awarded a grant. College tuitions have gone through the roof.

And there aren’t too many schools that are free anymore like the college I and others attended that allowed us to enter the work force and earn a decent living.

A lot of the GI’s I know are National Guard or Reserve troopers making their second and sometimes third tour of Iraq or Afghanistan. No picnic in the park.

And if they get shot at with a shaped explosive in their motorized vehicles and are not physically showing signs of having been wounded, they are back on patrol later the same day.

That’s because nobody seems to be addressing potential injuries to the brain stem or brain case. Most who have been through the experience admit that their heads were pretty rattled by the concussion but nobody seems to count that as an injury. And if you complain, you are considered a malingerer or something even worse…

It’s sad to think that many of these Vets will return home and not been treated for conditions that arise from concussions to the brain….

As it is, most vets upon returning find that they have to wait up to six months for treatment. In the meantime, if their enlistments are up, they may have to sustain themselves on their own dime until the VA can decide whether their conditions are first rated as having been due to exposure and two, that they qualify for decent benefits.

Many are being allocated 10 or 15% of full benefit; this is not enough to live on and many simply fall through the cracks. Those of my friends who know more about the process than I do, suggest that it’s the military’s way of saving money. And when you think about it, it’s simple abhorrent to think that our government is willing to cut corners on the health of our young people.

When I was working for Kerry as Veterans Adviser I discovered other heartaches that were not being addressed or simply overlooked—from the conditions at Walter Reed to the pressure put on those returning vets who are unable to care for themselves.

I had suggested starting what I called the Purple Ribbon Society but although everyone said it was a great idea, we never got the money to go forward..

Many more yet, have no military insurance in force and unless they are still in the service, will have to appeal for help when they need it through the VA.

A friend of mine who was in the Marines had been exposed to some Army poison that had eaten up part of his body and left horrendous scars. He had turned to overmedication and nearly killed himself on several occasions. The government stopped his medication and he wound up stealing money from his mother to maintain his self-medication. The VA had turned its back on him. But this is only one story from countless stories of injustices visited upon those who so freely dedicated their lives and their health for America.

At the very least, we, who call ourselves Americans, should keep in mind that we have forgotten those who have given all they can give and their contributions have been quickly forgotten in the rush to new weapons and new aggressiveness.

If we can afford to spend more on weapons and munitions than all of the other major nations of the world combined, surely, we can remember the young men and women who can no longer fend for themselves or need help in a bad way.

Something to ponder this Veterans Day.

Les Aaron

Has Eight Years of the Right Blinded Us to the Real World?

What will we say to our grand-kids.

Will we admit that the Right trounced us?
That they accused our Vets of being unpatriotic?
That they have stolen our democracy out from under us?


I think that it's about time that the left spoke out.

For the last eight years, we've been listening to the extravagances of the Extreme Right Wing and we have done nothing to fight back.

We are approaching an election that may even decide whether there is an American future in less than a year.

And we are still hearing sophomoric responses, formulae solutions and more of the same.

Despite all of the hype, nothing has changed; and nothing will change with these play it safe politicians who seem to forget who it is they report to....

What we are missing is creative solutions to the real problems of America that are being glossed over by the candidate's pool from which one will be chosen after the fact to lead America for either good or bad.

This is our time.

We have two months to change the status quo.

To make ourselves felt among the Stepford candidates who promise to deliver more of the same in spades.

We have heard and tolerated most of this crap before....

And I don't know about you, but it sticks in my craw and I don't care who knows it.

I am tired of all of the cliches bandied about. That America needs to fight the war over there to protect us over here.

I am tired of hearing about Homeland Security that has porous borders and billions in the bank.

I am tired of hearing democrats give us excuses for jobs moving overseas....

I am tired about hearing our own democrats supporting

More HIB Green Cards for overseas workers. I am tired of hearing that it is good for us to have foreigners take American's jobs

That, increasingly, our young people have to go to India to find jobs...

I am tired of our government signing into law more treaties with foreign countries where we can export our manufacturing know how

And all of these commonly held deceptions.

That we can't afford to give up fossil fuels even when they cost us ten dollars a gallon which is projected over the next few years...

I am tired of politicians who weave their way around the serious issues like healthcare, who have

No appreciation for global warming

Who say nothing about our constitutional rights

who turn a blind eye to torture
.if our newly appointed Attorney General, approved with the approval of Democrats, can't figure out whether waterboarding is torture, we are all in for a rough ride ahead!

I am concerned about more of the same that condones more corruption, more polarization, more lies...

A government that turns its back on democracy and is hopeful for an eventual Armegeddon.

This is not what my America is all about!....
Right now, only Dennis Kucinich and Al Gore represent the needs of the left.

And if we don't speak up now, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

God save us!

Backing Musharraf may be the worst gamble America
Has ever taken.

Seldom has a predication come true in such a short time. Less than two weeks ago, I predicted that Musharraf’s regime was on a short leash and that the most dangerous place in the world is not Iraq or Iran but Pakistan, some laughed at my remarks.

Well, as anyone can see from the crisis America is facing with one of its few remaining allies these days, Pakistan’s disarray has leaped into the public’s consciousness.
This coming at a time when Iraq seems to be subsiding as the most pressing issue facing the electorate in view of the presidential elections that come due less than one year from today.

Musharraf hopes to quell our ever-rising concerns by talking about new elections at the beginning of the year and the fact that he will give up his dictator’s uniform for civilian clothes then but for now, as he claims, he must enforce peace on his people.

But listening to the propaganda of Musharraf may be the last place to train our ears. The fact of the matter is that if you listen to the whispered conversations making the rounds of the intelligentsia, it seems that the real danger to democracy may be the very fact that civil rights have been compromised for the sake of keeping Musharraf in power.

Secretary of State Rice was on TV trying to play both sides telling America that the State Department is attempting to move Musharraf’s return to a democracy. At the same time, she seemed unwilling to apply the pressure necessary to give her words the traction they need. The fact remains that we have literally poured in enough billions into Pakistan to have educated most of the working poor’s children and change their lives; yet we have failed to see much significant progress in the fight against terrorist forces in the north, or the renewed “Tailibanization” of Waziristan in areas once ruled by the Pashtun.

At this stage of the game what we do know is that Pakistan has a very active extremist faction that would love to bring Musharraf down; but there is no indication that this would speed a return to democracy; in fact, many postulate that it might only accelerate a departure from moderation towards increased violence and chaos. Pakistan seems in fact to be bordering on a the edge of entropy much like Afghanistan but there is a distinct difference. Pakistan is a diverse land with a developed military and the nuclear bomb.

One former high level Pakistani diplomat suggested that we might take a lesson from history and think back at our precipitous actions in installing the Shah to replace the former prime minister whom we edged out of office with claims that he was a “communist” when really his seemingly worst offense was to nationalize BP’s stake in the oil wells of Iran. The Shah and his Savak were a bitter pill for most Iranians and hastened the return of the Ayatollah who mobilized his followers against the West.

According to this diplomat by supporting Musharraf we are obliquely duplicating our mistakes with the Iranians in the early fifties. Does this argument hold up? Yes, and the similarities are clear. If one were to review what happened yesterday, those rounded up by the military tended to be lawyers, judges, and candidates who represented a threat to Musharraf’s rule.

In our own interests, we may want to think twice about continuing to support an unpopular regime at the expense of all other moderates seeking change. We just might wind up with more on our plate than we can handle at this time….

In the meantime, one could only assume that the extremists are gaining credits with the people and strength at Musharraf’s and the west’s expense..

With at least four attempts on Musharraf’s life in the last few years, it is clear that we are only a heartbeat away from a new terrorist enemy with forty to fifty five nuclear weapons at its disposal. That by itself should give every right thinking citizen a case of agita over the long term.

Sadly, Rice and others in this government do not seem to have the imagination or flexibility to change course. Nor is there any debate in Congress or by the candidates to spell out the challenges and the options we face as sure as night follows day.

This is a time for new ideas and new thinking and, yet, none is forthcoming.


Les Aaron

A Theory

"What If All The Shining Stars Self Destruct?"



Inasmuch as everyone is advancing their own theory of whether Hillary is wounded mortally or not; and that Obama and Edwards might find themselves the front runners, how about a different view that suggests everyone is wrong…

Including all of the experts!....





until recently, Hillary retained her number one spot, Obama was number two and slipping with Edwards a distant third.



But the last debate turned it into a free for all. And that could hinder not help the other candidates. The trouble is that the Republicans are caught up in the same thing and if anything, attacking each other more than the dems…



What if they all go down in flames: Mitt, Giuliani, Obama, Edwards, Hillary?….



It could happen.



In fact, many of the people I've talked to said that they have not made up their mind as to who to support--with some of those people being died in the wool democrats or republicans. I spoke to one republican fund raiser who told me that she would vote for Biden in a heart beat....and some considering a deux ex machina to come out from stage left and solve all of our electoral needs.



Too much exposure before the Primary; too much said. Usually, in this case of politicians, too much exposure kind of equates with the contempt of the electorate.



If that’s the case, those relegated to the second tier can figure out how to emerge from the shadows.



Now, what if the voters decide that “the more they know them, the less they like them.”



This seems to be happening among the Republicans as well; nobody seems to represent the conservative and the religious segments of the Party and nobody is particularly excited about any of the candidates in the first tier.



Will this produce a climate for second tier candidates, or, alternatively, will it establish a climate for a Third Party?



Or will somebody else pop out of the background?



Newsweek is already calling Hillary “slick Hillary” and at the same time, popularizing a call for Mayor Bloomberg to join the fray.



Bloomberg has the money, the smarts and the team to make a difference should Bloomberg decide to go for it.



The only person who might cause him to back off is the sudden reappearance of the prophet of the environment, Al Gore, who seems to have little motivation or inclination to go for the gold again.



Therefore, that being the case, this election may be more a free for all than anyone is willing to admit and don’t count out the second tier candidates.



It could still wind up being Richardson against Ron Paul or

Joe Biden facing the former representative from Tennessee, Fred Thompson….



Anything could happen and as they say, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over…”





Pass out the blankets and the popcorn. This may be too good to miss!





Les Aaron

The Hubmaster



The Committee for Positive Change


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Step Up steps up!


It was an interesting day today!



And I will tell you a little part of it if you are interested…



I had pledged to go down to the beach and participate in a call for Alternative Energy; in this case wind power.



I had been active in the beginning of our efforts to get people in Delaware to accept the first off-shore wind farm in the nation.



We met with the experts; then we met with the politicians.



We had meetings, church groups, gatherings, etc. with esteemed guests and experts on alternative energy to speak . We had films on alternative energy and also met with legislators and those who could influence change.



The effort developed legs and was expanded again and again throughout the state; but while we were successful with the people, the powerful Coal and Gas lobbies worked their sleight of hand behind the scenes influenced the politicians not to support us and to speak out against what they claimed were new and unproven technologies..



So, when our major contractor had a small problem with his subcontractor, it turned out that that was the reason the opposition was looking for to raise issues and questions and promulgate doubts about wind energy as a responsible source of fuel.



In all of this, the scientific estimates had been understated to prevent the government with taking issues with our data. Plus, we were using proven technology from proven sources.



This morning, I joined in with others supporting alternative energy to gather down at the beach through a national consciousness raising program called Step Up. Little did we know that a Nor’easter would be blowing and the winds had to be sixty miles an hour pushing crested waves to over eight feet high. Maybe it was God's way of throwing support to alternative energy. Anyway, it worked!



Nevertheless, we had a good turn out and it was enthusiastic.



During the process, I got to speak to many people and signed many petitions.



But one man, certainly my peer, and I got really into it.



He told me that he was conducting his own crusade against fossil fuels and many other programs of government that were for a very slim minority.



After about a half hour of discussion, he told me that not only had he been the president of the Republican Party in Delaware but he had been our sole representative to Congress for a number of years.



Now, he said he was an environmentalist who was dead set against the people in government who were trying to ruin our country.



It reminded me that we cannot put labels on people.



One of the programs he is supporting from his new home in Florida is against the government funding the repair of the East Coast shore line from erosion and storms.



Most of the people qualifying for protection own MacMansions along the shore and should not qualify for government assistance that comes from the bulk of the population—the middle class.



He said that his efforts have resulted in death threats!





It was a very edifying conversation and it seems that he, a Republican and former congressman, and, me, an unrepentant liberal who is as angry with democrats as he is with Republicans, may actually come together into some kind of new alliance to see what we can do to bring people together in common cause whether they are democrats, republicans, liberals, progressives, independents, greens, conservatives, or libertarians.



It is my hope.



One step at a time.



Les Aaron

The Committee for Positive Growth


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'Eye On The Wrong Ball!'



Wrong Strategy for the Wrong Country!...


In my estimation, we have our eye on the wrong ball in Iraq.

We are so intent on sticking a thumb in Iran’s eye, that we are not looking around at the other more serious challenges that we face.

If Bush wants to make allusions to the threats posed by the Nazis and Hitler , let’s begin with where the analogy holds up. Using Hitler is now fair game. But in fact, Hitler lost the war for his country through pursuit of insane military policies and strategies. And we are likely to do the same. Policy driven by this White House is doing precisely the same thing. We lost on every single change of strategy in Iraq. We lost because we didn’t understand the people or what motivated them. We lost by pursuing insane strategies that any military man worth half his salt would have abandoned from the git-go. We are wrong on virtually every score. From our failure to seriously negotiate with the other parties to our failure to see the handwriting on the wall.


The real crisis is not in Iran; it’s not in Turkey. The Kurds can take care of themselves and we don’t belong enmeshed in this no win situation.

Where we do belong is where we started. And although we have said over and over again that bin Laden is not important, the fact of the matter is that based on everything, he is very important. He has shown that he can give us the finger whenever he wants with impunity and our vaunted service is no nearer putting him down.

In fact, the Tailiban has grown immensely stronger; it has regrouped and a large body of Tailiban fighters have emerged near Kandahar in the south. This has not happened since we drove the Tailiban into the mountains.

Afghanistan is a disaster. We are not winning. And the government we try to prop up is barely hanging on with every appointment a disaster. Poppy growing has not been discouraged and now the Tailiban are getting a cut of the profits.

Moreover, the real concern is not Afghanistan; it’s Pakistan.

Pakistan is really the tinder box that is likely to blow any day now.

Musharraf is not going to last; that much is clear.

And, increasingly, the areas around Waziristan and the borders, once home to the Pashtun, are now over=run with mercenaries loyal to the Tailiban and Al Qaeda.

We are in grave danger there and everyone seems to know it except us.

When Musharraf finally goes, the fact is that we have no remaining friends in Pakistan; and a country with perhaps as many as forty nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

What then?

Why are we fighting with Iran when it is Pakistan that’s the real worry.

Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons; Pakistan does.

With Bush calling the cards, and being as inept in strategy and thinking as Hitler was when he lost the war for the Nazis, don’t be surprised if we wake up one day to discover that Pakistan is the real unknown with forty weapons on long range North Korean or Chinese missiles pointed directly at us….

If you want to play Gottcha!, you got to make sure that you’re not the victim.

Right now, nobody impresses me with the depth of their understanding of the problem and it is only due to get worse.

Let’s end the War with Iraq and get our troops back into Afghanistan.

Let’s put the Tailiban out of business and decimate bin Laden.

Let’s do it now before they get us!


Les Aaron

The Armchair Curmudgeon

A Scratch or Potentially A Mortal Wound?



If nothing else, the Democratic debate has drawn the first blood.





We may have encountered a watershed of sorts at the Democratic Forum the other night.

It might have been triggered by Senator Dodd’s discussion about eligibility which he thought was not getting enough attention from the pundits. He pointed that out that a candidate that has such high negatives that fifty percent of the people surveyed won’t vote for is not something to be dismissed.



It was clear that the candidates were not going to give Hillary another pass this night. If Dodd’s comments didn’t do the trick, certainly Edwards talk about trust did saying that you could not have one face for the Primary and another for the general election; that people wanted to know who their candidate really was. This did not stop Hillary from shifting the focus to her experience whereas this triggered comments from both Governor Richardson and Joe Biden pointing out that they had more relevant experience than the other candidates.



Governor Richardson, who’s entreaty on fair play seemed to hint cynically at some kind of behinds the scene deal while Obama continued on the thread of bringing change to government and that based upon his experience at the State and Federal level, he was best equipped to provide the direction for change. Obama was trying to draw blood but he was looking as if we was better at dancing around the subject than scoring hits.



Yet, the most effective blow against the presumed leader, Hillary, was made by Edwards after Hillary was asked about whether she supported New York governor’s plan to issue licenses to illegal immigrants.



According to Edwards, it seemed that Hillary stood on both sides of the issue and he claimed he couldn’t understand whether she was for or against the licensing policy. He

hit on the argument that that is the problem with Hillary, that you never know where she stands on an issue inferring that she was less than candid. At that point, O’bama jumped in saying that Hillary was not clear on where she stood on the issues.



Edwards had previously brought up the subject of Hillary’s vagueness when he asked how she could claim that she was not rushing to war yet she handed Bush the vote he needed—along with 75 other Senators who also voted with Bush, that Bush could use to start a War with Iraq. He wondered how somebody who already was taken in by a vote to go to War with Iraq could repeat the process knowing that she was giving Bush carte blanche.



That argument was later reinforced with Hillary’s vagueness on the issue of issuing licenses to illegal aliens.



Hillary response was that she understood the Governor’s need to issue the licenses to protect the American people and she supported what he was doing but by the same token that while she supported the governor’s actions, she would not do what he was doing in so many words.



For many, it underscored other democrat’s concerns about not being able to pin her down on an issue and O’bama returned to that argument several times.



The issue of her being able to stand up on a particular issue and not waffle is considered critical in an election and few would willingly support somebody’s views they didn’t understand. The punch and counterpunch from Edwards, if nothing else, still raised questions and revealed a chink in Hillary’s armor.





It is expected that many will now be returning to what she said in the past and view her arguments from a fresh perspective. They will need to assess whether she has purposely obfuscated positions on the issues To this critic at least, it seems that what started out as a minor difference of opinion may have pinpointed a serious deficiency. It all depends how the voters see it. Did she waffle? Was she incapable of leveling on the issues?

Was she playing it safe? If her lack of clarity is seen as an intentional ploy to deceive by the voters, this rift may widen. On the other hand, it may just play the other way inasmuch as some may see it as Hillary standing up to ‘the boys’ and not giving an inch, remaining firm and strong all the time without her voice as much as wavering. A good barometer of a future leader and one who is strong and resolute!.



At the very least, it seems to a reminder that the Primary is not over yet and that it is still possible for someone like Biden or Richardson to come from left field and move up in the polls. Joe Biden’s remarks about Giuliani as a man who can’t utter a sentence without a noun, a verb and mention of 9/11 was a good example.



It remains to be seen whether Hillary’s gaff will remain just a scratch in close in combat or will become infected and mortal.



There are still two months for the voter to decide.



Les Aaron

The Armchair Curmudgeon


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