LOL, Kent McManigal, who would be one of those complete lunatic Libertarians you've mentioned. I'm *not* one of those people, by the way.

But seriously, whom do you pick if:

1A. You opposed the war in Iraq initially, BUT
1B. You think a reactionary and premature pullout of Iraq will result in horrible genocide and endless civil war and must be avoided.

2A. Are pro-choice AND ALSO
2B. Pro-2nd amendment.

3A. Are pro-business and pro-free trade, AND
3B. Are anti-capital punishment and don't believe in security at any cost.

4A. Think it's nobody's business who marries each other, BUT
4B. Think it's nobody's business what kind of health care you choose.

5A. Are a fiscal conservative AND
5B. Feel the environment is one of the most fundamental "public goods" that needs protection.

6A. Believe the market mechanism is one of the most efficient ways to improve the lot of humanity, BUT
6B. Believe markets require regulation because market participants do not have an incentive to preserve the market mechanism itself.

These are not contradictory ideas. They are only contradictory ideas among those who already believe that it's OK for a majority to band together and tell everyone else what to do. WHAT they tell you to do is different, but what everyone seems to agree on is forcing the moral opinions of the majority down everyone else's neck. The opinions differ, but that's just not the point for me.

From a practical point of view, I'd like to see McCain make the finals. He's an honorable man, opposes destruction of civil liberties to fight the "war of terror", and is the only candidate with a sophisticated understanding of the Iraq mess. I don't think he's a fundamentalist idiot who believes the earth is 6000 years old, but he walks that path lightly because those freaks are such an important part of the nomination process (which is just amazing).

Iraq is a mess. We shouldn't have invaded that country and the administration lied to make it happen (probably the least of their transgressions). Current events prove these points. That does NOT mean that leaving and letting the place fall all the way off the cliff into tribalistic civil war will fix it. We can't un-do the terrible mistake, but let's not compound it by abandoning those people like we have the Cambodians, the Afghans, the Kurds and so many others.

Sigh.

Jim