Hillary has lost my respect...

To paraphrase something Susan Sarandon said awhile back: "The country is ready for a woman president, just not this woman.."

I completely agree with her..

I think this country is absolutely ready for a female president, but it's not ready for someone Hillary Clinton.. I would love to see someone like Nancy Pelosi run because if anything, she has the leadership gait in her step.. Hillary can't decide if she's Democrat or Republican -- and she has so many corporate interests, it's not sure she can keep an unfettered bias as she attacks Bush with..

But those "minor" points aside....

Many of her antics over the last several weeks have made me even more jaded of her character and capability.. First, there are the tears.. I know it's a very very tedious campaign for both candidates, but her tears on the doorstep of her victories in a couple of the primaries really made me question as to whether or not she was sincere or not.. I would HATE to think that she would be manipulating the process by invoking the emotional element into a campaign because of how that is measured with female voters.. So I really don't want to think that's a part of her "bag of tricks" but I can't dismiss it as a possibility since it's happened more than once..

Then there's her lampoon efforts of mimicking Obama's message of hope.. In a campaign stop not that long ago - she went over the top with a spoiled brat display that would probably work if this was middle school, but lots of us could see right through it.. Mocking hope?? Why on earth would someone mock hope when clearly we as a nation could USE a little hope in light of the incredible mismanagement this administration has made for us..

So what's her major problem with hope?? She didn't make that the heart of her message and subsequently her strategy to focus on "experience" hasn't flown as far as she would hope.. So, instead of looking like an idiot for coming out against hope, she instead tries to make Obama look foolish for talking about hope rather than keying in on the issues..

But there's a problem with that: inherently - both Obama and Hillary are the same.. Very little differentiates them from one another according to their stances.. Yet when Hillary challenges Obama to discuss the issues -- he resists, because he doesn't want to put all the cards out on the table for the Republicans to scrutinize and use against him later on..

That makes sense really..

But then the clincher for me happened when she said that she and McCain would make better Presidents than Obama would.. She didn't say this as an off-colored comment as she repeated it FOUR TIMES in different venues.. Nevermind the fact that she just endorsed a REPUBLICAN ahead of her own party, but she exposed clearly obvious beliefs that it's either her or McCain to run the country..

Okay - that's pretty tacky..

Then she has the gall to declare that she wants Obama to be on the ticket with her -- to serve as her vice-President.. So while she basically slapped Obama in the face for not being "qualified" to run the country, she wants him as her #2 because they would stand the best chance in the November elections..

Excuse me??

You disrespect your competitor by saying he doesn't have the experience to be President, but you embrace him in the second most powerful seat in your cabinet??

That is really messed up..

Hillary knows that she has been losing momentum and the only way to win against Obama is with the sleaze flinging that really demonstrates her character.. So when the Obama camp chose to part ways with campaign adviser Samantha Power for calling Hillary a "monster" -- it shows a test of his conviction to uphold a level of character for the campaign that doesn't belittle your opponent..

In my opinion - that speaks volumes above and beyond Hillary's call that Obama isn't capable of being President.... and it speaks volumes that I don't want someone who is incapable of running campaign worthy of the vote of the Democratic party's representative for President of the United States..

Thankfully she doesn't speak for all women and I'll be very grateful when another woman decides to run for President.. Now if we can get a non-establishment representative BY the people and FOR the people to lead us, then we'll be in excellent shape.. Obama is a significant step in the right direction, but Susan Sarandon is absolutely correct -- the nation is ready for a female President ... just not this woman..