Off and Running!

With tomorrow's Iowa caucuses, the candidates are off and running  nomination as the Republican candidate for President.  While Romney might have the best odds at getting the eventual nomination, things are still up in the air as 2012 begins. 

More than many of the past races, the present Republican field has provided great fodder for political pundits and comedians alike.  And I can only image that foreign political observes must be shaking their head saying "Is that the best examples of leaders that the great American nation can field?"  It's embarrassing at times.

What am I looking for?  Someone who shows intelligence,  an understanding of national and international issues, and able to think for themselves.  I believe God gave us a brain and we should use it.  I have little respect for those so wedded to policies and a political agenda that they cannot even think for themselves.  Finally, we need a candidate that can truly lead us forward from this disastrous partisan politics of today, where there is no room for compromise and each side feels it must sabotage the other's efforts.

But I don't think this candidate is out there.

On the Republican side, so far, there's been the steady, boring candidate, Mitt Romney, and a progression of contenders who rise like shooting stars and just as quickly fall back to earth.  

At first, I thought maybe Michelle Bachmann would be the intelligent Sarah Palin, but soon we found she had difficulty with the facts.  And as someone so tied into the religious right and Tea Party folk, there's no room left for her to think on her own, even if she wanted to.  Then it was Rick Perry's turn, but he had trouble remembering what his handlers told him to say.  Newt also rose, as he is both intelligent and able to speak his mind.  Unfortunately, he has some ideas (e.g., putting school children to work clean their schools in lieu of union janitors), but I'm sure he'll be putting his foot firmly in his mouth a few times.  

Outside the shooting stars, Ron Paul appears to be intelligent and he claims to be a libertarian.  But only some of his policies would meet the libertarian test and he carries the stigma of unelectability.  Huntsman and Santorum are too far behind at this time.

Let's see what happens!