Acting!!...Marvelous!!!...

Did you watch "The West Wing" tonight?

I don't watch it very often becuase it usually turns me into a raving maniac for a couple of hours afterwards, but I watched it tonight.

Tonight "The West Wing" featured a "live" presidential debate between the Pro-Choice Republican candidate senator Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda), and Pro-Life (or rather Anti-reckless Abortion) (Who in the world is FOR reckless Abortion?) Democrat Candidate congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).

Just before they went onstage, the two candidates decided to bravely throw caution to the proverbial wind, and forget the rules of debate decided on beforehand by their staffers, in order to have an "honest" debate.

I watched as they presented their respective viewpionts, and a horrible thought struck me.

I would vote for the Republican candidate, even if it were Alan Alda!

He explained that it is not the job of the President or Government to create jobs, but rather to get out of the way of the market, and let IT create the jobs.

He explained that the choice was between a Republican who might not be able to "pay for tax cuts", and a Democrat who could not pay for expanding Government programs, even with tax increases. Neither balancing the budget.

He explained the importance of getting "control" of government rather than growing government. He explained that an unobtrusive Government was what the founding fathers wanted for us.

He refused to take any other pledge, other that the Oath of Office, when challenged by his opponent to pledge never to go to war for oil. (Like we have ever done that before.)

I'm sorry, but his proposals and explanations of the issues just made more sense to me, even though while I was watching him do it, I knew full well that Alda had trouble even making his mouth say the things he was saying. He doesn't believe a word of any of it.

But he sold it.

This makes me think of Hillary's drift to the right (not the right of center, just the right of where she used to be...) as we plod on toward the 2008 election cycle. She won't speak out against the war, she has softened on Abortion, and has in general tried to distance herself from the positions of the "Radical Left".

The truth is that I would never vote for Alan Alda for president, because I know how he really feels about the issues. No amount of acting skill or slick writing can change that.

I would know that even if he spouted the right rhetoric, gave all of the right answers, and sold his part perfectly, I would still take into account what I know already of his political views.

Same thing with Hillary. Even if she pleged to only nominate Pro-Life judges to the Supreme Court, promised never to socialize medicine, and to offer a tax cut for working families who pay for their own healthcare, and proposed a flat tax system, I still could not vote for her, because I know that she would not be articulating her core beliefs, but rather saying whatever she and her advisors thought would get her enough votes to win.

I have to be able to believe that the candidate that I am listening to is actually expressing his or her beliefs.

This is why, when given a choice between George W. Bush, and John F. Kerry, I choose Bush.

This is why, when given a choice between George W. Bush, and Al Gore, I choose Bush.

This is why, when given a choice between Hillary and an un-named Republican, the Republican would have to be pretty bad for me to choose Hillary.

Character, and honesty are THE MOST important factors when choosing an elected leader.

Aside from that, all we are doing is judging acting skills.