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America needs a consistent President
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    I’m writing this on the eve of the Iowa caucuses because, like all writers, I have a deadline. So, as this sits in the computer waiting to be printed on the page, the first event of the 2008 political season will be underway.
    But Georgia’s time is not too far away, Feb. 5 – Super Tuesday. So, I’ll be spending this month talking about the candidates, the race and other issues I see out there in the voter ether.
    One thing I know for sure – people hate politicians. The president’s rating is low, Congress is lower and overall, they rank just below colonoscopies, having your teeth drilled without novocaine or being spit on by a camel. In a word, they’re unpopular, despised, mistrusted, loathed, scorned, resented and dreaded. (OK, that’s more than a word – but accurate).
    Why is that?
    Sure, the quest for power seems like the only important thing to them – certainly at the national and state levels, sometimes locally too. Politicians only look out for number one and are, unfortunately, usually full of number two.
    Almost all are consummate shape-shifters – changing their tune to match societal trends, political focus groups or campaign contributors. Simply put, they lie and we can’t trust them. There’s no integrity, no fundamental guiding principle and no consistency.
    Let’s look at the current crop of misfits.
   Huckabee says he’s a fiscal conservative but fought for multiple tax hikes while Governor of Arkansas.
   Giuliani cheated on two wives; even building his security command center in a place he could more easily commit adultery.
    Romney supported abortion as Massachusetts’s governor and now claims to be against it (not to mention his "conservative" state-mandated health insurance plan).      
    McCain also claims to be a conservative but favors open borders, amnesty for illegals and federal intervention on global warming.
    Obama says he’s against the war but said he’d attack and send troops into Pakistan – without asking first - if he felt it necessary.
    Clinton also claims to be anti-war but, along with Obama, routinely votes to continue funding the war. She does promise to be out of Iraq by 2013. How refreshing!    
    Edwards, meanwhile, claims to be a champion for the poor while building a 28,200 square foot, $6 million house and spending $400 on haircuts. That’s thirty to forty haircuts for a working stiff.
    None of them are any good – save one. I’ll be voting for Dr. Ron Paul come primary day.
    For those who don’t know, Dr. Paul is a 10-term Congressman currently representing Texas’ 14th district, a gulf-coast area of Texas including Galveston and Victoria. He is a doctor of obstetrics, having delivered over 4,000 babies in his career. He served his country as a flight surgeon in the 1960’s and is a student of Austrian economics. Dr. Paul sits on the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He’s a small government, sound-money, pro-second amendment, pro-life, non-interventionist conservative in the mold of Barry Goldwater.
    Look, I know some of you will roll your eyes when I say I support Ron Paul and plan to vote for him come Feb. 5. Considering my position on the war (against & never should have gone), I hope you’re not too terribly surprised, because he’s the only candidate in the field who is staunchly anti-aggressive war.
    But I’m not really for him because he’s against the war. I’m for him because he’s consistent. I’m for him because I believe what he says. I’m for him because he follows his words with actions that match.
    No one else running for President can say that. Anyone reading this knows that.
    Dr. Paul believes the oath of office he took upon becoming a Congressman – to uphold and defend the constitution. This is why he even voted against spending tax-dollars to give Rosa Parks an award (though he offered to contribute out of his own pocket).
    Paul doesn’t use the Congressional pension plan, has never voted himself a raise, has never voted for a tax increase, has never voted for a budget that wasn’t balanced and has always voted against any infringement of the second amendment.
    Dr. Paul is a Christian, but he doesn’t wave it in anyone’s face and he certainly doesn’t use the fact to pander to the Christian Right for votes. He’s been married for 50 years to one woman, has good relationships with his children and still drives his tractor on the family farm.
    Look, the guy’s not perfect and I certainly don’t agree with him on everything, but the fact is I can believe what he says. This bears repeating – I trust that his words now will be matched by his actions later.
    Be completely honest with yourself when you’re looking at the other candidates. Can you really say this about them? I know I don’t trust the lot of them, which is why I cast my lot with Dr. Paul.
    Phil Boyum encourages everyone to “Google Ron Paul” and do their own research. He can be reached at 912-489-9454.
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