Don't care what Rahm thinks. :) But IMHO, Trump will run Ivanka for president

[Occulus]

161. I can't vote for Obama in 2012.

If I had been able to see myself now, while in the voting booth four years ago, when I cast my vote for him, I would be shocked and disgusted with myself. I, too, was caught up in the enthusiasm he generated.

I will not compromise my integrity by voting for a man who out-and-out lies to cancer and HIV patients (to use but two examples) regarding their use of medical-grade cannabis and uses terms like "state's rights" when speaking of marriage (hearing that phrase coming from a black politician in 2011 was a deeply disturbing shock to me). I will stand mute if I must, but I simply will not debase my own principles in that fashion.

As for the rest, I wish I had blinders that good:

"I'm also pretty sure it was, indeed, the White House, not Mr. Obama, who put this line in the sand."

Because the White House has more Constitutional authority than the President?

"Folks posting on the Internet have the luxury of erring on the side of liberty."

Folks sitting in the Oval Office have the duty of erring on the side of liberty.

"Those who's job it is to prevent disaster are naturally going to err on the side of safety."

That is not the President's job; those who prefer security over freedom deserve neither. And it's "whose", not "who's".

"Being we live in an age when a single individual can carry in his pocket the ability to kill thousands or even millions, and can communicate at light speed with anyone else on the globe, the government, any government, needs to be able to prevent such individuals from bringing such plans to fruition. "

This has been true for decades. 9/11 made many of us piss our collective pants in fear (as I give you an agate-hard glare). America means having the courage not to give in to that.

I would also point out that health insurance executives and boards can let thousands die equally easily with the stroke of a pen, but this President sat them at the table to write the laws affecting them, instead of seeing to it they were thrown in the slammer for murder. More people have died in the US during Obama's term because of those executives and boards than because of any terrorist act on American soil. Not one of them are in jail for doing so; in fact, we won't hear of it.

"It is entirely understandable, and thoroughly American, to suspect any government with such power. But"

There is no "but".

"He may have shown himself to be the most trustworthy and honorable person to have held the office in our lifetime,"

Barack Obama lied- repeatedly- about his intentions regarding medical cannabis and has used the words "state's rights" when speaking of gay marriage. This makes him, by definition, a liar and a bigot- hardly trustworthy or honorable. In those regards, Barack Obama is not even as honest as good, dark topsoil (that's me being nice about it).

"But it is simply silly, childish, and idealistic to assume that because a power can be abused then the government can't have that power."

Detention without an arrest warrant and lacking a speedy trial presented to a jury of one's peers is not Constitutional. Not only is that neither silly, childish, nor idealistic, it is in fact already illegal and has been since the ratification of the Bill of Rights. If you want it your way, you need an Amendment abolishing much of the Fourth. Expect some slight opposition.

"The whole point of democracy is that we need a government and it has to have sufficient power to govern."

The whole point of a system of representative democracy such as our own is to prevent the sorts of abuses by the government we are discussing here. For more information on such abuses, I suggest you take a good, hard look at East Germany as it existed immediately prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall in the mid 1980s. There are several books out there that speak to that exact topic.

"So I guess what I'm saying is, if you really can't vote for Barack Obama because of this, I hope you'll at least have the good sense not to vote at all. All you're going to get by voting against him is someone who will, rather than won't, abuse the power we grant them."

If you don't love John, you do love Mary. See how silly and childish that sounds? Look, one thing we have to stop thinking is that not voting for one candidate is the same as voting for another. That simply is not so, and no amount of repeating yourself will make it so. If none the candidates in 2012 appeal to me (as it is looking at this writing), then I will write in Bernie Sanders.

At least I will have the bone-deep satisfaction of knowing I didn't compromise myself.