"Because I'm tired of it, year after year after year after year, having to choose between the lesser of who cares."

I've been saying it for the past year and I want to say it one more time, real loud:

We Democrats are looking at an embarrassment of riches in the presidential race. A month ago I was bragging that we were down to a field of three whip-smart, hard-working, highly educated wonks with actual ideas. Now we're down to two, and it seems guaranteed that our nominee (god finally oh lord how long oh lord how long) will not be a white man. My original choice, Edwards, will be going back to working for social causes as a private citizen--as a friend of mine put it, I was bummed when he left the race, but it's not like he's dead.

(Instead of leaving sarcastic comments about the "electability" of the above qualities, kindly spend ten seconds digging into the depths of history and note that Bill Clinton was originally known on the national stage for being a long-winded wonk [because he IS!], and that so far no accusation of actually knowing things and accomplishing things has stuck to Obama 'cause he's so damn pretty.)

Clinton and Obama each have a lifelong record of political work to point to; to say that Obama "hasn't done anything yet" is silly, for my money even sillier than pretending he walks on water. Whether or not you think Obama's "ready" to be president (whatever the hell that means now), he certainly did not just fall off the back of the Harvard Law Review. We need to drive a stake through that little meme right now. Even if Obama doesn't get the nomination, we need to smack down the idea that organizing in your community, fighting long and complicated battles in a state legislature, or doing quiet and unsexy committee work does not constitute meaningful experience.

I got around to watching the CNN debate on Monday (so sue me, I don't have TV) and it made me so proud. (Yes, you can feel proud of an event involving people whom you have also, at various times, witnessed behaving like douchebags. Who knew? I mean, besides anyone who's ever, like, had family members.)

Here they are, the two people we've sent you to represent our party. They're very smart and they think it's possible to sit down at a table together and have an actual conversation about stuff. One gets the sense, in fact, despite all the dumb crap that both of their camps have pulled in this primary season, that they have both been jonesing for the chance to do just that. We want you to see this; we want you to see two grownups who look happy to be sharing this stage, who know how to talk pretty and get things done. The other guys are in the middle of an unhappy clusterfuck right now, and there seems to be no prominent Republican who isn't at least a little embarrassed by the state of their field.

We're not embarrassed.

I'm not, anyway.

Remember this feeling. It's gonna be a long nine months, and it won't all feel this good.