Flip-Flopping Fluidity

I was talking to my cousin about Hillary last night, and she brought up the Iraq issue, and about how Hillary voted for it. We then started talking about 'flip-flopping,' with differing ideas.

I think that a President, and someone running for president, ought to be able to change their stances without taking heat. The President needs to be able to respond to the demands of the people. Let's say you're the President, and you're in favor of a particular tax bill. But if 80% of the public are against it, should you still try to get it passed? Are you still serving the nation's best interests if you're going against the people? The President needs to be fluid with his or her ideas. On social issues, such as abortion, he or she can be faithful to whatever side they believe in. But on broader policy, war, the economy, the President should respond to the people. If that means changing your opinion from what you said or voted for in the past, then so be it. A President who does not listen to the will of the people will be neither popular nor successful.

Looking to the primaries on Tuesday, if Hillary doesn't do well she should pull out. McCain is starting to coalesce his support (with some failures) and attack the Democrats, and if Hillary stays in the race and diverts resources from Obama and from the Dems, it will only weaken their chances in November. If, on the other hand, she wins Ohio and Texas, Obama's nomination will be far from certain.

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On a different subject, I watched the Sox-Twins game last night. It was pretty exciting to see the players in action after a long winter of no baseball. I'm really excited to see what happens in both leagues. The AL is wide open. The Yanks and the Sox will contend for the East, with the Jays only a few games back, if they can stay healthy. The Rays should be pretty good this year too. They have a strong lineup, with Crawford, Pena, Upton, Baldelli, and, eventually, Longoria, and a couple of really good starters in Kazmir and Shields. They might approach 80 wins. The central has two really good teams as well, with the Tigers and Indians. The Tigers have the best lineup in the league, and if their pitching is at least decent they should win the division. The Indians are coming off an ALCS in which they were up 3 games to 1, and should be able to build on that confidence. The Angels have been overlooked in the media so far, but they're still pretty good. It will be interesting to see how the Mariners do, especially after those big trades.

The NL looks to be the Mets' to win. Still, the Phillies and Braves have good teams. Luke's Marlins are rebuilding (again), but who knows, maybe this is one of the years where they surprise people. The Cubs and Brewers will fight for the Central, and out west the Dodgers, Rockies, and Padres are all in contention. My pick for that division, however, is the Diamondbacks. If their rotation can stay healthy, they can dominate. Webb, Haren, and the Big Unit may be the best threesome in all of baseball.

My World Series prediction: Red Sox over Diamondbacks
Players to watch:
Manny Ramirez (.315, 30, 110)
Ian Kennedy (12 Ws, 3.75 ERA)
Miguel Cabrera (.330, 40, 140)
Francisco Liriano (10 Ws, 3.00 ERA, 160 Ks)
Johan Santana (21 Ws, 2.10 ERA, 230 Ks)
Greg Maddux (25 Ws, 1.40 ERA, 275 Ks)
Just kidding about Mad Dog. He'll still have his dependable 12-15 wins, ERA around 4.50, and a nasty two-seamer.

Go Red Sox!