John We need a president who really believes in democracy: a president who will never deploy the resources and armed forces of America for barbaric aggression against other nations, a president who will never Administer the Government by a pathology of lies and spying on the people, and a president who will speak for justice (See the YouTube video from Martin Luther King III). However, before citizens of this democracy have a real opportunity to realize any such compelling needs, voters must understand and grasp what is occurring in the presidential election campaign of 2008. One must start this inquiry with a look at the the big picture that reveals the horrible conflict of values, which governs the directing forces of decadent capitalism in which we Americans exist. This situation is controlled by the "New Slave Masters," as chronicled by the masterful Attorney Gerry Spence in his book, Give Me Liberty! (1998):
The "New Slave Masters" lead inevitably toward a leadership structure and Administration of Government that evidence the most appalling behavior that now engulfs American existence. This condition was underscored by the remarks of George McGovern,published by CBS NEWS , Sun Jan 6, 2008.American democracy has been "derailed" by the administration's commitment to "a murderous, illegal, nonsensical war against Iraq … done without the declaration of war from Congress that the Constitution clearly requires, in defiance of the U.N. Charter and in violation of international law. This reckless disregard for life and property, as well as constitutional law, has been accompanied by the abuse of prisoners, including systematic torture, in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949." "How could a once-admired, great nation fall into such a quagmire of killing, immorality and lawlessness?" Remarks of George McGovern, former Democratic nominee for president who ran against Richard Nixon, a president later driven from office under threat of impeachment, CBS NEWS, Sun Jan 6, 2008. In The Nobel lecture given by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter with regard to the 2005 Nobel prize for literature, Pinter made dramatic and terrifying reference to this existential state in the United States:
Establishing a viable democratic counterforce must begin with effective utilization of The Sovereign Power of the People, organized to advance the first principle of the nation's charter "to form a more perfect Union" of the whole people. 
John Edwards meeting. We must put an immediate end to the same old demagogy and politics of hypnosis, which is supported by spinning "illusion of change" and dependency upon pernicious "big money" to finance electioneering campaigns. An organized effort is needed to radically change this debilitating conduct by candidates for public office, perhaps, organized by Sen. John Edwards and citizens groups located in every district of the nation. The three leading democratic candidates for president in 2008 -- John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton -- adopted a unity theme to commemorate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., on Jan 21, 2008. A unity government is what we really need -- all the leading candidates together with Al Gore -- making an unvanquishable democratic government that can enact the program of government that all citizens will support. At this time, more than two hundred twenty years after the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, the first principle of the nation's charter "to form a more perfect Union" of the whole people should have the unqualified support of the people and their leaders, with the establishment of the necessary norms and networks to facilitate the rigorous advancement of that most fundamental purpose. The BIG STORY of the 2008 presidential campaign involves John Edwards. Sen. Edwards radically changed the political conversation to include all citizens in an effort to break the iron grip of “the entrenched moneyed interests who are strangling our government.” "Mr. Edwards, far more than is usual in modern politics, ran a campaign based on ideas. And even as his personal quest for the White House faltered, his ideas triumphed: both candidates left standing are, to a large extent, running on the platform Mr. Edwards built" says Paul Krugman in The New York Times, Sat Feb 1, 2008. Edwards has "set the domestic policy agenda for the entire field," says Christopher Hays in The Nation, Jan 28, 2008. It was Edwards "who forced a new style of politics, untethered by the fear and timidity of the 90s, adamant that liberalism was an electoral boon and economic justice a popular sentiment." observed Ezra Klien in The American Prospect , Fri Jan 11, 2008. Ironically, even as the support of citizens has not been explicitly in his favor -- Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada, and South Carolina -- the basic message offered by Sen. Edwards has been a resounding success. In New Orleans, LA, on Jan 30, 2008, after South Carolina, Sen. John Edwards stated "Our campaign from the very beginning has been about one central thing, and that is to give voice to the millions of Americans who have absolutely no voice in this democracy." In Minneapolis, MINN, Feb 2, 2008, Sen. Barack Obama told a crowd of over 10,000 people "John ran an outstanding race - he elevated poverty, talked about the working class. He was true to the Paul Wellstone tradition. I am proud of the work that he did and he is going to be working alongside me and everybody else to make sure that we bring about the kind of future we believe in.” In Cincinnatti, Ohio Feb 15, 2008, Sen. Hillary Clinton spoke at an economic roundtable at the Skyline Chili restaurant, where the former First Lady said "what America needs is 'a fighter, a doer and champion for the middle class again.'” Expressing the opposing view, Suzanne Goldenberg, writing in a Special Report for The Guardian, Jan 31, 2008, suggested that John Edwards' early lead just "petered out"! She says:
The base in Iowa supporting Edwards, appeared to be just fine from contemporaneous poll evidence, Dec 30, 2007, until chaos all over the state disclosed by the Iowa Democratic Party hotline, hit the Iowa caucuses. There is nothing to suggest "the liberal wing of the Democratic party" was simply oblivious to the idea advanced by Edwards that American democracy could not survive under threat from "the entrenched moneyed interests who are strangling our government." Suzanne Goldenberg's explanation is tenuous, disregarding the underlying systemic distortions and the machinations of the media that are clearly in evidence. Blind followers of decadent capitalist doctrine will easily lead the crowd over the cliff. Will we all follow like dumb sheep? Despite the broadly acclaimed campaign offered by Sen. Edwards, the strategy of the Media Aristocracy defeated his message. Following his unsuccessful showing in South Carolina, where 18% gave their support to Sen. Edwards, he announced in New Orleans, Jan 30, 2008, he would end his campaign for the democratic nomination for the presidency. What form he will use to continue the larger cause of speaking for justice, is not immediately known, but we must all say to Sen. John Edwards, in the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., "keep going, keep fighting," MLK would be proud! Now we await the awakening that can only come with further enlightenment of the American citizenry. In his epic poem, The Mask of Anarchy (1819), the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley expressed the dream of democracy in these words:
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Photo of Albert Einstein, 1951 UPI.
