So I don't really want to vote for John McCain. But if I vote for the lesser of two evils, I gotta swing Right. What a situation.

John McCain is not conservative. I'm not sure he would even be a Republican if he moved here to the Lone Star State. The only thing that makes him worthy of my vote is that he actually believes that terrorists are bad for the Free World.

I don't know what is going on with the Republican Party. It's like most of them have abandoned their principles and have completely alienated their base and now young Republicans have a tough time identifying what their party stands for. It's certainly not conservative spending, because the Washington GOP has managed to jump on a train with our money and take off. I don't think it stands for the people in the middle because if that were true, gas prices would not be where they are. I'm not for strict regulation, but when Exxon is clearing profits in the billions all the while saying that they "have to raise" gas prices, something is wrong.

I have always felt that it is important for Americans to exercise their right to vote. Otherwise it doesn't make sense to complain when you aren't standing in line trying to make a say with your vote. But what happens when candidates have steered away from the values they claim to represent? The last time I checked, there was no mass of moderate Republicans in America. You are either Right winged, Democrat, or you call yourself Independent or some third-party member. There are many Democrats who float in the middle, but I just don't believe that happens in the GOP.

So what's the modern day conservative to do? Stay home? What would you do?

Imagine my fancy the other morning when I glanced at the TV as I was getting ready for work and saw Ann Coulter being interviewed on Good Morning America!

Now as everyone knows, I've always described myself as the up-and-coming Ann Coulter of my generation, equipped with sassy hyperbole technique, a tendency to become somewhat "catty", and almost a profound narcissism when I lash out because I pretty much feel that I am right (Right) all of the time. She has been my role model for some time,not for what she says because at times she can cross the line, but for her undying fear to speak her mind.

So Coulter and Elizabeth and John Edwards are the stars of this week's newest War on Words where someone has been offended and other is being called on to apologize, play nice, and join the offended hand in hand and pretend that no one's skirt ever got ruffled by the cold draft that breezed by. Next week, Coulter will be called on to apologize to John Kerry for words she said three and four years ago and then will be forced to bikini wrestle in a pit full of Heinz ketchup.

Ann Coulter is Ann Coulter just like the late Molly Ivins was...Molly Ivins.

Freedom of speech is one of the rights that is often used as the scape-goat whenever someone has said something that could be viewed as out of line. And while people are correct when they claim this, they too must realize that with certain right and privileges come responsibilities. Think of how many wars have been started over words. We live in the greatest country in the world where we our free to express dissent and create cute posters with our President resembling Adolf Hitler and march around in circles hollering at the top of our lungs. We get to write here on blogstream and reply to nasty comments when someone doesn't like what we've said. But, Ann Coulter and others like her get to express that same freedom as well.

The rules always seem to change when it is someone of notoriety who's said something controversial. I suppose it is because it's more fun to make them a target because when they mess up, they get to apologize to the whole world rather than to just the person who's the next cubicle over.

It could go without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that both parties are squabbling in an effort to get more publicity and money. John Edwards wants to win the White House and Ann Coulter wants to sell books but I personally think that Coulter will generate more revenue from the newly released paperback versions of "Godless" than Edwards will by speaking to all of the same Americans he did four years ago. Coulter would probably wage a ketchup wrestling match on that.

This post is a long time in coming because I realized yesterday that it had been about eight months since I ranted on The Stream:

I've gone through a lot of personal changes since the last time we've spoken. I digress from sharing the details because I do it best when I let my political commentary spill out over the internet rather than my heart. I've fallen, gotten up, fallen, and through it all, gotten up again. Without scraped knees you can't learn how to stand.

Seeing Red has been the place for the growing political pundit in me to get on my soapbox and lament about the importance of preserving Conservative America and until recently I never realized I did it all blindfolded. I was blinded behind my Red tie and my view was obstructed from seeing why other people look at things differently. But now, that slight shade of blue has found its way inside my blindfold and opened my eyes and shown me things that I never knew.

I learned about the way we live and all of a sudden the things that I argued about or against became real personal.

It's not to say that I have crossed the aisle and and picked up a sign to join a march or anything. That would give my readers a heart attack. But nevertheless, I can now see why liberal people feel the way they do about things and perhaps thats enough to give most people an extra heart skip or two.

For a while the past few months I forgot who I was. I (gasp) even decided that I was done with the idea of being the Conservative Movement's Next Diva. I wanted to be someone else. I wanted to be something that didn't remind me of how life was before it fell apart. But I've been told by someone who was real close once that no matter how much I've changed, I'm still Heather with the heated political blog that stirs my passion and that I would hate myself if I walked away from who I really was.

So from now on, Seeing Red will still be the spot for Conservative political commentary, but maybe there will be more room to fit a faint line of blue in as well.

So the time has come for everyone to finally hear my opinion on last Tuesday's blistering at the polls. I might have posted sooner but I have to attend to that pesky four-letter word called "work". Nevertheless, I've found some time today to address all inquiring minds who have stuffed my inbox with notes asking me to spell out my dissent. I've even got Macey offering to join my team as the spell checker. Thanks for the offer, but I do work alone.

The "thumping" of the GOP last week was not a complete shocker but still a surprise in the least. I do think that it foreshadows a catastrophe for traditional America but is also a sign of a lot of voters' call for change.

The funny catch phrase, also the title of a book, is "The Republicans cant get it right and the Democrats just can't get it". True, painfully , but I think that some people thought that the dems deserved a chance to figure out how to "get it". The Republicans have stummbled around aimlessly the past couple of years on key issues like Iraq and border security. They are definately the party that likes to beef up defense and protect our country, so why this journey without a map?

It is obvious that the main issue in this election was Iraq. It had to be. We are at full employment with ninety-six percent of Americans holding down some kind of job. We are still waiting for the other four percent to trade in the stamps for checks. Gas prices are higher than they used to be, but the price that they were before were...higher than they used to be. We do have this thing called the cost of living. People have adjusted accordingly and are still driving large SUVS. I should know, because I get hit by one who ran a red light last week. So, the issue is the war.

Iraq turned out to be a larger mess than was ever predicted; I'll give President Bush that, but we needed better plans than were offered. No one ever said war was easy. There's never been one where every single thing has gone according to will and time. In a society where we want what we want when we want it, we have failed to recognize that fact. However, President Bush and team have yet to come up with one definitive way to solve this issue.

The Democrats on the other hand have not won that battle either. They have continued to fail to offer any real ideas on how to combat terrorism, find Osama bin Laden (darn my October Surprise, remember my prediction a long time ago?), and make the process of getting on an airplane less painful than a Paris Hilton concert. Running away from Iraq is not a game plan, it's a strategy for defeat. It's poor sportsmanship. 'Boo hoo, things are not going how I want it to so I'm walking off the field.' Where'd I see that last? Oh yeah, the kids at recess when I was in grade school.

My reasoning for allowing that this election was "a call for change" is this: When the gameplan isn't working the owner will send in a new coach to see how it works. (I know I am using the sports analogies but Texas is a sports driven state.) I'm not saying that the Republicans have been completely wrong. I totally agree that this war is just and that we have freed many from a dictator's reign rather than served as occupiers as some would say of our troops. However, we still have no idea where this is going and though I'm not looking for any kind of time table, I'm looking for something better than what is going on now. I highly disagree with the voters' conclusion that the Democrats are the answer though. I was thinking more like putting better Republicans in office.

So all streaks have to end somewhere. Only a realist can assume that all things can not go on forever. Eventually, something was going to give. If the Democrats prove to be the failure on national security that they are widely known for, America will hopefully thump again.

Friday afternoon's episode of Oprah was the one in a million that actually caught my attention. Unless you were hiding under a rock, most people in America caught wind that Bill O'Reilly was going to take the seat on Oprah amidst an audience of painfully over emotional women. That might have been an even scarier position than being sanwiched in between Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones.

Nevertheless, the royalty of both daytime and primetime squared off in a discussion over the culture war depicted in O'Reilly's recent release and best-seller, "Culture Warrior".

I've never seen so many men make their presence known in that audience.

Love him or hate him, you know that Bill has made a sound point about where culture stands in the United States. Tradionalists far outweigh the Secular-Progressives in our country and have been completely smothered by the media, especially those in the print press clan.

You all know where this blog stands as it is soundly titled "Seeing Red" as all of my views lean Right and pretty much in line with that of the Traditionalists. There's some things that I think get carried way overboard, but I ultimately dip my brush in Red paint and don't even have a can of Blue open anywhere.

Bill O'Reilly's point about American's needing to cross the line and decide what kind of country they want is dead on. You're either Traditional or Secular, Red or Blue, Right or wrong, for or against. There's no room for the those straddling the fence or painting a purple picture. You can't be both. Ever see the "in the middle" guys win an election? There are issues that some feel differently about that contrast with their other views but overall, there will always be a pattern. A person cannot say they support the troop but not the war. What does that even mean? You are supporting them doing...what? Fighting a cause you don't believe in?

Sounds to me that people need to sort out their colors before heading to the polls in November.