Obama and Clinton Fail Constituencies

By Jonathan Tallman

Today, the United States Senate began debate upon their return from their July 4th vacation. The Senate debated the most pressing issue of the time: Iraq. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, it is agreed that this is an extremely important issue that most Americans feel very passionate about. Today, there were two Senators/ presidential candidates absent from the debate. Those two candidates are the two front- runners for the 2008 Democratic nomination. Senators Obama and Clinton completely skipped out on the debate on the Senate Floor today. The reason is even more startling, they were campaigning for president in Des Moines, Iowa.Both Obama and Clinton were elected to serve the people of Illinios and New York, respectfully. As I said above, no matter what your party affiliation, Iraq is an extremely important issue for most Americans. Both senators failed their constituencies by not showing up to listen to or address the Senate Floor speeches.What upsets me most about two could- be future presidents is that they are the most anti- war candidates in the Democratic Party. You would think that the two candidates who consistently tell us how important it is that we leave Iraq, would be more than willing to show up to their taxpayer- funded job to debate the issue. I believe that Senators Obama and Clinton should no longer talk about Iraq. After all, they neglected their duty to the people that elected them by not showing up to the debate on this most crucial issue. If this issue is so important to them, as they often say it is, they should have canceled their comparably unimportant events in Iowa to represent their constituents in the United States Senate.This despicable move by the two Democratic Senators proves to the American people that Obama and Clinton are nothing but politicians hoping to propel themselves to the apex of American politics: the American Presidency. Senator Clinton has often been criticized as a politician who has calculated every move since college on how to become President of the United States. I would guess she stayed with her husband simply because she saw it politically convenient, and now she skipped debate on a war, something she will take over as president, because of her political ambitions. Senator Obama has obviously proved that the only reason he became a Senator was to use it as a stepping stone to the White House. It is ironic that Obama is often said to be the "change" and "new face" to Washington that this country needs. It seems to me that Obama is worse than any other Washington politician, missing debate on the most crucial issue of our time.I hope the press covers this story, and that the Senators' current and could- be future constituents hold them accountable for this tragic political move. It is a disgrace for any Senator, Democrat or Republican, to miss debate on the War in Iraq because they are too busy campaigning for president, and both Senators should be ashamed with themselves for not serving the people that elected them.