The Democrats may well have made a mistake, a fatal flaw seems to exist in American politics.
Yes republicans are on the nose but who other than Democrats even likes Hillary?
And even many Democrats do not like her, that flaw seems to ignore the simple fact a candidate must attract some from the other side to win elections.
A big call but this election is not over , Republicans if they pick the right candidate have a real chance of winning the Presidency.
Al Gore ,if drafted would be unbeatable is America asleep?

no, belly, not asleep. others have presented themselves, and obama or edwards might get up. but it doesn't matter- repubs have even worse choices to make.

regardless who gets in, usa will be an amoral imperial power using war, assassination, and economic threats and bribes, to maintain it's position. the hollowed out economic base of it's power has been visible for some time, and recently the report by the auditor general made clear that disaster is near. this won't lead to reform, probably. power is addictive and the likely result of economic collapse will be large scale war.

welcome to "the decline and fall of the american empire". don't read the book, just dodge the bombs.

DEMOS I have little doubt you are right, but not sure about the timing.
Yes I am a supporter of America, what it once stood for, what it still thinks it stands for.
But your list of Democratic hopefuls fills me with concern, none are a chance of putting America back on track.
No joy for me in the failure of Iraq, the impending mass migration from that part of the world to all parts western.
Do not write of the Republicans for the presidency.
In a field so full of underachievers America may actually vote for the best candidate not a Democratic party lost in its own self interest, and the view the worst candidate they have can win.

The US will only find a great leader when they are put under great duress as in Britian under Churchill.I don't know much about Hillary Clinton,but Al Gore is too focused on the singularity of his own environmental ideology.

May the US again,find the good will and inspiration that once was the benchmark for Western Democracy.A Chinese totalitarian world that can determine the next Dali Lama does not premote freedom of spirit.

They say that an electorate gets the politicians that it deserves and
there could be some truth in that. Personally I quite like Obama
and Clinton. Obama is full of energy and thinking outside the
square, Hillary has Bill to back her up and he certainly is a great
politician.

The worst that could happen is one of those extreme right wing
religious nuts from the Republicans, gain office. They have in the
past voted for such shining luminaries like Bush and Reagan, so
when the trailer park rednecks and religious right combine their
votes, anything could happen!

The sad part of all of this is that its not only Americans who get
leaders that they deserve, the rest of us are made to suffer too.

America is on the way down, it just hasn't hit them yet

Yes they are indeed on the way down and do not seem to know it.
However the right won ,if they did, the last election because a very wrong candidate ran for the Democrats.
They should learn a lesson Australia already has, bad leadership ,even if loved by some within its party can not win.
Not unless leaders bring voters from the other side can they win elections in these times.
No Democratic candidate we have yet seen can do that.
yet.