On Thursday, former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel (D-AK) announced he will be running for President of the United States.
Gravel hasn't held office since 1980, when he was defeated for a third term by Frank Murkowski. He currently lives in Northern Virginia.
Gravel, 75 (and who will be 78 in 2008), is perhaps best known for entering 4,100 pages of the "Pentagon Papers" into the Senate record in 1971. According to Wikipedia, "The Papers revealed, among other things, that the government had deliberately expanded its role in the war by conducting air strikes over Laos, raids along the coast of North Vietnam, and offensive actions taken by U.S. Marines well before the American public was told that such actions were necessary."
Gravel will be running on this platform:
1-Opposition to the Iraq War
2-The "Direct Democracy" Constitutional Amendment
3-23% national sales tax
Okay, I agree with him on the first point, but on the second and third, I believe he's a bit off (third one, he's way off).
In all seriousness, I doubt that Senator Gravel can win this thing, or even be very competitive. But it will be great to have a strong advocate against the Iraq War in the debates. Since Gravel has nothing to lose, he'll be free to say what he really thinks about this war.
His website can be found here, on April 17th. I look forward to a colorful campaign from Senator Gravel.
-Neal
1 comment:
Hmmm... 23% sales tax doesn't sound like a very good idea, but I like his shoot-for-the-moon style. Some president once promised we'd get to the moon, and we did.
I'd really like to see some Democrat say, "I've got a totally new and totally fair tax plan, I will insure every American by the end of my term, and America will be energy independent in 10 years."
This is America -- we shoot for the moon and we get there.
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