Although race and gender have always been issues in this campaign, no matter how much we want them not to be--the fact is, it's just who we are as a nation. Maybe we've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

But at some point, this campaign took a decidedly ugly turn, and Obama supporters have delighted in blaming it all on Bill Clinton, turning themselves into leftwing Limbaughs in the process.

I think the real stink bomb came a bit earlier than that, and I've found the video of the person who lobbed it and the "journalist" who catapulted it across the nation. Take a look.

Senator Voinovich,

As the mother of a soldier serving overseas, I was shocked and dismayed at your vote yesterday blocking the Webb-Hagel Readiness Amendment, especially following your williness to meet face to face with parents and spouses of currently deployed troops on Monday and hear about the extreme hardships they are being forced to endure, while most Americans are not being asked to sacrifice anything.

Our military is being broken by an administration that has chosen to ignore all convention and reason regarding the appropriate use of America's military power and seems to regard our troops as no more significant than little green plastic guys.

I  got that sinking feeling upon reading Frank Rich's column "They'll  Break the Bad Bad News on 9/11."  Rich points out that the administration is already warming up the audience, in the pattern now familiar to the dozen or so people bothering to pay attention, by deploying their minions to the Sunday morning talk shows with their carefully scripted talking points, lowering expectations for the September "report card" on "the surge."

It's time we stopped acting like 10-yr-old children who can't handle the truth (which is what our politicians seem to think we are) and start demanding some reality from those who aspire to lead our nation.

Seriously, those of us with family members in the military are getting mightily pissed that our loved ones are getting ripped apart for the war profiteering corporations that, oh by the way, own the media that keeps you distracted and entertained with bumper sticker slogan politics and Paris Hilton's latest escapades, while their blood stained hands are in our cookie jar.

So the saber rattling seems to have quieted down. Is it because the world is watching?  Did the Russians serve some whistle blower role with their repeated statements to the international media about US intentions to attack Iran? Did the Brits telling Bush to shut up, back off, and let them reach a diplomatic resolution to the captured sailors crisis throw a monkey wrench into the works?  Are our representatives in Congress starting to get a clue and a spine?  Whatever it is...there might not be a LOT we can do as ordinary citizens, but let's do what we CAN to let our government know we're paying attention. Because there's still stuff like this  going on.   We still have two carrier strike groups in the Gulf waiting for the order to "bring it on." We still have troops on both the Iraq and Afghanistan sides of Iran. The oil is still there. Need I say more?

So even if you think this is just hype, and signing a petition is pointless, do it anyway. It's always better to err on the side of caution than to be guilty of doing nothing. Here's 10 reasons to convince you that joining the StopIranWar.com campaign being waged for our future by Wes Clark, VoteVets, and thousands of ordinary citizens is the right thing to do.

Why should you sign the petition and urge everyone you know to sign?

This Army mom will be hitting the streets of Columbus, Ohio this weekend, joining a broad coalition of groups and individuals in observing the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War. Our message: ENOUGH!

This is nothing new for me. I grew up during Vietnam, and the take away lesson for me was that war is a really stupid way to deal with conflict. Ideologically, I could almost be a pacifist. It works with the vision of the world that I am working towards.This is where I find myself on the same page with Dennis Kucinich. I believe our country NEEDS a Dept. of Peace to begin teaching the current generation about the many ways of respect for others and nonviolent conflict resolution so they can take root in our society and be passed on to succeeding generations.

But the key phrase is "working towards." Because reality trumps ideological purity every time. And the fact is, we don't live in a nonviolent world. The entire history of the human race is steeped in blood. This is who we are as a people. We can't get enough of violence on the news, in the movies, in our video games. And when someone squeaks out a self-righteous objection--"But...I'M not like that"--it is drowned out by the vast majority.