Note that, in Post 485, I did not even mention "Republican" or "Democrat". Such labels are irrelevant as political party characteristics change from election to election, especially in these times when Oprah-influenced voters and not political bosses in smoke-filled rooms make the choice on who will be the standard bearer.
I look at candidates the way Jim did in this "then what?" thread: Issue by issue and candidate by candidate.
My primary issue is not losing the war through Commander-in-Chief surrender. The stakes in the Persian Gulf are of the highest magnitude. Imagine the future of America with 70% of the World's known oil reserves having been abandoned to the military control of fanatical Iranian Islamists with dreams of martyrdom who are actively seeking nuclear weapons and delivery systems.
These are not strategic stakes that you can be f***ing with.
Putting a Commander-in-Chief in the White House who will not allow that to happen will be my Number One priority.
I will NOT be throwing away my vote in protest in an act equivalent to putting "Ronald Reagan" as a 2008 write-in vote. That is the ultimate in political narcissism. I WILL cast my vote for a VIABLE candidate so that I can at least put some measure of sanity into the final choice.
If, by some national Republican psychosis, Ron Paul is the Republican candidate for President, I WILL be voting for Hillary in November since at least I know that Hillary is not stupid enough to think that isolationism will magically protect Washington, DC and New York City from nuclear tipped Islamist ICBM's.
As far as "Right to Life", the irony is that voting for a liberal Bible-thumping Baptist preacher that uses religion as a campaign tool will galvanize the 50% of the U.S. electorate that almost put Al Gore in the White House and put the hard-core liberal in the White House instead of the Not Pure Enough judicial conservative who would put "original intent" Justices on the Supreme Court who could overturn Roe v. Wade and leave things such as abortion under State control as the Tenth Amendment intended things not mentioned in the Constitution to be. With with a few more Ruth Ginsburg clones on the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade will remain the law of the land for decades to come.