Barack Obama and John Edwards have something that Hilliary Clinton doesn’t. What is it?, you ask. Well, I’ll give you a hint. Click on Barack Obama’s campaign website. Next click on John Edwards’ campaign website. Last, but not least, click on Hillary Clinton’s campaign website.

Now, having done all that, do you see what Obama and Edwards have that Clinton doesn’t? It’s staring you right in the face if you just look hard enough.

Okay, for those who didn’t want to bother finding out for yourselves, I’ll tell you.

(cont.)
Obama and Edwards both have something along a scrollbar at the top of their respective websites’ home pages. It’s a link you can click on to find out something very important, something you should want to know before deciding whether to support them with you time, your money or your vote. It’s the word “Issues” and if you click on it, you will be taken to a second webpage on their sites which informs you of their positions on various issues important to our country. Obama’s “Issues” page is HERE, and Edward’s “Issues” page is HERE.

Hillary Clinton? Not so much. There is no link on her campaign’s homepage which is labeled “Issues.” None. Nada. Zip. If you click on the word “Newsroom” on her homepage it will reveal a menu with the headings “News Summary”, “Press Releases” and “Speeches”, and I suppose maybe you could click on those headings and search each item you find on the pages to which those those links take you to ferret out Senator Clinton’s views on Iraq, or health care reform, or campaign finance reform, or whatever issue is the one which most interests you. Then again, maybe you wouldn’t. Find out anything, that is. Which is too bad.

Because I’d like to know if she has a plan like John Edwards to reduce global warming and develop alternative energy sources:

The Edwards Plan:

* Cap and Reduce Global Warming Pollution: Edwards will set an economy-wide limit on the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. He will build on the precedent of the Clean Air Act of 1990 — which limited pollution causing acid rain through a sulfur dioxide cap-and-trade system — to reduce pollution in a cost-effective and flexible manner.

Use Science to Set the Caps: Edwards will cap greenhouse gases at levels that the latest climate science has determined to be necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. He will cap greenhouse pollution starting in 2010, reduce it by 15 percent by 2020, and reduce it by 80 percent by 2050, consistent with the most aggressive plans under consideration in Washington.

Make Polluters Pay: Edwards will auction off a portion of the pollution permits to raise $10 billion a year for a New Energy Economy Fund to jumpstart clean, renewable, and efficient energy technologies and create 1 million jobs. Other permits will be sold or given away.</blockquote

* Lead the World toward a New Global Climate Change Treaty: Climate change is an international problem and the U.S. can never solve it alone. China is building the equivalent of one large coal-fired power plant a week and is expected to pass the U.S. as the world’s largest polluter of carbon dioxide in 2009. [NYT, 3/17/2007; WSJ, 3/3/2007]

To lead the world toward a new, effective climate change treaty, Edwards will:

Make Our Own Commitments to Restore Our Moral Leadership: The U.S. has 4 percent of the world’s population but produces a quarter of its carbon dioxide emissions. It is one of only three developed nations that has refused to limit its greenhouse gas pollution. By adopting caps, Edwards will help the U.S. regain credibility in the world without sacrificing American competitiveness. [Irish Times, 2/14/2007; Greenwire, 10/31/2006]

Involve Developing Economies: Any climate change treaty must include developing countries, which emit significant amounts of carbon and could otherwise serve as a haven for polluters. However, these nations are poorer than the U.S. and emit far less carbon per capita. To bring them to the table, Edwards will share America’s clean energy technology in exchange for binding greenhouse reduction commitments. If necessary, he will insist that strong labor and environmental standards in our trade deals include commitments on climate change. This new deal will require global participation, promote shared responsibility, and let American workers and businesses compete on a level playing field.

Or if like Barrack Obama, she has a plan to end the Iraq War:

At the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations in November 2005, Senator Obama called for: (1) a reduction in the number of U.S. troops; (2) a time frame for a phased withdrawal; (3) the Iraqi government to make progress on forming a political solution; (4) improved reconstruction efforts to restore basic services in Iraq; and (5) engaging the international community, particularly key neighboring states and Arab nations, to become more involved in Iraq. In January 2006 he traveled to Iraq and met with senior U.S. military commanders, Iraqi officials and U.S. troops in Baghdad and Fallujah.

Senator Obama introduced legislation in January 2007 to offer a responsible alternative to President Bush’s failed escalation policy. The legislation commences redeployment of U.S. forces no later than May 1, 2007 with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008 — a date consistent with the bipartisan Iraq Study Group’s expectations. The plan allows for a limited number of U.S. troops to remain in Iraq as basic force protection, to engage in counter-terrorism and to continue the training of Iraqi security forces. If the Iraqis are successful in meeting the 13 benchmarks for progress laid out by the Bush Administration, this plan also allows for the temporary suspension of the redeployment, provided Congress agrees that the benchmarks have been met.

I’m sure Senator Clinton has some great ideas to deal with these issues, and many others besides. It’s a shame her website doesn’t make it easy for you and me to discover what those plans and ideas are, however. Her website is really good at directing you to where you can donate money to her campaign, or where you can sign up to help her raise money for her campaign from your family and friends. Still, maybe someone should tell her that winning the money race isn’t the only thing her campaign website should be focused on.

Don’t you think maybe she ought to make it easy for us to find out where she stands on the issues, too?