As an American overseas, watching the upcoming elections in the U.S. is a different experience than being back home. I’m not immersed in continuous campaign ads and bickering in the news. I do get plenty of exposure to the big stories via CNN and BBC on satellite TV, but for local issues and candidates the web is my best resource.

Along the lines of “big news”, the defeat of pro-war and Bush-friendly Connecticut Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman has been the first glimmer of hope I’ve seen in a long time. Poll after poll show the American people no longer support Bush’s ill-conceived fiasco, with 60% now against the war in Iraq. Hopefully Lieberman’s loss will force politicians to start considering the will of the people on this issue and work on a way to extricate ourselves before it becomes a full-blown, three way, civil war.

I’ve been starting to read up on the candidates running in Arizona. Yes, I get to vote absentee based on my previous residence while living overseas. Foremost on my mind has been the U.S. Senate and House elections. In the Senate, incumbent Republican Jon Kyl is running against Democrat Jim Pederson. Kyl has a strong lead, but as Connecticut has shown this can change quickly and some have hope that a Democratic win might be possible. For the House, I’m in Democrat Raul Grijalva’s district, so there’s no real challenge going on there. But the race to replace outgoing Republican Jim Kolbe in Arizona 8th District is looking very interesting and potentially very close.

I think these races are of critical importance in this mid-year election. Bush, with a Republican controlled Senate and House of Representatives, has been able to trod roughshod over civil liberties, the environment, scientific and medical research, the deficit and many other policy areas I care about. While I don’t agree 100% with Democrats (even though I am registered as one), I believe it is vital to restore the checks and balances of our federal system by shifting control of Capitol Hill to the Democrats.

The Republican Congress has made a mockery of the oversight it is supposed to provide on administration action (witness the illegal domestic wiretapping that has thus far slid by). The legislative branch has been so far in the President’s pocket that he’s only had to use his veto once. While on the surface cooperation would seem beneficial, our system was set up the adversarial way it is to protect against any one branch of government gaining too much power. It is this system of checks and balances that has ensured our nation has remained free and democratic. But between the Republican’s partisan “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” and presidential signing statements, the legislative branch is rapidly becoming ineffectual, endangering the long-term health of our democracy far more than any outside threat.

Since I’d like to return to a freer, safer and more peaceful country next year, I’m going to be a bit more political than usual here on my blog. In the future I’ll be posting my thoughts on various candidates and issues. Perhaps you don’t care much for politics, perhaps you have strong convictions. Either way, it is important to pay attention in the coming months and vote. Reminder — deadline for registering for the upcoming primary election in Arizona is this Monday, August 14th. So get registered if you aren’t already!

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