I've been trying to read up on the candidates, trying to find someone with positions that are close to my own. None of the front runners jibe exactly with what I believe. So I've been looking at some of the lesser known candidates: Ron Paul and Mike Gravel.

Paul is an MD (ob-gyn), who has been serving in Congress for several years now. His views are distinctly libertarian, and I do find that I agree with many of them.

Gravel is running as a Democrat, and it looks like he's been in politics most of his life, serving as a Senator from Alaska. Generally this is not a quality I necessarily find all that attractive in a candidate. I think it makes them less likely to be "in touch" with real people. But reading over Gravel's positions on issues as he sees them, I found little to disagree with.

I don't really look at myself as a democrat or republican, liberal or conservative. But I find that I lean toward democrats on many positions. Probably remnants of my father's democratic leanings.

Gravel isn't on the ballot (yet) in Illinois. I haven't decided which way I'm going to declare for the primaries, and who I will vote for on either side.

Illinois seems to usually go solidly democratic in the presidential election, rendering any contrarian position I might take to be moot. But I think these primaries are important in sending a message that "business as usual" isn't acceptable.

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of voters, I think it really IS acceptable.