Boren and Bloomberg Meeting at OU

University of Oklahoma President David Boren

University of Oklahoma President David Boren is hosting a bipartisan political meeting that includes former Democratic U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, former Republican Senator Bill Brock, and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The expressed purpose is to "challenge" the present presidential candidates of both parties "to foucs on serious issues" and talk about "national unity" (Greiner The Oklahman 12/31/07).

Bloomberg has been touted as a possible independent candidate for president although Boren has denied that this is an attempt to launch Bloomberg or anyone else (such as himself) into the presidential race. Yeah, right.

Forgive me, but there is something very Passive/Agressive about this whole arrangement. "You'd better start behaving, or you're gonna make me run for president." It seems that Bloomberg wants to claim that he was forced into running for the nation's highest office to save the country from it's politicians. Since he is a politician, I hardly see how he can claim any particular virtue over the rest in the field. As far as I can tell, New York City is hardly a haven for political harmony.

Just what assurances would Boren and the rest want from the current presidential candidates? Every politician, including the highly divisive figurehead we have in the White House now claims that s/he is a "Uniter" and the only reason we don't have more unity in this country is because certain "special interests" just don't get the message.

Third party cannidates seldom do much good in a race. Usually, they end up denying the country the opportunity to have a majority candidate who can at least have some kind of a mandate to lead the country. Thus it was with Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose Party, on to George Wallace, Ross Perot, and, most of all, Ralph Nader.

We have an opportunity to have a true majority candidate in this election. I hope s/he is a Democrat. But what we don't need is someone like Boren, Bloomberg, et al to muddy up the electorate's decision.

Will a new candidate emerge at OU?