Candidate Look: Mike Gravel

... because someone asked, that's why. He's not on the Texas ballot so far as I can tell, so I'm not considering him for myself.

Standards here.

WAR: Total withdrawal from Iraq. Opposes war in Iran. Would cut military spending in half. Would greatly decrease funding for, or possibly eliminate, the Department of Homeland Security and everything in it (CIA, FBI, NSA, etc.) except for FEMA. 40%.

SEPARATION OF POWERS: No domestic spying. Transparency in government. Supports line-item veto. 40%.

HEALTHCARE: Universal nationalized health care, without concern to cost. 0%.

TAXATION AND BUDGET: Supports Fair Tax. Increases in spending for everything except defense and homeland security. Silent on borrowing. 40%.

CIVIL LIBERTIES: Supports public campaign funding (i. e. prohibition of private political advertising); on other hand, supports net neutrality. Would restore habeas corpus. Supports end to torture, closure of Guantanamo and black sites. 60%.

IMPEACHMENT: Supports not only impeachment but war crimes investigation and trial of Bush, Cheney, and other complicit officials. 100%.

IMMIGRATION: Path to citizenship after paying fines. Very vague "protect our borders and monitor immigrants" statement. Supports guest worker program. Blames immigration spike in past ten years on NAFTA. 40%.

TRADE: Opposes NAFTA; supports GATT, WTO. Calls for reforming NAFTA to make it more fair. 20%.

ENERGY: Increased oil profits tax. 10%.

ENVIRONMENT: Supports "cap and trade", carbon tax. Vague calls for global cooperation. 0%.

TORT REFORM: Silent on issue. 0%.

AVERAGE SCORE: 31.8%

VOTE KILLERS:

GUNS: Supports federal concealed-handgun permit requirement. (About half a kill, if I hadn't already decided to pass this over.)

RANKINGS TO DATE

Candidates in italics are not in consideration due to vote-killer positions.

Barack Obama - 46.2%
Dennis Kucinich - 40.9%
John Edwards - 33.7%
John McCain - 33.6%
Mike Gravel - 31.8%
Ron Paul - 28.2%
Rudy Giuliani - 22.3%
Mike Huckabee - 16.9%
Mitt Romney - 14.8%
Duncan Hunter - 11.8%
Fred Thompson - 11.1%
Hillary Clinton - 8.5%

Right. Moving on now, I hope...