<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Margaret Kimberley published ten questions in today's Black Agenda Report (<A href="http://www.blackagendareport.com">www.blackagendareport.com</A>) that I think should define a minimal progressive platform:<DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">1. Will you end the occupation of Iraq?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">2. Will Jose Padilla still be in prison? Will you close Guantanamo?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">3. Will you enact a plan for universal health care?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">4. Will your administration demand that Israel cease committing human rights abuses and waging war against its neighbors?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">5. Will you keep abortion legal?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">6. Will you reverse the Patriot Act and other attacks on civil liberties?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">7. Will you rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">8. Will you decrease the prison population?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">9. Will you expose the criminal acts of the Bush administration?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">10. Will you protect voting rights?</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">There's nothing radical here. Nicolas Sarkozy could pass this test merely by pledging to maintain the French status quo. Dennis Kucinich could pass it, but has no chance. Every other Democrat in the race would say "no" to 4, 8, and 9. (Or, more precisely, would accuse the questioner of anti-semitism for asking question #4 and end the interview right there). S/he might pay lip service to the others, but would almost certainly be lying about everything other than questions 5 and (maybe) 10. How much worse can it get?</DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Roman" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14px; ">Michael McIntyre</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Roman" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14px; "><A href="mailto:mcintyremichael@mac.com">mcintyremichael@mac.com</A></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Roman" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;; font-family: Times New Roman; "><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Roman" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;; font-family: Times New Roman; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 14px; "><A href="http://morbidsymptoms.blogspot.com">http://morbidsymptoms.blogspot.com</A></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> </DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>