On Friday a US-led initiative at the United Nations to ban any form of stem cell research failed by a razor-thin vote. Congress is still unable to resolve the debate over human cloning. Our President, who has been very vocal with his own opinions, is now trying to sideline internal American debate by moving the discussion into the United Nations. This is deplorable behavior, and I’m amazed that the press hasn’t jumped on it the way they should have.

Stem cell research could be the next huge breakthrough in medical research. It could lead to cures for cancer, degenerative diseases, and a better understanding of how our bodies repair themselves. But even if you oppose curing cancer — and I will concede that there are valid moral concerns which need to be addressed before we start cloning millions of embryos — you must admit that what our president is doing right now, going behind our backs, is despicable.

I’m still undecided which way I’ll vote — Pat and I have had lengthy “discussions” (arguments) over this. But if I do vote for a Democrat, it won’t be because of the war in Iraq or Bush’s handling of the economy.

If I vote for a Democrat, it will be because our President opposed Congress on spending more money to fight AIDS. It will be because at the UN General Assembly on Children, our country opposed any mention of “abortion” or any abortion-related services while addressing the problems concerning children around the world. It will be because George W. Bush, in his zeal to enact conservative social programs, tried to ban stem cell research at the United Nations while it was still a topic of heated debate at home.

If the Democrats want my vote, they have to show me that they aren’t going to sacrifice Bush’s good policies on the altar of party politics.

I’m not going to vote for a candidate who will tell religious non-profits that they can’t do public charity work. I will vote for a candidate who promises funding for stem cell research and a repeal of the ban on partial birth abortion.

I’m not going to vote for a candidate who will kick our economy in the teeth by supporting the Kyoto Protocol. I will vote for a candidate who will develop an international pollution plan that actually makes economic and environmental sense. (Bush promised an energy plan, but never delivered — instead, he raised the amount of coal mining waste that companies are allowed to dump into our rivers.)

I’m not going to vote for a candidate who will sacrifice our national sovereignty to the political whims of the International Criminal Court. I will vote for a candidate who is going to rebuild the bridges that George Bush needlessly burned down with his “with us or against us” attitude.

I’m not going to vote for a candidate who will repeal the tax cuts that have helped our economy regain some of its strength. I will vote for a candidate who will raise fuel economy standards, who supports the use of modern power sources (including nuclear reactors), and who is willing to tell Americans to stop wasting so much damn energy.

Of course, this is probably a pipe dream. I think it’s entirely likely that, as in 2000, we will wind up stuck between a rock and a hard place, with a Democratic candidate who will do anything to win support and a Republican cowboy who promises another four years of bad compromises. “Take your pick: you want the clown on the left, or the clown on the right?” If that’s the case, I may just vote Libertarian.