Let's talk about replacing GWBush in 2004.

"At the time the first hijacking, according to law, FAA, it is mandatory within four minutes of a hijacking, fighter planes from the nearest air military base go up to scramble, that means go up and force the plane down, find out who they are, find out what's happening. One hour and 50 minutes I think it was, no fighter plane went up. During that [time], we lost the two towers, and one side of the Pentagon. Why didn¹t they go up? No description from the government, no excuse, a lot of mumbling stories which were then retracted, new stories replaced them.

That to me was the end of the republic. We no longer had a Congress which would ask questions, which it was in place to do of the executive. We have a commander in chief who likes strutting around in military uniform, which no commander ever did, as they are supposed to be civilians keeping charge of the military. This thing is surrealistic now and it is getting nastier and nastier, as we are more and more kept in the dark about those things which most affect us, which are war and peace, prosperity and poverty. These are the main things that the government should look after. And we the people should be told about them. We have been told nothing. And every voice is silent."

Over the next few weeks, we'll be bringing together MoveOn members, political leaders, and policy folks to develop a big-thinking, forward-looking platform for MoveOn's work. The final document will contain ideas and messages that resonate broadly and move people to action. Especially after the 2002 election, we want to ensure that Democrats and leading progressives are never again indicted for "having no message." It'll also be deeply pragmatic -- an agenda that we can and will accomplish in the coming years.

You'll hear more about that soon, but before we start, we need some input from you. We'd like to involve some of the Democratic candidates in this process, and we want to know which candidates MoveOn members favor. You can cast your vote at:

http://moveon.org/pac/poll?id=1407-1467978-ND3XPxqzG1wUL6Tc.rEjVw

We'll ask MoveOn members' favorite few candidates to get involved in the agenda-building process. That will introduce us to the candidates, and demonstrate to the candidates the creativity, intelligence, and power of the broad MoveOn membership.

It may feel early to be talking about the 2004 presidential campaign. In fact, the election cycle is already in full swing: President Bush has quietly laid his plans and assembled his generals. Insiders report that he plans on raising over $250 million in the coming year and a half. On the Democratic side, candidates have been struggling to get their message out for several months.

Unfortunately, ordinary voters have no role at this stage of the process. Instead, the pundits, pollsters and elite donors have all the power. Their cynical judgments, discredited polls and $2000 checks are determining the short list of "electable" candidates from which we will have to choose in our state Democratic primaries.

With our agenda in hand, we can play an unprecedented role in the presidential campaign. But first we need to develop a common agenda. Today's straw poll is the first step. Please take a minute to vote at:

http://moveon.org/pac/poll?id=1407-1467978-ND3XPxqzG1wUL6Tc.rEjVw