Even A Fool Can See

I was following in my parents footsteps    
backing people for office that the majority did not like  
started with Henry Wallace  
who declared that having the might doesn't make the US right  
   
They joined the Peace and Freedom Party    
backing a Democrat in 1968  
thought he might cobble together a winning coalition    
but death ended up to be his fate  
   
Reemerged in the Democratic Party when Tom Bradley    
ran for governor of California state  
emerged was the undisclosed voter  
not wanting to vocalize the irrational hate  
   
A few years later I am eligible to vote  
political science the field I enjoyed  
notions of grandeur maybe I had  
running for office something I toyed  
   
But even more an ardent belief    
that in being involved I could promote peace  
the recognition of nonviolent conflict resolution  
being the only way tensions could be forever ceased  
   
So candidates I favored for the White House  
never got past the primary contest  
until Vice-President Gore took another shot  
had the popular vote but in the electoral what a mess  
   
Had no doubt that Kerry was a decent man  
but his nuances on Iraq presented a waffling type  
my affinity was for Kucinich or Dean  
Rove learned from Atwater how to be the essence of mean  
   
So in 2008 emerges me the fool  
first for John Edwards even traveled to Des Moines  
far and ahead of Obama and Clinton on policy  
had a problem keeping in check his loins    
   
I put my hopes in Obama  
not liking the GOP's choice, Senator McCain  
shocked that Barack won a peace prize  
when it seemed he had little to claim  
   
"But what a fool believes ... he sees    
No wise man has the power to reason away    
What seems ... to be    
Is always better than nothing    
And nothing at all keeps sending him ..."  
   
The candidate talked about changing elections  
now even more money is poured into the races  
but when it comes to access and appointments  
still very limited spaces  
   
Too the candidate talk of the environment  
but once approved of using more fossil fuels  
wanted to drill off the shores in the oceans  
until a spill made him timid of an environmental duel  
   
Made me feel like "the fool on the hill  
seeing the sun going down  
and the eyes in my head  
seeing the world spinning round"  
   
Talked about ending wars in the Middle East  
but has done nothing to stop the trade of military arms  
weapons selling a big time industry    
in the end it is every word citizen that is harmed  
   
Bailed out companies called "too big to fail"  
yet poverty and foreclosures on common folk went up  
guess he learned something from Reagan  
trickle down rather then creating more cups  
   
We like to absolve ourselves of the guilt  
I admit what I didn't want to see  
too idealistic and naive in beliefs  
and "even a fool can see"  
   
   
   
Lyrics courtesy of Richard Brannan/David Malloy (The Doobie Brothers, What A Fool Believes), Paul McCartney/John Lennon (The Fool On The Hill), Peter Cetera/Mark Goldenberg (Even A Fool Can See)  
   
   
Author's Note; While performing "Fool On The Hill", McCartney had clips of Doctor King speaking on the video screens, seeming to emphasize this especially in Arizona, which refused initially to honor the King holiday. At the time Paul and Linda had a home in the state.