Sit back and think for a minute. Close your eyes. Picture what a presidential ticket is supposed to look like.

Okay, now throw that image away, and get ready to replace it with one that looks an awful lot more like the real America that we all live in.

Imagine Boxer/Obama ‘08. With Barbara Boxer and Barack Obama running together, what Republican would stand a chance? Would the Republicans flounder and pull Alan Keyes out of the basement again? Would they run Pat Buchanan? Jeb Bush?

Barbara Boxer and Barack Obama possess the intelligence, the integrity, the strength, and the progressive idealism that has been sorely lacking in Democratic presidential candidates for an entire generation. It’s time to pack up the militaristic fuzziness of John Kerry, the collaborationist weakness of Joseph Lieberman, and the unscrupulous ambition of Hillary Clinton. It’s time for progressives to stand up for what they believe in, with no soft-pedalling, and no apologies.

The Democratic Party is never going to win over the racists, sexists and other breeds of bigots who make up a huge chunk of the Republican base of support. These Republican fanatics will never approve of people like Barbara Boxer and Barack Obama, but let the Republicans keep them.

Unlike so many of their colleagues, Senators Boxer and Obama are anything but Republican Lite. In 2008, the American people deserve an honest debate with a strong progressive voice to counter the nationalist extremism of George W. Bush and his followers. When it comes to 2008, Barbara Boxer and Barack Obama are the two leaders of national standing most able to accept this challenge.