Here is what we are seeing these days: A political machine that is:

1) Bent gaining and keeping power;

2) Uses that power for selfish, personal, self-promotional purposes;

3) Happy to crush-slime-defame-lie about anyone who gets in its way, even members of its own party;

4) Happy to milk its own political party for selfish reasons;

5) Not the least bit shameful about the fact that, once before, this same political machine had power and, when it left office, had left its party in shambles;

6) Has conned the so-called mainstream media into pulling back from criticisms and probes by threatening "loss of access" if any real scrutiny was pursued;

7) Has totally co-opted the party's fundraising apparatus for its own sake, which often has left other candidates short on cash;

8) Is based on a total fraud: that the head of this political machine is some sort of political savior or political genius; in fact, the head of the machine is a power-mad user of people. Period.

9) Curiously, this political machine has recently cozied up to its main rival and competitor. This new friendship is another cynical step to solidify political power and freeze out any other potential competitors;

10) This machine — and its main rival — have virtually ruined this country. They have corrupted everything and everyone in their path. Yes, when out of office they profit by earning millions on the book and public speaking market. But, in their wake, they have left a shambles. Ruined aides, indicted friends, bankrupted former staffers.

Who — or what — is this political machine?

The Clinton machine, and the Bush machine. They are virtually inter-changeable!

One — the Clintons — basically owns the Democratic Party.

And the other — the Bushes — owns the Republican Party.

They each, in their own way, have ripped off and raped their own party for their own selfish purposes — and the party machinery has allowed it! (Remember that sorry spectacle of Republicans traipsing down to Austin in 1999 to beg George W. Bush to run for president?)

The GOP is now paying a severe price for it: losing the House, Senate, many governorships and state houses; in 1994-2000, the Democrats paid for Bill and Hillary's political and personal excesses by losing the House, Senate, many governorships and state houses — and finally the White House. Yet these two machines continue on.

Their parties suffer — but the Bushes and Clintons couldn't care less. They are rolling in dough, laughing all the way to the bank and just waiting to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Our country is in grave trouble. And some of this is due to our government and our politicians.

The Clintons and the Bushes have rotted out our political system.

Until they are displaced and defeated — by a principled leader, not another greedy opportunist like a Giuliani in the GOP or an Edwards in the Democrat Party, we will not be able to repair our broken political system.