Though I might hold some political views that have tied me to my party, I am also someone that knows when it is imperative to vote against his own. The Iraq war was the most critical mistake this country has ever made, and the neocons that were behind it need to be purged from Washington forever. The fierce urgency of now is what opened me up to Sen. Barack Obama and the message and hope that he has brought to this nation. Some say his words are empty or simply "just words", but for this Republican, no words have ever personally resonated more. Some say he is inexperienced, but for this Republican, it is clear to me what we don’t need is the kind of experience that has led us to this precipice. Some say he is naïve and those that support him are as well, but for me, naive is to not be able to recognize the calculated and strategized politcs of the past that have fooled so many of us.

This is my first diary since officially joining Daily Kos a little over a week ago, and I don’t pretend to be a master scribe or orator of the axioms of my political beliefs, but recent events have driven me to try to put down some of my thoughts, lest my voice not be heard in these critically important times for our nation. I read a statement tonight that all of the Republican supporters for Barack were leaving because of all of the Rev. Wright flack that has been beat like a drum the last several days, especially from the political pundits on the right that were just waiting for their opening. What I saw from my party two nights ago made me so sick to my stomach that I had to post on this site an apology to my newfound Democratic friends. Because it was straight from my heart, I felt it appropriate to quote it in its entirety:

My apologies to the Democrats Let me first get this out of the way. I am a Republican, but I am strongly supporting Sen. Barack Obama. For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of the person I am supporting as President of The United States of America. I could go on and on ad nauseum about all the things that I admire about Barack, but that will need to come at a later day. That said, I have been watching some of the news coverage tonight concerning the cherry picked speeches from Sen. Obama’s pastor. I think for the most part, CNN and MSNBC have been reasonable in their coverage, all things considered, but when I flipped over to Fox News – just to see how biased their coverage would be on this story – I was appalled. I had stopped watching Fox News shortly after the start of the Iraq war, but I tune in every now and then just to see how slanted their coverage is. What I saw tonight from Sean Hannity and some of his panel truly disgusted me. The agenda to tear down Barack and Michelle was exceedingly clear and I was very disturbed at the level of the message of hatred and destruction. What in the past I might have trivialized, I now take very personally because I walk in a different set of shoes. For all of you on the left, center, or in-between that have been the brunt of the personal attacks of the pundits, surrogates, and politicians from the right, just so that they could promote their political and personal agendas at any cost, I sincerely apologize for what my party has done to you. If I could offer this amend with words stronger than this simple pronouncement, I would, but the verbal expressions of what I wish I could accurately convey to you escape me at the moment, but my convictions do not. I am truly, truly sorry for what my party has become. This has got to end.

Yes, this has got to end. The politics of yesterday must end -- not just for my party, but also for yours. Without hesitation, I denounce George W. Bush, and by proxy for supporting his policies, Sen. John McCain as well. The unlikely migration of Republican supporters away from our party in support of Sen. Obama is a very real phenomenon. Just in my small circle of friends and family, there are eight of us that have made this crossover in support of Barack.

And this is what gets me to the main point of my diary. Like the struggle for the future of my party, I also see the same thing happening in yours, but with a much more significant impact. We all see it -- there is a distinct division between the politics of yesterday and future of your party. One voice represents through words and actions calculated divisiveness, the other voice does its best to stay above it all and set a new standard for what a leader should be in whom we could admire.

This message is for Sen. Clinton and her supporters. It is over, and it is time to stand behind the future of your party. It is evident that the scorched earth or "kitchen sink" approach of the campaign is tearing both candidates down. The recent polls vs. McCain illustrate this point with eye opening and disheartening clarity. The win at all costs approach down the narrow path to the nomination is ripping your party apart, and for what?

There is a belief that Sen. Clinton should stay in the race just in case something would happen to invalidate Sen. Obama as the nominee, but this is a flawed argument. If something did happen to cause Barack to step down, then Hillary would be nominated at the convention whether she remained in the race or not. Sen. Clinton, by you remaining in the race, the Republicans are getting organized, prepared, and are raising money. By you staying in the race, all you are doing is providing ammunition and precious time to McCain. You will also be wasting tens of millions of dollars for a simple gain of a few delegates, which will not get you to the nomination. We don’t need any more "3 a.m." ads or "...Sen. Obama brings a speech from 2002" sound bites.

Sen. Clinton, the race is over. Support the party’s nominee, and go out with dignity.

It is the fierce urgency of now.