Washington Hawks like John Bolton and Lindsey Graham are eager for a war in Syria, but if Donald Trump takes us to war in the Middle East, he'll lose his second term in the White House in 2020.

With his eye on the Oval Office, Donald Trump spent the Obama years telling the world– through tweets– about his foreign policy philosophy, a practical approach to the world that would keep America out of costly and fruitless foreign military entanglements and obligations that don't make Americans safer, nor add anything to the American people's bottom line.

We are living in an unheralded time of peace and plenty – the data show the human race has made a quantum leap in that regard – but everybody is angry.

T.J. O’Hara, the host of Deconstructed, is joined by David Walker again.

The two breakdown the omnibus spending bill versus restoring and improving the traditional appropriations process, the continuing resolutions approach, the effectiveness and non-partisan nature of inspectors general, Dave’s gubernatorial bid in Connecticut, and more.

Dave served as the seventh U.S. Comptroller General, for the Clinton and Bush Administrations, and was the head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Dave is currently running for governor of Connecticut.

Progress for All founder and law professor Tim Canova is taking another shot at unseating former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who has been embroiled in lawsuits and scandals since the 2016 elections.

This time, however, Canova is not running against Wasserman Schultz in the Democratic primary, but the general election as an independent candidate.

Welcome to our weekly post, Independent Action, where we let you know the important moves independent candidates and organizations made over the past week.

A lot of independents like Rand Paul because he's so different from a lot of U.S. Senators who go to Washington to lie low, not make any waves, bring back something for the constituents, and enjoy the smooth sailing of a cush job in a prestigious career pinnacle position. Maybe despite (or because of) a completely undistinguished career in the Senate chamber with no controversial stands or anything important, they'll get tapped to be Vice President.

Independents and the political establishment are keeping a close eye on what is happening in Kansas this year. Greg Orman, a successful business leader and entrepreneur, is running as an independent for governor of Kansas in one of the highest profile independent gubernatorial races in the country.

As we get older, and hopefully wiser, we generally start to become more discerning on how we view the world and the problems we face. Many of us who seek to make the world a better place try to look at the problems, analyze them, and do what we can to correct them.

However, because there are so many different problems facing us, this approach often overwhelms us and can instill a sense of hopelessness in our ability to create positive change.

 "I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset."

- Langston Hughes

In February, I traveled from New York City, where I live, to New Orleans to attend the Unrig the System Summit, a gathering of over 1,500 people from all 50 states, focused on how to reform our dysfunctional political system.

Nicole Capretz is the founder of the Climate Action Campaign. She was the primary author of the City of San Diego's groundbreaking, legally binding clean energy Climate Action Plan adopted in late 2015. An environmental attorney for more than 20 years, Capretz has acted as a climate justice policy advisor for local governments and the nonprofit sector and she has played a pivotal role in helping other cities adopt their clean energy climate plans, and she is a prominent advocate for Community Choice Energy in southern California.