I have refrained from discussing politics, unless while intoxicated, because nothing good ever comes of it. If you read back through the archive, especially the early posts, my political persuasion is readily apparent, as is my disdain for the other dominant mode of thought. I could claim that heated, honest debate is enjoyable and good for the country, but I would be a liar. There are some issues that are open to interpretation, such as, which is better vanilla or chocolate ice cream, but when it comes to the next President of the United States only one option is credible and desirable. You know whom I referring to, but if you don't want to read my previous or simply think that I am incapable of intelligent political discourse, the following is meant for you.

One candidate is running on his Presidential record, both the good parts and bad. His candidacy is not informed by popular opinion, in fact much what he does infuriates approximately forty percent of the population. Though that is more to do about who is he then what he does, which I will touch upon again later. Do I believe he has done no wrong? Of course not, he has made many mistakes, however I would classify them as honest ones, which is virtually unheard in the body politic today. Yet, I do concede to the existence of an equally impressive list of reasons not to vote for him, sadly the other side hasn't picked up on any of them. "My" candidates opponents do not disagree with his policies, because if they did why would they support a man who parrots virtually every one of them. The only differences between the two platforms are issues, such homosexual marriage and abortion, which generate a lot of heat but will not be satisfactorily addressed by either side. And, right or wrong (I vote wrong by the way) most of the hot button issues in the campaign, like the ones I just addressed, will be decided by the courts. I know that the President appoints Supreme Court Justices, which subsequently has final say when it comes to abortion, homosexual marriage etc. , but it requires congressional approval and trust me no radical, whatever that means, conservative or liberal will be changing the balance of power in the highest court any time soon. Congress, and its desire to subvert the constitution, will not allow it.

This leaves really only a few core issues for the candidates to campaign on. Those being the economy, the war on terror, Iraq, social security and health care. I challenge you to find one substantial difference between the incumbent and the challenger when it comes to these key issues. There are dozens of superficial ones, but when you delve beyond the rhetoric it becomes clear that both sides are very similar. The difference is that incumbent has been implementing, challenging and actually dealing with these problems for nearly four years, while his opponent is simply campaigning on a platform of status quo. Occasionally the challenger disagrees with the President, such as he recently did with the issue of troop redeployment, however he usually changes his mind shortly thereafter upon realizing how asinine his position is.

Really the only true difference between he campaigns is Kerry served in Vietnam nearly forty years ago, Bush didn't. And, trust me Kerry is beating that dead horse into the ground as much as humanly possible. Your behavior, both noble and otherwise, from several decades ago usually doesn't pertain to ones actions today. I am not going to speak to the dozens of veterans who feel Kerry is lying about his service, because it is moot point. He did serve when called, and did suffer some sort of injuries, be they self inflicted or otherwise. Though, I do find it darkly funny that his lauded military service included war crimes, several violations of the Geneva convention, and culminated in a triumph return where he lambasted the war, joining the modern day Benedict Arnold, Jane Fonda, in protesting the it. I wonder how that would have went over if a SS soldier did the same thing in post-WWII Germany. I expect he would have been shot.

You see the only reason to vote for the challenger, based on his tendency to mimic the other guy's policies and reliance on double-speak when that tendency is pointed out, is he is not Bush. I strongly believe that every Democrat, especially the ultra liberal contingent that is currently running the party, would vote for Hitler if only because he offered an alternative to Bush. These folks are not basing their decision on logic or truth, instead they are relying on a deep-rooted hatred for a man simply doing his job. I just want to go on the record and say voting for Kerry, because he is not Bush, is not acceptable, in fact it borderlines on insanity. Actually take that back, it is non-seneschal/nutty rationale and, even more disturbing, incredibly dangerous.

Since I am such a nice guy, and am in a very charitable mood, here are some valid reasons not to vote for George W. Bush. He didn't immediately fire George Tenet after 9/11, which may have lead to faulty information concerning the war in Iraq. The President has been anything but fiscally conservative, and, though I am reluctant to admit it, Reagan's policy bankrupting the opposition will not work this time around. Bush has failed to unite the nation, in particular the Congress, behind his vision for America and the War on Terror. If you remember that was one of this main running points in 2000, he campaigned as a unifier and, fair or not, he has divided this country like never before. G W has left the northern and southern borders largely unprotected, which is paramount to giving the bad guys an invitation to cause havoc. Osama Bin Laden is still running loose, and while his death would not end the terrorist threat, in fact it would probably escalate it, the fact that he is alive is an insult to every American, especially those who lost their lives on September Eleventh.

In other words you have every right not to vote for Bush, but I do encourage you to do so for informed reasons and not simply due to blind ignorance and hatred.

Though, I am still hoping Nader will win and lead this nation to untold prosperity. Though, we will have to give up some of our sovereignty and agree to become part of the Peoples Republic of China, but that is such a small price to pay.

Go to Hell