Spin,

Great post, thank you for sharing that with us!


Catch n Release, Well done!


Jon h, I just thought of something else: You said,

"I don't think it really matters what sandy desert country in the middle east this war is fought at."

Then why don't we take this to Saudi Arabia, a vocal detractor (to put it mildly!) of the U.S. and a well known and well documented sponsor and supporter of terrorism and Islamic extremism? Not to mention the native land of Bin Laden and his entire family!

Could it be because, hmmmm.... W. and his daddy, and their "pals" (read "political contributors") in defense and oil have done extensive business with the Saudi's for YEARS, and billions and billions of dollars trade hands between them and the Saudis? hmmmmm....


Mitch, Bush does not POSSESS character, he IS a character, as in CARTOON CHARACTER!

CHARACTER? PUHLEEZE!?! Would a man of character have used his brother/Governor of Florida, and his campaign manager/Secretary of the State of Florida (both of whom acted in that order, I might add!) to hijack the election of 2000 and rob the American people of their right to elect their leaders?

Would a man of character willfully misrepresent (read "lie") to the entire world, the threat posed by Hussein and Iraq and the intellegence gathered about his so-called WMD's?

And as to leadership, I refer you to the eloquent words of Mr. Eisenhower:

"Leadership involves setting a direction and building consensus, not viewing other countries as practically devoid of significance. Recent developments indicate that the current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance."

I admire your criteria, Mitch; character and leadership are certainly valuable traits in a President. Unfortunately, Mr. Bush has neither. What he has is a single minded, self-serving, elitist agenda, that is not in the best interests of the vast majority of the people of this country or the rest of the world. And he will stop at nothing to carry it out, including lying and spreading propaganda and disinformation in order to gain the support of loyal, patriotic, well-meaning Americans like you and Jon and others here and elsewhere, including folks in my own family. The reason you can relate to him when he speaks is because HE is the one who is telling people what they want to hear, instead of telling the truth, and thinking critically about the issues. He is appealing to the nationalist, patriotic spirit of well meaning, yet misled Americans like yourself and others.

I respectfully disagree with you about Mr. Kerry being inconsistent and all over the map and changing what he says depending upon who he is addressing. I have not found him to be inconsistent. He is simply astute enough to see things from all perspectives and to consider them when he addresses them. I try to do that myself. And as to "waffling" I think that he is simply intelligent enough to be able to augment his position as necessary based upon new information or changing dynamics.

It doesn't take courage or leadership to stick to an ill conceived, single minded, one track message or agenda, or wrong headed direction; just a lack of critical thinking ability, a lack of creativity, and a lack of flexibility. Resorting to war in Iraq was clearly a mistake; it was premature, unjust, and poorly undertaken. Granted, once he committed us, we must now finish the job. But Bush is not the one to do so.

When I combine these 3 factors:

1) the 2000 election and the shenanigans in Florida, with

2) our failed foreign policy (which includes how Bush lied and took us to war prematurely and unnecessarily, as well as his unilateral, cowboy, attitude and disdain towards our allies), and

3) our sagging econonmy, and the tax cuts that favored corporate interests and the wealthy, as well as the budget deficit,

I can see absolutely no redeeming qualities in this man which would entitle him to my vote.

I don't expect a President to agree with me on every issue. But I do expect a President to be morally and intellectually honest enough to know right from wrong (no Clinton references, please! That was his personal business and had no impact whatsoever on me or the country). Bush has proven that he does not. He has been wrong on foreign policy, wrong on the economy, and was wrongly appointed as "KING" of the U.S. in 2000 in the first place.

This man has got to go!