Kerry may be a great speaker and an exceptional debater, but when he wants to, he makes his points crystal clear and as precise as a cruise missile. On the other hand, when Kerry wants to obfuscate, he's a master of that as well. But I have grave reservations about him, mostly because he's as slippery as an eel. To me, Kerry comes off as someone who's in it more for himself than he is for the country. For this, and this alone, I don't trust the guy at all.
What is bothersome too about this campaign for the presidency is the plethora of anti-Bush books, and Left of Center actors using their fame to defame. All of a sudden, almost out of the blue, here comes a storm of books on how Bush lied to America. How he suckered us into his war. On how he allowed the attack on 9/11 to have happened. On how he's so deeply in bed with the Saudis, that he discussed America's war plans with them, before discussing them with his Secretary of State. Etc - Etc - Etc.
Another thing that is disturbing recently was the last Presidential press conference, where "serious" journalists practised yellow journalism.
"Mr President: Are you going to apologize to the American people and the families of the victims of 9/11"? What kind of stupid, disrespectful and accusatory question was that? Did George W Bush have a hand in the 9/11 attack on America? Did he know the suicide murderers and help them in any way?
It's easy for the media and the 9/11 commission to be so brilliant in their 20/20 hindsight. But no one could be blamed or held accountable for this horrible attack, other than the attackers. And certainly not the President of the USA.
Was Wilson asked to apologize for WW I? How about FDR for Pearl Harbor? Or what about Kennedy for the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and then getting America involved in Vietnam?
The other absolutely stupid questions were: "Mr President: Did you make any mistakes? And what were they"? His response should have been ? ?yes! My biggest mistake was in thinking the media had brains and professional integrity. I guess I was wrong?. Unfortunately that's not what he said. But that's what he should have said.
In a football metaphor: what the media and the Left Wing are doing is piling-on. Piling on for those who are not football fans is simply the act of jumping on top of a downed player after the whistle blows.
It seems as if it doesn't matter whether the allegations against Bush are true or not, just as long as they're made. Bob Woodward's new book that discloses so much about Bush's fixation on getting Saddam, is turning out to be inaccurate in many important assertions, and more than subjective with Woodward's personal opinions and spin.
Yet, to the anti-Bush believers, this book, like other similar anti-Bush publications tells it all. Whether it does or not. The other side of the campaign against Bush is the knee-jerk reaction of Americans to take the side of the person being attacked by bullies. And in this case, Bush is the clear victim of a relentless attack from Leftist thugs. It's not enough for them to knock Bush down. After he's down, they're compelled to pile-on. This is a huge strategical error for the Democrats and anyone else who wants to see Bush gone.
Instead of beating him fair and square on the facts, they're beating up on him with hyperbole and innuendo. This might work in a Third World country where people buy into passion and the crap they want to hear, opposed to facts and reality. But this isn't the Third World. It's America.
Under George W Bush's White House: the US economy is getting stronger every day. The jobless rate (unemployment) is actually better than it was during the Clinton administration. And he isn't about to close the US borders to world trade as the Democrats are proposing.
The reason the deficit is exploding, has far more to do with 9/11, the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq, than it has to do with White House policy and misspending.
I believe George W Bush when he says that he means what he says. I believe him when he says the USA will not leave Iraq until the job is done. And I believe him when he says that America is Israel's best friend. I do like the fact that he has more or less told the UN where to get off, even if he has to backtrack somewhat. And I like that he can't, and won't be bullied by the French and Germans.
In all, when people are voting for Kerry, just to oust Bush, seems to me not to be much of a reason to make a change.
Unless Kerry comes up with a real reason (which is unlikely) to vote for him and his friends from the Left, stop piling on George W Bush - Bush will be a two term President. And that might not be such a bad thing.
Richie :*)
