To the editor:
Like much of America, I have followed this year's presidential campaign
extraordinarily closely because I realize that the stakes have never been
higher. In the past, while I have always had a relatively easy time making
up my mind between the two candidates, I have also felt that if the
opponent of my candidate of choice was to win, the sun would still rise in
east the morning after Election Day.
Not this year. This is the first time in all my voting years that I have
felt absolutely convinced that there is a right and a wrong candidate.
Forget that George Bush has a history of poor academic performance,
excessive drinking and leading companies to failure. Forget that he hid
from active service in Vietnam and forget that he failed even to stay at
his post (in the National Guard).
Forget that he initiated a big tax cut for the wealthiest Americans.
Forget that he created the biggest budget deficits in the history of
modern civilization, and forget that those deficits will be forced onto
the backs of our children and grandchildren. Forget that he's rolled back
decades worth of environmental legislation.
Forget that his administration bungled the pre-9/11 intelligence. Forget
that he missed opportunities to capture Osama bin Laden. Forget that he
misled everyone on the connections between al-Qaida and Iraq.
Yep, forget all of that. And even after all of that stuff is discarded,
there's enough left over to make a compelling case that George Bush has
failed to earn a second term.
The Bush administration has destroyed America's international standing in
ways that may be irreparable. They rushed into Iraq without the support of
the United Nations. They had no plan for what to do after the war was over
and have failed to win the hearts of the Iraqi people. They lose a handful
of troops - real people with real families waiting for them here at home -
every week and have no end in sight.
Further, Bush has been unable to get the economy on track and continues to
take millions of dollars from corporate interests while we here in
Henderson watch plants close and opportunities dry up. His response? Relax
immigration laws.
George Bush has combined a cowboy mentality with narrow attention to
special interests and has set policy according to how Karl Rove tells him
will be best for winning re-election. And then he throws in a healthy dose
of religious talk so we God-fearing Americans will be snowed into thinking
he is one of us.
John Kerry has his faults. But he is a veteran, someone who served his
country because it was the right thing to do even if he didn't agree with
war. He has an admirable record of public service. He has a plan for
getting us out of Iraq and regaining our standing in the international
community. And he can see the world as more than black and white.
Endorsing the war in principle but changing his mind when he sees how the
administration is carrying it out doesn't make him a "flip-flopper."
George Bush is neither a smart man nor an especially good man. John Kerry
is both, and I think he deserves our votes this November. The future of
America may very well depend on it.
Jimmy Ayscue Pendergrass,
Henderson
www.hendersondispatch.com/articles/2004/10/09/news/letters/let01.txt
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Sunday, October 10, 2004
Voters' choice is clear: John Kerry for president
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
John Kerry should be the next president of the United States. This
endorsement is based not only on President Bush's failings -- which are
manifest -- but also on the conclusion that Kerry can succeed where
Bushhas failed.
It's a conclusion built on a series of editorials offering an "election
framework" in which to judge Bush's record and Kerry's potential for
success.
____________________________
Security: Three years after the horrors of 9/11, our domestic defenses
against terrorist attack remain unconscionably weak, our international
standing demeaned by an unnecessary war. With the definitive report
debunking the weapons of mass destruction allegations, the Iraq invasion
is utterly exposed as the "colossal error of judgment" Kerry described. It
is Bush's most profound failing, causing unnecessary bloodshed and
suffering, distracting our passion and resources from the pursuit of those
who attacked us.
There is no walking away from the war, but any hope for success in Iraq
lies in convincing the nations of the world to share the burden of
resolving our blunder. Kerry can succeed at what Bush has refused to
attempt.
_______________________________
The economy: The administration has managed the federal treasury on a
course that cannot be sustained. Some federal spending was unplanned and
unpredictable, such as security costs after 9/11 or the war in
Afghanistan. But other spending was a matter of political choice. Then
there's the politics of tax cuts. Friday's tepid job growth report
underscored the modest hiring pace that dogs Bush's claims of sound
economic recovery.
Team Bush has been in place for nearly four years, with a clear focus on
more tax cuts. Team Kerry probably would include the return of the welcome
fiscal style of the Clinton era and its economic team, Robert Rubin, Roger
Altman or Laura Tyson.
_____________________________
The environment: Bush came into office promising respect for the
environment, controls on global warming gases and serious attention to
science. In practice, he has proved more divider than uniter. Energy
proposals, conceived in extraordinary secrecy with industry lobbyists,
have led to a stalled bill whose blatant sops to the oil, gas and nuclear
industries many Republicans can't support.
Kerry promises new environmental efforts for national forests, clean water
and clean air, including aggressive action on acid rain, mercury emissions
and global warming. In the Pacific Northwest, the overall effect likely
would be more attention to ocean policy, salmon and forest protection.
________________________
The nuclear peril: The 9/11 commission reported that Osama bin Laden has
been trying to make or acquire a nuclear weapon, with the intent of
creating a new Hiroshima as a "religious obligation." A Harvard study says
the Bush administration effort to keep nuclear materials out of the hands
of terrorists "is more in line with the 0.5 percent growth rate the
administration wants for discretionary funding not related to defense and
homeland security."
Kerry shows a more legitimate grasp of the frightening dimension of the
rogue nuclear threat and offers a more effective diplomatic portfolio for
generating international cooperation.
________________________
Civil liberties: The Bush administration is tipping the balance away from
civil liberties. Three Supreme Court justices may retire in the next four
years. Bush names Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas as his judicial
models.
The next generation of jurisprudence will be better served by Kerry's
intent to nominate justices "with a record of respect" for constitutional
rights, including a woman's right to choose.
George W. Bush has failed America on the economy, civil liberties, the
environment, nuclear proliferation and, most unforgivable, on national
security by leading us into a demonstrably unnecessary war in Iraq that
has distracted our attention from and diminished our capability to fight a
comprehensive global war on terror.
Kerry is intellectually and ideologically equipped to succeed where Bush
has failed. The obvious prospects for that success lie in his military,
congressional and international experience, his superior intellectual
curiosity and willingness to consider dissenting opinions, his commitment
to protecting the civil liberties of all Americans and his potential to
surround himself with a broad coalition of competent Cabinet members,staff
and advisers.
On the Web: seattlepi.nwsource.com/election2004/endorse.asp
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