19 More Days...

from Ben's mom

...and this awful negative election will be over. Hopefully. It is a relief that the debates are finally over. Sadly, it appears that the American public fell for beat up (around the) Bush. I thought I distinctly heard Kerry say, "I really agree with the President's position on Iraq, but I have to get these Howard Dean freaks to vote for me so I'll keep criticizing him while never really offering a plan and maybe no one will notice." Hmmm, maybe it was just me. I think you can legitimately question much of Iraq, but I haven't heard anyone do it with any reason, rationale, or understanding of today's world climate.

Here in the NW, tension is high. I've come upon two old friends meeting in the grocery store only to begin fiercely debating the Iraq war and end up screaming at each other. I've sat in the doctor's office while others in the waiting room talk "politics" with each other. I've been sent horrible, atrocious, vindictive and unreasonable (often untrue) emails (from both sides). And have heard nothing but apologies from people about their choice of candidate. "...The lesser of two evils"--whatever.

Governing a country is never easy. To understand both the vast cultural divide in this country and have a handle on the deep psychological, historical, religious and political differences of a plethora of other countries and to be able to get anything done with the negativity that pervades American politics is a tough, almost impossible job. We are quickly making it a job that no qualified individual would want. That will be to our detriment.

Interestingly, I can still remember all the horrible negative things that were said about Ronald Reagan and all the hate-mongers (John Kerry among them) during his tenure in office and subsequently. Now that he is gone, Democrats and Republicans alike want him on their side. He believed in the good in America by failing to care about the negative things people said about him. George W. Bush may not be "the next Ronald Reagan" but he is being treated much the same now as Reagan was then.

So, I for one am proud to support George W. Bush for President and I will not apologize.