The First Debate
Sorry folks, I'm still ranting off topic, but this next month is an important time in America and a lot needs to be said if we hope to still BE America, four years from now!
Until the Debate, I still wasn't sure whether either candidate deserved the job. Neither "Staying the (wrong) Course" nor "Flip-Flopping" on the issues seemed the right action for the leader of the free world.
I observed John Kerry, his demeanor, and his message. I evaluated George Bush with the same yardstick. What I saw in Kerry was a man with a firm vision for the future that encompasses, not just the war, but also the peace, afterwards. In Bush, I saw a man who whined about how hard the job is and kept coming back to the "Flip-Flop" issue, as if repeating it often enough would make it so.
Kerry has, of course, changed his mind when facts deem it necessary. That is what an intelligent and open minded person does. Bush, on the other hand, decides what he wants to believe, then "Stays the Course" in spite of the facts. This produces the kind of confidence that would make a member of the "Flat Earth Society" proud! Bush is confident in and determined to take... the wrong path! As Kerry put it, "You can be certain, and be wrong!"
I can picture G. W. at a picnic, there is a hornet's nest in the tree above, and Bush wants to make sure the picnickers are safe from the hornets. What does he do? True to form, he hits the nest with a stick to teach the hornets that he means business! That equates to antagonizing the terrorists with senseless comments like, "Bring It On"! Four more years of Bush, will absolutely mean four more years of terrorism!
Senator Kerry, on the other hand talked of solutions that include the rest of the world. I believe he would like to cultivate an entire world in which terrorism is not tolerated. His intelligent and straightforward message is an invitation to the world to join this fight, not a lame brag about how tough we are that don't need anyone else.
The future of our place in the Global Society will be up to us on November 2nd. Do we continue to act like a schoolyard bully? Or, do we invite the rest of the world to help solve the terrorist problem?
If the job is so hard for George, as he kept repeating, perhaps we need to replace him with someone who doesn't feel so inadequate.
Until the Debate, I still wasn't sure whether either candidate deserved the job. Neither "Staying the (wrong) Course" nor "Flip-Flopping" on the issues seemed the right action for the leader of the free world.
I observed John Kerry, his demeanor, and his message. I evaluated George Bush with the same yardstick. What I saw in Kerry was a man with a firm vision for the future that encompasses, not just the war, but also the peace, afterwards. In Bush, I saw a man who whined about how hard the job is and kept coming back to the "Flip-Flop" issue, as if repeating it often enough would make it so.
Kerry has, of course, changed his mind when facts deem it necessary. That is what an intelligent and open minded person does. Bush, on the other hand, decides what he wants to believe, then "Stays the Course" in spite of the facts. This produces the kind of confidence that would make a member of the "Flat Earth Society" proud! Bush is confident in and determined to take... the wrong path! As Kerry put it, "You can be certain, and be wrong!"
I can picture G. W. at a picnic, there is a hornet's nest in the tree above, and Bush wants to make sure the picnickers are safe from the hornets. What does he do? True to form, he hits the nest with a stick to teach the hornets that he means business! That equates to antagonizing the terrorists with senseless comments like, "Bring It On"! Four more years of Bush, will absolutely mean four more years of terrorism!
Senator Kerry, on the other hand talked of solutions that include the rest of the world. I believe he would like to cultivate an entire world in which terrorism is not tolerated. His intelligent and straightforward message is an invitation to the world to join this fight, not a lame brag about how tough we are that don't need anyone else.
The future of our place in the Global Society will be up to us on November 2nd. Do we continue to act like a schoolyard bully? Or, do we invite the rest of the world to help solve the terrorist problem?
If the job is so hard for George, as he kept repeating, perhaps we need to replace him with someone who doesn't feel so inadequate.
posted by Dave Gaston @ 4:16 PM
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