Last Call

I haven't done much talking about the election. Frankly, I'm kind of sick of it all. But Cox & Forkum have a few worthwhile things to say.

Here's my thoughts:

I'm not a big fan of George Bush. He seems a nice enough fellow, but he's a little too conservative for my taste. However, I agree with the stand he has taken against terrorism, which is my biggest fear about the future. If you are a terrorist...you have to go. If you are head of a nation that sanctions, supports, or rewards terrorism...you have to go. If you a "civilized" nation that engages in secret deals that funnel money to terrorists or leaders that support them...you are no longer our ally. No more drawing lines in the sand, no more consulting with corrupt international bodies. It's time to slap leather and draw. And I'd say that elections in Afghanistan, future elections in Iraq, and Libya's disarming are excellent evidence that this plan works.

And John Kerry? I can say a number of things, some based in fact, some strictly from my gut. I don't like this man. In many ways, he represents the things I hate most about politics. But even if I were to look at him strictly on his record, I still dislike him. We all know he served in Vietnam. For only four months, of course, because he turned some scratches into purple hearts and took advantage of a rule meant for seriously injured soldiers. After being discharged (and it seems that there might be an indication it was a dishonorable discharge), he turned against the men he fought with, accused them of horrible acts, and--as a civilian activist--met with enemy leaders. He was also a member of a group that discussed the assassination of American politicians, was present for the discussion, then lied about it. Then, he was a senator for 20 years, where he did...What? He doesn't mention much about his senatorial record. Some of you might know about the "Big Dig" and how well that has worked. (For those of you who don't, read that previous sentence with a lot of sarcasm--the Big Dig is one of the biggest money pits in American history.) With examples like that, I can't trust the guy on the economy, either.

Finally, I have to look at his idea for the future. He apparently has a lot of plans, but from the few concrete ideas he's managed to come out with, I can see that he is NOT the guy I want in charge of national security. It seems to me that his ideas about terrorism are much the same as those under the Clinton administration--the administration that for eight years followed policies that allowed terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda to flourish and led to the most brutal terrorist attack on American soil. I don't want four more years of that.

When you come right down to it, I'm as bad as the people the Cox & Forkum poke fun at, as bad as the "anybody but Bush" crowd. I'm an "anybody but Kerry" guy. I don't think he's Hitler, or anything like that. I just think it boils down to this: I'd rather go with the guy I've seen work for four years, as many ups and downs as he has had, than hand over the reigns to a complete unknown.