"We've Unleashed The Armies Of Compassion" (not an oxymoron)

I'm not one to focus on surface details, and honestly Kerry isn't as confident and dominating as he's been so far, but that gob of spittle on the corner of Bush's mouth is so distracting and disconcerting that I don't even know how people could agree with him at this point.

Famous quotes in American History...President George W. Bush, Oct. 13, 2004: "Whew!"

(P.S. The 'Death Tax' didn't prevent me from collecting many $$$s my farmer grandparents left to me, that I sure didn't earn on my own labor. So who the heck is benefitting from this? The evil, socialist Democrats? Or the obscenely rich constituents of the Republican party? I wonder how much is too much...).

(P.P.S. Ted Kennedy, conservative? Sweet, me too!)

(P.P.P.S. Why do we need to know what the President thinks about the nature of homosexuality? Is it a choice? Why is it his opinion? "Mr. President, can you tell me why the sky is blue? How does a combustible engine work? We need to know!")

(P.P.P.P.S. Kerry Re: religion and abortion. As a Catholic, and a Democrat, and the son of a hardcore pro-lifer/lifelong DFL'er, I deeply respect Kerry's consideration of the values of American culture, which are not determined entirely by the faith of fundamentalist, extremist "Christians" who are openly influenced by novels [e.g. Tim LaHaye) as opposed to the Christian Bible or the U.S. Constitution. Talk about following the scent of political popularity vs. your so-called 'convictions.')

(P.P.P.P.P.S. Why is the president so concerned about medical malpractice suits? Talk about whitewash...).

(P.P.P.P.P.P.S. It's not credible to quote *leading* news sources? Way to ignore the majority, Mr. Democracy & Freedom).

I'm sorry, I seem to have run out of postscripts. At this point, one is either incredibly partisan or incredibly confused, and I'm sorry that many of you are unable to see through this political fog. My message to you: don't give up hope. Voting for President can't change your life. It won't reunite you with your wife or husband that you're divorced from. It won't help you make up your mind over a controversial issue. It might not even help you make more money. But the man running as a "conservative" Republican party member is spending ill-considered billions on a world-war that his unelected cronies were begging for, for years, and only managed to pull off after a dedicated campaign of misinformation following a catostrophic tragedy (a la Pearl Harbor) that they specifically were wishing for. Kerry can't possibly live up to all his promises, just as Clinton wasn't able to establish universal health care, but we can be sure that he won't squander our universal good will, and our American values.

Do you want to encourage partisan division between your neighbors? Peace or war? Safety or paranoia? It's your choice. The right-wingers -- the Republicans -- want you to believe that the "naysayers" are anti-American, are lazy, are negative. They're wrong. You might agee with them, but do you want to follow people that work tirelessly to discount their opponents based only on opposition, rather than facts or experience? Are you better off than you were four years ago? The people I see everyday are not, fear of terrorism or not. Don't vote on fear, vote on truth. Vote on experience, and the belief in your community. We don't always agree, but do those things we disagree on make us poorer, or in any way unsafe? The fact is that since George W. Bush took office: jobs have been lost, the feeling of safety has gone down, and serious decisions have been made on questionable judgments. To invade another country without provocation? Saddam Hussein was clearly unconnected to 9/11/01. Was he a Democratic leader? No. Does America have the power, the responsibility, to establish the type of government in every nation on Earth? No! Not even George Bush Sr. would agree with that. We cannot make everything right. We can show the way, we can use our power and values for influence, but we must not become an Empire. Democracy is not about dismantling government or launching assaults on other nations.

George W. Bush is an extremist. No litmus test for Supreme Court nominations? How many lies can you feed us before we fire you? I would like to believe that any candidate for President of the United States of America would have nothing but the best interests of Americans in mind, but that is clearly not the case.

George Bush thinks that public schools will be improved by decreasing funding and establishing arbitrary rules of "accountability" that in no way engage with the realities of different geography and economy. How is that going to help our children learn? When does taking away resources ever benefit a group?

Bush thinks that there are only two options foreign policy: to assault another nation that does not meet our stringent requirements for perfection, or to demand total compliance. Some might see that as a strong, decisive policy. Many of us see it as frivolous, dangerous, and opportunistic.

Near the end of the debate, it comes down to political opinion based on religious belief. That is unfortunate. While the two (religion and politics, the personal and the political) may be intertwined in a complicated fashion, the explicit way in which President Bush brandishes the very partisan politics he claims to despise are clearly the basis of many decisions he makes, the same way Nixon tried to subtly appeal to racist Southerners, Bush tries to appeal to born-again Christians who are newly fervent but not based in a tradition of conservatism, compassion, or reasoned consideration for opposing viewpoints. Kerry...well, he's untested. But he's making an effort, as a good democratic leader should, to be all-inclusive. I respect that.

It's up to you on November 2nd. It's too late to pre-register to vote, but keep in mind that Minnesotans can register to vote ON ELECTION DAY with a photo ID and proof of address. Don't miss your chance. Have your say. Keep the peace. Make the future safe for you and your family. Vote for John Kerry on November 2, 2004, or watch the world decline into World War IV.