Bob's Links and Rants

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Thursday, October 21, 2004

Traditional Republicans Trash Bush

A few days ago, Republican William Milliken, Michigan Governor from 1969 through 1982, endorsed John Kerry. While I have no complaint with Milliken, and even met him once when I was a kid (he was nice!), I felt that he put too much faith in John Kerry. But Milliken has now been joined by a former Republican senator from Kentucky, Marlow W. Cook. I think Cook's complaints are more to the point, and focus more directly on the worst aspects of Bush's reign without projecting too much hope on Kerry. Here's an excerpt from Cook's statement:
If you listened to the President confirming the value of our war with Iraq, you heard him say, "If no weapons of mass destruction were found, at least we know we have stopped his future distribution of same to terrorists." If that is his justification, then, if he is re-elected our next war will be against Iran and at the same time North Korea, for indeed they have weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, which they have readily admitted. Those wars will require a draft of men and women. ...

I am not enamored with John Kerry, but I am frightened to death of George Bush. I fear a secret government. I abhor a government that refuses to supply the Congress with requested information. I am against a government that refuses to tell the country with whom the leaders of our country sat down and determined our energy policy, and to prove how much they want to keep that secret, they took it all the way to the Supreme Court.

Those of you who are fiscal conservatives and abhor our staggering debt, tell your conservative friends, "Vote for Kerry," because without Bush to control the Congress, the first thing lawmakers will demand Kerry do is balance the budget.

The wonderful thing about this country is its gift of citizenship, then it's freedom to register as one sees fit. For me, as a Republican, I feel that when my party gives me a dangerous leader who flouts the truth, takes the country into an undeclared war and then adds a war on terrorism to it without debate by the Congress, we have a duty to rid ourselves of those who are taking our country on a perilous ride in the wrong direction.
We need to get rid of Bush, and then we need to turn Kerry back into a liberal, or get rid of him too. I think Cook's argument makes a lot more sense than what I hear from most Democrats these days. I especially like that he actually questions the "war on terrorism," because the quote-mark keys on my computers are wearing out. When I hear Democrats argue that Kerry will be better at fighting the "war on terrorism," I just want to scream.

I think Bush had it right for those seven minutes he sat there reading "My Pet Goat." The most effective response to 9/11 would have been to do absolutely nothing. That it might have cost Bush his chance at re-election was a risk I was certainly willing to take! Doing nothing would have denied Osama everything he wanted. It would not only have kept America's respect around the world, it would have enhanced it. The alternative we and the world are suffering through now is so much worse than what would have happened if Bush had done nothing. Saying "It's just a flesh wound" and going on with life would have demonstrated strength and resolve far beyond what bombing poor, defenseless countries has shown. And Osama's popularity would have dwindled to nearly nothing, instead of being one of the most popular figures in the Islamic world like he is now.

Oh well, there goes my last chance to be president!