G.W. Really is a Uniter!


I admit it, I was one of those who openly scoffed at G.W. Bush's 2000 campaign claim of being, "a uniter, not a divider," but I'm pleased to report that he has surprised me and has proved my previous skepticism wrong.

I know, I know; those of you who are still skeptical will cite Bush's divisive record on reproductive rights, the separation of church and state, the Iraq war, gay marital rights, and even his (non) handling of big corporate scandals involving his buddies at Enron and Haliburton. But one fact these skeptics -- myself included -- can't deny is that G.W. has united the Democratic party. That's right, for the first time in quite a few years, it appears as though the Democratic party is actually mobilizing its forces and getting serious about re-gaining the presidency. Thanks G.W.! You really are a uniter!

I'll also freely admit that John Kerry was not my first choice as Democratic candidate for POTUS, but as it became clear that he is the candidate with the best chance of ousting Bush in November, then he got my vote. I think it's a shame that several million other Democrats and I have to weigh our desire to get rid of Bush over all other campaign issues, but one thing is clear: Democrats feel that getting Bush out of office before he does more damage is Job One. I also felt a lot better about Kerry after the "open mic" incident, in which he said:

"We're going to keep pounding, let me tell you. We're just beginning to fight here. These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen. It's scary."

Who says the truth is never spoken in politics? Kerry was widely criticized for speaking ill of his opponent, even if it was supposed to be "off-the-record," but I feel that we need more politicians who aren't afraid to call a crook a crook, either publicly or privately -- especially when it's true.

There's no doubt that the Bush administration is already afraid that the outcome of the upcoming election may not go in their favor, just look at the smear campaign they've mounted against Kerry. A smear campaign that's so out-of-line that even a prominent member of their own party, John McCain, spoke out against it in defense of Kerry. To be fair, he also criticized the negativity of the Kerry campaign as well, and urged a more serious discussion of the real issues facing this country -- and he's absolutely right.

Kerry, it seems, is trying to take McCain's admonishments to heart and has started a new ad that is moving away from "attack mode" and attempting to address the issues. Meanwhile, far from listening to the advice of a senior and respected member of their own party, the Bush administration is adopting the same tactic they have used in the "War on Terror" -- they're expanding their list of targets.

The Bush administration has now begun a smear and discrediting campaign against counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke, for criticism he levels against the Bush administration in his new book, Against All Enemies. In the book, Clarke claims that the Bush administration did not heed early warnings about the dangers posed by al Qaeda, and that they focused too much attention on Iraq while al Qaeda is the larger threat. The Bush administration responded by trying to paint Clarke as a "disgruntled employ," who timed the book's release in an attempt to damage Bush's re-election campaign. Clarke, who served as counter-terrorism expert for three presidents, including G.W. and his daddy, says that the book's release at this time was due to the Bush administration's own slowness in performing a national security review of the book's content. Hey, it's hard to read all them big words!

So for once I'm able to find myself in the surprising position of cheering on the Bush administration. Good job! Keep pissing everyone off! In the end, it just adds more momentum to the move to boot the Supreme Court Appointee out of office and regain a legitimate president.

Posted: Tue - March 23, 2004 at 10:43 AM          

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