2004 Presidential Election 5/6/04
The Middle Road, 5/6/04
America has rallied unprecedented industrial, intellectual, financial and spiritual strength behind our beloved sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are working to protect humanity from the horrors of terrorist organizations and criminal governments.
The 2004 presidential election will have a profound impact on the achievement of our goal.
Propaganda, subtle and overt, is corollary to political campaigns. All news reports are unavoidably subjective to some degree. To choose candidates with values, goals and principles that match our own, we must first dig for the truth within a mudslide of rhetoric.
Voters have a responsibility to reject politicians whose words and actions are only consistent with the latest poll.
Recent news has inspired doubt regarding the Bush Administration’s resolve and ability to keep one of the most solemn and grave presidential promises in American history. President George W. Bush bravely declared that he would to use every resource at his disposal to seal the cracks in our security, which cumulatively enabled al Qaeda to attack the world on September 11, 2001.
Americans worked diligently and together in the months following this tragic date. Our country (except for government, media and emergency organizations) completely shut down for almost ten days. Our economy took a hit, but the national and regional business climate has steadily recovered.
Recent political controversy has debated retrospective opinion regarding our government’s advance knowledge of a pending terrorist attack. Two germane facts render this debate irrelevant:
1) There have been no terrorist attacks in America since 9/11/01.
2) Preventative ‘shutdowns’ cause resonant economic hardship and are ultimately illogical. Imagine if our government had ordered the World Trade Center closed or grounded airlines before the attack in 2001. The terrorists would not have attacked and political opponents would have accused the government of overreacting at the workingman’s expense.
A brief review of statements by prominent national leaders reveals a dangerous disregard for consistency.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998 "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct. 9,1998 "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002 "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9,2002 "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002 "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real" - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
These were not ambiguous statements. The ambiguity needed to explain the contradiction inherent in their current campaign rhetoric weakens the integrity of each one of these politician’s character.
I am more comfortable with politicians who are popular because he or she is doing what they believe is right, as opposed to those who judge right and wrong by which side will garner their party the most votes.
I believe we owe it to our brave soldiers to focus on America’s goals this November by voting Republican. I fear that the Democrats’ fleeting support of the progress and sacrifice our military has made, and is making to achieve peace and security in Iraq could bring disastrous results for America.
America has rallied unprecedented industrial, intellectual, financial and spiritual strength behind our beloved sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are working to protect humanity from the horrors of terrorist organizations and criminal governments.
The 2004 presidential election will have a profound impact on the achievement of our goal.
Propaganda, subtle and overt, is corollary to political campaigns. All news reports are unavoidably subjective to some degree. To choose candidates with values, goals and principles that match our own, we must first dig for the truth within a mudslide of rhetoric.
Voters have a responsibility to reject politicians whose words and actions are only consistent with the latest poll.
Recent news has inspired doubt regarding the Bush Administration’s resolve and ability to keep one of the most solemn and grave presidential promises in American history. President George W. Bush bravely declared that he would to use every resource at his disposal to seal the cracks in our security, which cumulatively enabled al Qaeda to attack the world on September 11, 2001.
Americans worked diligently and together in the months following this tragic date. Our country (except for government, media and emergency organizations) completely shut down for almost ten days. Our economy took a hit, but the national and regional business climate has steadily recovered.
Recent political controversy has debated retrospective opinion regarding our government’s advance knowledge of a pending terrorist attack. Two germane facts render this debate irrelevant:
1) There have been no terrorist attacks in America since 9/11/01.
2) Preventative ‘shutdowns’ cause resonant economic hardship and are ultimately illogical. Imagine if our government had ordered the World Trade Center closed or grounded airlines before the attack in 2001. The terrorists would not have attacked and political opponents would have accused the government of overreacting at the workingman’s expense.
A brief review of statements by prominent national leaders reveals a dangerous disregard for consistency.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998 Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." - Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998 "[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." - Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Kerry( D - MA), and others Oct. 9,1998 "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002 "We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002 "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9,2002 "In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members.. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002 "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real" - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
These were not ambiguous statements. The ambiguity needed to explain the contradiction inherent in their current campaign rhetoric weakens the integrity of each one of these politician’s character.
I am more comfortable with politicians who are popular because he or she is doing what they believe is right, as opposed to those who judge right and wrong by which side will garner their party the most votes.
I believe we owe it to our brave soldiers to focus on America’s goals this November by voting Republican. I fear that the Democrats’ fleeting support of the progress and sacrifice our military has made, and is making to achieve peace and security in Iraq could bring disastrous results for America.
posted by Rich Kohler at 6:22 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home