Junto Boys

FURTHER THOUGHTS ON THE LAST DEBATE

It seems to me that Bush's major problem is that he was pussy-footing around the major issue in this campaign. I don't care how many times John Kerry flip flops. We all know what he really believes regardless of who he is pandering to in a particular speech. John Kerry is uncomfortable with American power. He's more worried about how we're preceived to his international friends than he is about future terrorist attacks. Someone has told Bush that the media will criticize him for attacking Kerry's patriotism. Yeah the media is going to do everything it can to give a Kerry a lifelong pass for his internationalism over Americanism. But voters might actually be worried to learn Kerry's real record.

Kerry continues to refer to Bush's failed policies. Bush needs to remind voters that it was the failed policies of the Clinton Adminstration that led to 911. He shouldn't do this to beat up on Clinton, but to remind voters that Kerry will bring a return to those policies. Kerry struts around bragging about his great plan that includes another ridiculous summit as if a committee could solve terrorism. He might even pass a law outlawing terrorism. But that's about as much as you can expect.

The 1990s brought us the first attack on the World Trade Center, the bombing of the U.S. servicemen at Khobar Towers, the embassy bombings in Africa, and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. Ask a Democrat to name Clinton's most significant response to terrorism during his eight years, because you can bet that Kerry's response to terror will fit somewhere within that range.

Bush is a good man who shows resolve and he's no dummy, but he's only held political office for ten years and he relies on these idiotic handlers like Karl Rove too much. It was evident from the debate that he was fed stock lines and responses and told to stay clear of contrasting himself with Clinton. If he can't stand up and make that contrast before the election he's in danger of losing.

And if Bush did lose, it would help conservatives in a number ways. If nothing else, gridlock will return to Washington. No more will Congress be rubber stamping these ridiculous spending proposals for a friendly White House. Also, Hillary Clinton's presidential asperations will be over and four years of her would worse medicine than 8 years years of any of the rest of them. But if Bush is defeated never again for a generation will a President try a bold move to end terrorism. It will be band aids and half measures from here on out. No leader will go on the offensive because they won't risk it politically. They'll become slaves to events instead of dynamic leaders.

It's easy to criticize Bush for actually doing something in a world where inaction and talk are treated as seriousness and resolve is treated as a flaw. I'm not anxious to live in an America at a time of great crisis with a leader that was more interested in expanding the welfare state than funding intelligence and defense.

There are a lot of people in the world that want to see America humbled. It's no different than the opinion many hold for the New York Yankees. But if America were the Yankees a Kerry election would be like George Steinbrenner and half the team shaving points to make the rest of the division feel better. What good is winning if we're shunned at the winter meetings?

I know Bush doesn't talk in private parsing his words like he did in the last debate. He needs to stop repeating Kerry's ridiculous phrases and start reminding America what the fight with terrorism will look like if we return to policies of the previous adiminstration.