It' Over, Bush Wins


Saw Kerry speak for the first time-and the race is over. Bush wins.

It was an interview with Diane Sawyer. She asked him if Iraq was right or wrong.

He said it was wrong if the outcome went bad but right if the outcome were good. Even Diane crinkled her nose.

We are done, fried, cooked.

And right bout now I'm extremely pissed at the Democratic f___king party for putting up such a schmoe.

I, Joe middle class American, can state a coherant Iraq policy. But not out man, Kerry.

Plus, Kerry looks strange. His skin is too youthful for his face like it been treated with something.

It's over.

It's over because you and I are voting against Bush and about the same number of kool aid drinkers are voting for Bush. And Kerry does not impress the swing voters and if I where a swing voter, I would not be impressed either.

Anyway, how bout them Padres, still hanging in there.

Winning the Debates

This is good stuff Kerry should do in the Debates. Here.

I like the one, "if I were Prez, OBL would be in jail."

It's interesting, that the debates come down to mechanical and rehearsed rhetorical elements.
We know what Bush is going to say....Kerry needs to pick good responses.

Bush: "Would you rather have Saddam running the country or in jail?"

Kerry:
1. I'd rather have OBL in jail
2. I'd rather we were spending a billion a week on catching real terrorists and protecting our nation ports and chemical and nuclear facilities.
3. I'd rather 150K troops were catching terrorists around the world then dying for ideology in Iraq.

Bush: "I stay the course, the course for American security against terrorists who would hurt our country, I'm not a flip flopper"

Kerry:
1. They stayed he course in Vietnam and it cost 50,000 American lives and for what, but I guess you wouldn’t know about that.
2. America's security is best guaranteed by catching real terrorists and shutting down terrorist networks, not by staying the course in a quagmire at a billion dollars a week.
3. Stay the course, Mr. President. There have been more terrorist incidents each year since 911 while you stayed the course. While you stay the course in Iraq, more than a 1000 soldiers have died with no end in site. And in Afghanistan, while you stay the course, the Taliban have reemerged and the warlords are growing more poppy's than even before.

I trust Kerry has a team of rhetorical experts helping him. Of course, no rhetorical expert in is right mind would work for Bush, the language butcher.

Kerry's Iraq Problem-Lack of Clarity

Kerry's Iraqi policy is as clear as mud. Here is some simple, honest clarity when asked the three basic questions on Iraq:

You criticize Bush about Iraq but you voted to go to Iraq?
Admit that he voted yes on the war but point out that he and all of congress and the nation was misled by the administration into thinking Saddam had WMD and links to terrorists, and was an imminent threat. Remember the context of the times. 911 had occurred, the Taliban routed, but OBL was still on the loose. Of course I voted. I wanted the country to be safe.

Would you go into Iraq knowing what you know now?
No. Toppling Saddam is a worthy cause for the US and the rest of the world and should be done through the UN, NATO and the Arab League. It worked in Serbia and Milosevic is on trail. It could have worked in Bosnia if Clinton had had a little more courage (something he regrets I'm sure) and it worked in Afghanistan.
But toppling a terrible dictator takes a back seat to routing Al Quida, getting OBL, and securing the country. Remember, a billion a week not directed at these important causes.

What would you do in Iraq today?
Bring the UN in to help in Iraq. Go to the world and get help. Turn the effort into a UN mission to bring Arab-style democracy to Iraq. Replace U.S. soldiers with UN Blue hats.
A new president could accomplish this. Bush certainly could not because he has burned bridges with his unilateral bullying.
The UN could bring hope to Iraq because then the US is no longer the occupying force in the eyes of Iraqis and the Arab world. The UN's motives can not be questioned. The insurgents have no moral ground to stand on and their support dries up. Troops start to come home, everyone sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

Clarity onIraq is not that hard. I can do it and I'm just a schmeo. I think Bush has Kerry a little psyched out on Iraq. Time to shake you head, Kerry.

Simpletons vs. Thinkers

The debates scare me because Bush is going to stand there and throw one-sentence zingers at very complicated issues, while Kerry gets bogged down.

And this is what simpletons want, easy answers from our leaders.

Thinkers, on the other hand, know that things are complicated.

It breaks down this way. Bush's is the simpleton's candidate and Kerry is the thinking person's candidate.

the Simpleton thinks:
Bush has integrity
Iraq is about the war on terror
Bush has Jesus in his heart-and all that that implies
Bush cut taxes
Bush makes America secure
The economy is good

The Thinker thinks:
Bush lied us into Iraq, tax cuts, Medicare, etc.
Iraq is an imperialistic adventure of Vietnam-like proportions and has been mis-managed and is getting worse.
Bush has a right-wing religious agenda that includes a constitutional amendment against gay marriage.
The rich got the tax cut, the middle class gets more of the tax burden.
OBL is still out there and Al Quida seems as strong as ever as Iraq becomes a playground for terrorist.
Billion a week in Iraq, deficit the largest it has ever been, middle class gigs moving offshore.
Corps profiting but not hiring.

Additional Issues for Thinkers:
Environment
Patsy for big business, Halliburton, KPMG, and big oil all showing major profits.
Eroding separation from church and state.
Terrible relations with UN and other countries.
Stacking Supreme court.
Over turning R v. W.
Chilling stem cell research causing a drain of scientific talent.
Oil prices-$50+ for the first time ever-because of uncertainty in Iraq.
Concern over the Patriot Act I and II.
Prisoner abuse in Iraq and Gitmo.
Afghanistan left behind, yes elections are coming but what about the Taliban.
No exit plan in Iraq.

Simpletons want easy, one sentence answers and Bush proudly provides what they need.

The question then becomes: Are there more simpletons or more thinkers in the US?

Feeling depressed about it all.

Depressed

And Herbert in the NYT explains why, here.

Kerry reminds me of Grey Davis, no presonality, the physical stature of an undertaker.

Herbert wants him to be himself. Well unfortunately, he is being himself. That is what you get.

There is a lot of showmenship in being a leader, just ask Arnold.

Oh well, four more years of Bush.

If there is a draft, I'm leaving the country. Don't want my boy, now nine, to be filled with bullets for Neocon idealology.

I think though, if Bush did win, we will be savaged in his second term. The media, with nothing to do, will turn on him. The people will too out of anger that we can't get a president that worth anything. Of course, RvW will fall and the country will turn decidedly more christian.


Obviously, Iraq would continue to fester while Bush continues with his "Freedom" rhetoric.

The economy would continue to slump with corps showing record profit while workers continue to struggle.

And the world would hold it's collective breath for another four years.

It's not that Bush is so strong, it is that Kerry is so lame.

Will Bush be seen, in years to come, as the greatest President ever? I don't think so.

He won't be impeached because I doubt he has sex, but he will become the butt of American anger at all the BS.

The War in Iraq-Bush at the Polls

Why isn't Bush suffering for his war in Iraq?

Because Americans believe in the altruistic motives for the war. We know its a mess. We know post Saddam has been poorly handled, We know there are no WMD. We know that Saddam didn't cause 911 or hang with Al Queda types. 1000+ soldier have been killed with no end in sight. We know we where fooled into the war, lied to, and that the real reasons for the war are neocon, geo-political, Israeli tough-guy BS.

So why isn't Bush suffering at the polls?

He and the RNC want us to believe its because the fight in Iraq is an important part of the WOT. But Americans know that is just marketing, like a Happy Meal making you happy.

I think Americans see the war as helping the Iraq people get find the good life after Saddam. And I think Americans are proud to do it.

Despite the ideological neocons, the endless screwups, Abu Guadel prison, Americans want to do right by a country we have been toying with for decades.

It worked in Serbia, it could have worked in Bosnia, it might work in Afghanistan. We are trying to get it right in Iraq. (Maybe with the UN we could have, Bush.)

Giving the Iraqi people a chance, that is what Americans want their leaders to do, regardless of what they say. Not to become Americans, but to become Iraq's again.

So there is hope that Iraq will turn around.

And if it does Bush can take credit. Until it does, Americans are withholding judgment and Bush will not pay the price.

Bush is playing this feeling beautifully. Kerry seems confused.

The Padres and Kerry

Today is a bit depressing because it seems John Kerry and the Dems are not going to step up to the plate. And the Padres keep winning one and losing one. Neither Kerry or my home team seem to have any staying power, any consistency.

Reminds me of the Padres this season. Talented, yes, good pitching, sure, but its just not enough. Meanwhile, Bush seems like the New York Yankees in the election. Everything is going his way. All the lights are green. It's a sure thing he will make it to the Series (the yanks have been faltering lately, but Bush seems to be firing on all cyclinders).

Kerry is looking more and more like a Cinderella story. I'm gonna vote for him and many many people I know plan to do so, but what about the rest? Kerry has got to be a leader and step up to that plate. If he strikes out, so be it, but at least he got in the box and took his swings.

I think the Dems are fearful right now, cautious about what to so, and, worst of all, defensive.

Hmmmm, another four years of Bush. Another year until the Pads get a chance again.