Conservatives Bash Bush, Praise Kerry

[earthmother]

What follows is an article written by Charley Reese of the Orlando Sentinel. If you know the writer and his strongly conservative reputation, you should find it eye opening. Note particularly what he says about John Kerry. The conservative journalists Robert Novak and William Kristol happen to be saying the same things.

> > VOTE FOR A MAN, NOT A PUPPET
> >
> >
> > Americans should realize that if they vote for President Bush's
> > re-election, they are really voting for the architects of war - Dick
> > Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and the rest of that cabal of
> > neo-conservative ideologues and their corporate backers.
> >
> >
> > I have sadly come to the conclusion that President Bush is merely a
> > front-man, an empty suit, who is manipulated by the people in his
> > administration. Bush has the most dangerously simplistic view of the
> > world of any president in my memory.
> >
> >
> > It's no wonder the president avoids press conferences like the plague.
> > Take away his cue cards and he can barely talk. Americans should be
> > embarrassed that an Arab king (Abdullah of Jordan) spoke more fluently
> > and articulately in English than our own president at their joint press
> > conference recently.
> >
> >
> > John Kerry is at least an educated man, well-read, who knows how to
think
> > and who knows that the world is a great deal more complex than Bush's
> > comic-book world of American heroes and foreign evildoers. It's
> > unfortunate that in our poorly educated country, Kerry's very
> > intelligence and refusal to adopt simplistic slogans might doom his
> > presidential election efforts.
> >
> >
> > But Thomas Jefferson said it well, as he did so often, when he observed
> > that people who expect to be ignorant and free expect what never was and
> > never will be.
> >
> >
> > People who think of themselves as conservatives will really display
their
> > stupidity, as I did in the last election, by voting for Bush. Bush is as
> > far from being a conservative as you can get. Well, he fooled me once,
> > but he won't fool me twice.
> >
> >
> > It is not at all conservative to balloon government spending, to vastly
> > increase the power of government, to show contempt for the Constitution
> > and the rule of law, or to tell people that foreign outsourcing of
> > American jobs is good for them, that giant fiscal and trade deficits
> > don't matter, and that people should not know what their government is
> > doing. Bush is the most prone-to-classify, the most secretive president
> > in the 20th century. His administration leans dangerously toward the
> > authoritarian.
> >
> >
> > It's no wonder that the Justice Department has convicted a few
> > Arab-Americans of supporting terrorism. What would you do if you found
> > yourself arrested and a federal prosecutor whispers in your ear that
> > either you can plea-bargain this or the president will designate you an
> > enemy combatant and you'll be held incommunicado for the duration?
> >
> >
> > This election really is important, not only for domestic reasons, but
> > because Bush's foreign policy has been a dangerous disaster. He's almost
> > restarted the Cold War with Russia and the nuclear arms race.
> >
> >
> > America is not only hated in the Middle East, but it has few friends
> > anywhere in the world thanks to the arrogance and ineptness of the Bush
> > administration. Don't forget, a scientific poll of Europeans found us,
> > Israel, North Korea and Iran as the greatest threats to world peace.
> >
> >
> > I will swallow a lot of petty policy differences with Kerry to get a man
> > in the White House with brains enough not to blow up the world and us
> > with it. Go to Kerry's Web site
> > <<http://www.johnkerry.com/>http://www.johnkerry.com and read some of
the
> > magazine profiles on him. You'll find that there is a great deal more
to
> > Kerry than the GOP attack dogs would have you believe.
> >
> > Besides, it would be fun to have a president who plays hockey,
windsurfs,
> > ride motorcycles, plays the guitar, writes poetry and speaks French. It
> > would be good to have a man in the White House who has killed people
face
> > to face. Killing people has a sobering effect on a man and dispels all
> > illusions about war.

[ErinB]

It is not at all conservative to balloon government spending, to vastly
> > increase the power of government, to show contempt for the Constitution
> > and the rule of law, or to tell people that foreign outsourcing of
> > American jobs is good for them, that giant fiscal and trade deficits
> > don't matter, and that people should not know what their government is
> > doing. Bush is the most prone-to-classify, the most secretive president
> > in the 20th century. His administration leans dangerously toward the
> > authoritarian.

It is amazing this was written by a conservative. Are the people's eyes starting to open.
What he said about Kerry was great but I do not agree with what he said about it being good that Kerry killed people face to face. It is probably not on his list of accomplishments.

[earthmother]

I think it's good that he killed people face to face in combat only to the extent that it gives him a better perspective on war and makes it more likely he would only go to war when it's necessary, rather than by choice, as Bush did.

Interestingly, in a magazine survey I was reading last night, a majority of people said that draft dodging was something they wouldn't accept in a presidential candidate. Perhaps Bush's stint (and no-show) in the National Guard wasn't technically draft dodging, but there's no question he opted for that over actually going to Vietnam, which is pretty much the same thing in my book. Why don't people get it?

[ErinB]

Interestingly, in a magazine survey I was reading last night, a majority of people said that draft dodging was something they wouldn't accept in a presidential candidate.

In future elections this will not be an issue because there will BE NO MORE DRAFTS! OK? Everyone have that down? Good.
By the way, EM, do you have a link for the above article?

I do get what you are saying...Kerry has seen the horrors of war face to face.

[earthmother]

Unfortunately Erin, I don't have a link for the article. It's something my brother sent me via e-mail, so I just pasted it in. I did do a Google search on the Orlando Sentinel and Charley Reese. Apparently Charley is leaving or has left the Sentinel, and I couldn't find this particular article anywhere.

Hey, new smileys! Cool!

[ErinB]

Thanks for looking for it, EM. I'll look too.

[MProffitt]

Try this:

www.lewrockwell.com/reese/reese74.html

[earthmother]

Hey, now that was a good find, MP. Thanks.