1. John Kerry has been to war and has sons who could potentially be sent to war.
John Kerry
Since 9/11 and Iraq, the war on terrorism has been the primary focus of this election. So I place this issue at the top. I want a president who truly knows what it means to commit a country to war. I want a president who has personally tasted war before I send any of my sons to battle. It is all too easy for a president to sit in a war room and make an intellectual decision to go to war. George Bush has no battlefield experience. George Bush has no sons who could be drafted. If I have a choice between a candidate who has this experience and one who does not, I choose the one who has battlefield experience.
2. No weapons of mass destructions were found in Iraq. This country was told that war in Iraq was necessary because of Iraq’s WMDs.
George W. Bush
No WMDs were found. This is a huge failure of intelligence and someone must take responsibility. Going to war is an extremely serious matter and so the heads of the intelligence agencies, the secretary of defense and the president all must assume responsibility. How will this country stay out of wars without personal accountability from those who would put our children in harms way? President Bush has not even apologized for this serious lapse of intelligence. Tony Blair has apologized. Instead Bush has shifted the rationale for entering Iraq to a secondary purpose without the slightest acknowledgment of this catastrophic failure of military intelligence. He should be removed from office for this reason alone.
3. The Republician Party is dominated by extremist ideology.
The Republican Party has been highjacked by right-wing evangelical Christianity that maintains a literal interpretation of the Bible. I do not trust a chief executive whose decisions are guided by a literalist’s interpretation of any religious scripture. Religious extremism comes in many forms, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu and so on and it is a great danger to the world. I patently reject this perspective because it is a two dimensional, black and white, us and them, view of the world. Even on the secular side, the Republican Party is dominated by extremism. Simply listen to the endless barrage of right-wing talk radio in the form of Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingram and the litany of other talk radio programs that blanket this country.
4. There is a need for political balance in this country.
I acknowledge the political validity of both the Republican and Democratic parties. However, good government lies between these two positions. During the time of President Bush this country has moved much too far from the center. It is time to bring this country back to the center of the political spectrum. In particular, President Bush must not be allowed to select the next generation of court justices. If he is allowed another four years to appoint court justices, this country could remain to the extreme right of the political spectrum for at least a generation.
5. The Bush and Cheney families are both oil families.
It is foolish to think that control of petroleum is not a major factor in America’s involvement in the middle-east. Our dependance on oil is a major security and environmental problem for this country and the rest of the world. The Bush and Cheney families have vested interests in oil. Consequently, they will not move this country towards non petroleum energy development. The sooner these vested interested are removed the sooner this country can move toward new energy development.
6. America under the presidency of George Bush has become alienated from the rest of the world.
This country is blessed with a huge abundance of wealth and power and therefore has a special responsibility to serve as a world leader. The extremist ideology of the Bush administration has driven this country into global isolation. As a result we have forfeited our authority as a would learder. There is no true coalition for this war in Iraq. It is a hype by the Bush Administration that we are heading a coalition. Except for Great Britain there are no major players, We are alone. This is not the position that this great country should be in.
7. American under George Bush has failed to lead the world on environmental issues.
The failure of this country to take a leadership position on issues of the environment is a travesty. The Kyoto Accord should be signed, or if it is flawed, should be actively renegotiated. The Bush administration is not good for the environment.
