The case against re-electing George W. Bush is very strong. But the case for electing Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts is not as clear-cut as we would have liked. That leaves voters with a tough choice this year.
In bringing the nation to war against Iraq but not being prepared to win the peace, in cutting taxes even as expenses mushroomed, in violating basic tenets of civil liberties and international norms, in choosing to pursue a right-wing social agenda, Bush has made us less secure in the war on terrorism, created budget deficits that will burden our children and grandchildren, and violated his pledge to be a uniter, not a divider.
This president has been unwilling to admit to any of his mistakes or to hold any of his subordinates accountable for their mistakes. That is deeply disappointing.
Give Bush full credit for leading the nation after the trauma of Sept. 11, 2001, and for being an unusually strong-willed president. But he has too often substituted righteous certitude for factual analysis. Ideology has too often come before reality. And for all his claims to be a gutsy leader, Bush has been unwilling to ask the nation as a whole for even the smallest sacrifice, even during a time of war. Four more years of this kind of leadership is unappealing.
http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-n4017443oct24,0,869077.story?coll=ny-editorials-headlines
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