Connnecticut: Stamford Advocate Endorses Kerry (endorsed Bush in 2000)

[Tesibria]

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/opinion/editorial/scn-sa-editorialoct24,0,1361753.story?coll=stam-editorial-headlines

Kerry is our selection for president

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We believe the mistakes in executing Iraq policy point to a consistently disturbing element of the Bush presidency -- an inflexibility that grows from applying narrow political goals to complex decisions. In that regard, Mr. Bush would be considerably more credible if he had resisted the impulse to cut taxes while going to war. That is not only unprecedented, but impractical. And it suggests that the president thought Americans would not support the Iraq effort if they had to sacrifice for it. Now not only do we sacrifice, we are running up deficits that will prolong the pain.
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The job picture during the Bush years has been bleak. We don't think Mr. Kerry can produce nirvana, and he has not adequately explained how he would more fairly balance taxes, control spending and encourage hiring. Some of his ideas may not prove to be affordable. But his core approach on jobs, health care and entitlements at least acknowledges the depth of these problems and the need for creativity in dealing with them. Mr. Bush appears often to be blindly hoping that the economy will bounce back and take care of new revenue.
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Mr. Bush has spent a good deal of the campaign putting labels on his opponent. He has spent too little time on specifics or providing a detailed vision for the future. Perhaps it is true that in his 20 years in the Senate, Mr. Kerry has gone through a lot of changes. But that also would mean he has considered new ideas and, more important in 2004, worked in a bipartisan fashion. He is in a better position to bring about progress, and is better equipped to deal with real-world obstacles as they arise.

The leadership of the last four years is not an abject failure, yet it has consistently fallen short in critical ways. There has not been enough candor with the public, nor enough economic discipline, nor enough effort to unify Americans -- at a time when all are badly needed. By combining a tough and realistic stand on terrorism with an approach to domestic issues that is more thoughtful and inclusive, John Kerry can elevate the country's stature at home and abroad.