Another LTTE about Bush.

[coloradodem2005]

I wrote this to the Rocky Mountain News, concerning their Bush endorsement.

Dear Editor,


I find it personally offensive that you claim to speak for all Coloradoans about your endorsement of President Bush. When watching the first debate between himself and Senator Kerry, George Bush did not demonstrate that he has a clear vision for Iraq, except more of the same. Our casualties in Iraq continue to mount and things continue to deteriorate in Iraq. I personally agree that if there is a threat, it should be dealt with preemptively and so does Senator Kerry. But there was no threat in Iraq. No WMD, no 9/11 connection, no ties between Saddam and Osama Bin Laden. These were the reasons that were given to us to go to war in Iraq. So while we were attacking Iraq, Iran and North Korea have become an even greater threat. If we are going to attack other countries preemptively, shouldn't we have some proof of a threat? You say that a Kerry administration would not see an oncoming storm. Bush should have been able to see the oncoming storm of 9/11. Clinton warned him about it. The Hart-Rudmann report warned him about it. If he didn't know an attack was coming, he should have. You, as a newspaper have become a disappointment. You used to speak for solid moderate values. Now, you parrot the talking points of the right wing. Trying to sell us an idea of a courageous leader who in reality, did not lift a finger for us when we needed him to. Which was before 9/11.

From:
A Concerned Coloradoan.

[grannylib]

1. Good one. Thanks for taking the time to write! Here's the one I sent to

Minneapolis Star/Tribune:

Distraction du Jour

All the phony indignation of the right wing over Senator John Kerry’s comments about Mary Cheney is nothing more than a distraction from the real issues.
George W. Bush was caught in another major blunder in the most recent presidential debate: he who claims to be so focused on terrorism denied having said that Osama bin Laden was not a priority. When the news outlets began playing the clips of the President’s statements to that effect, all of a sudden those were eclipsed by the Cheney ‘outrage’ messages. If the Cheneys were not outraged by Senator Edwards’ statement during the Vice Presidential debate (and in fact, the Vice President thanked Senator Edwards for his kind words right then and there) they have no need to be outraged by Senator Kerry’s comments. It is their modus operandi in all such cases. Every time Bush makes a major gaffe, the right wing changes the focus to a non-issue in an effort to put Kerry on the defensive and deflect attention away from Bush’s many failures, flips and flops.
Let’s take a look at some of them. (For a very comprehensive list of the President’s flip-flops, check out http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=118263)

 He has given several reasons for going to war with Iraq (WMDs, WMD program-related-activities, Saddam was a ‘madman,’ nation-building, spreading freedom and democracy, and now he’s back to WMD capability. Decisive? Hardly. Looking for any excuse he can get is more like it.)
 He said our military would not be used for nation-building, then changed his position and has our military engaged in just such an operation.
"If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road."
"We will be changing the regime of Iraq, for the good of the Iraqi people."

 He said that the government would not raid Social Security, then presented a budget that uses those funds to cover other government programs, diverting $1.4 trillion dollars from Social Security.
 He used to take a pro-choice position, then flip-flopped to an anti-abortion position (I cannot call him “pro-life:” pro-war is not pro-life; pro-death penalty is not pro-life; pro-pollution in our air and water is not pro-life.)
 He opposed the creation of the 9/11 Commission, then flipped and was for it.
 He opposed having Condoleezza Rice testify in front of that commission, then flopped and allowed it.
 He promised to work with OPEC in the case of gas price hikes, to personally lobby for lower oil prices; now, with oil at $54 a barrel, he refuses to do so. We are paying the price at the pump for this
flip-flop.
 He opposed the creation of a department of homeland security, then did a one-eighty and asked Congress to “join him in this urgent mission.”
And on this distraction issue of gay marriage: in 2000, Bush said it was an issue best left to the states. "The states can do what they want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me into."
He now supports a constitutional amendment. "Today I call upon the Congress to promptly pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife."

This man clearly can not be trusted to mean what he says, to stick to his principles, or to maintain any level of personal responsibility or integrity. He panders to those from whom he thinks he can secure power, money and votes. I am tired of hearing about his “decisiveness and conviction.” Those are not necessarily favorable qualities. One can make poor decisions with great conviction; it does not follow that those decisions are correct. This president has made all the wrong choices for all the wrong reasons.
I am supporting John Kerry, because he has the sense and the intelligence to think critically, weigh evidence, and make decisions based on fact. His Christian convictions guide him but do not blind him (Jesus died to take away our sins, not our minds). He understands that morality encompasses more than sexual behavior. War is a moral issue. Stewardship of the environment is a moral issue. Care for the poor and disenfranchised is a moral issue. Corporate malfeasance is a moral issue.
Bush understands none of that. He did not deserve his first term, and he certainly has done nothing to deserve a second.

[MnFats]

2. Very good, both of you. Let me suggest the letters' use as a...

..template for the rest of us.
..use your own words, make it your own, but you see the possibilities here.
..(as a journo, i know how much editors hate un-original letters.)
crank it up, as the Bushites certainly will in the waning days....