My Endorsement - John Kerry

In another election, he might not get my vote. Though I do believe he's a good man and his biography is a testament to his commitment to the service of this country, I don't find him a particularly strong nor compelling politician. I think his manner of speech is genuinely incoherent, which is a poor quality in a leader. I believe his tendency to switch topics mid-sentence illuminates his reputation for indecisiveness - he's not simply an incoherent speaker - he's an incoherent thinker. Not all the time (as shown by his debate performance), but certainly by nature (as shown by his extemporizing). I look forward to a Kerry administration with a good deal of trepidation.

But I think he does bring certain strengths into office. It'd be a welcome sight to see the adults return to Washington. Given the talent pool he's likely to draw from, I expect we will see more pragmatists and fewer visionaries, which strikes me as a good thing. I think he brings a broader perspective than the current President. Unlike President Bush, Kerry understands that, though a good offense may score points, no team is likely to be a contender if it can't play well on both sides of the field. I trust he will make good on his word to invest resources into shoring up domestic security at home. Even his innate defensiveness could prove a virtue, focusing his attention on inconvenient issues that need to be addressed.

I expect he will be cautious, more cautious than I would like in world affairs. I don't expect him to confront our loathsome allies in the Middle East, despite the necessity of doing so. But a timorousness abroad may be exactly what we need if America is to "reload the guns" of its power - military, political, and moral. Our moral credibility is spent. The domestic consequences of supporting our policies and agendas has grown so severe in many countries that reflexive anti-Americanism has become a useful political strategy - for many of our allies as well as our enemies. Our military is over-extended and facing strategic setbacks at the hands of jihadists with rifles and home-made bombs. I do expect John Kerry to make some progress in restoring our "ammunition" in each of these respects.

Most importantly, though, I am voting to defeat George W. Bush. I was never happy with the manner in which he came to office, and would welcome a change of power in Washington for no other reason than to prove our democracy is still functioning properly.

But, my feelings are much stronger than that. Over the course of the last four years, I have watched George W. Bush's character unfold before the nation, and I have been repulsed by what I have seen. I'm tempted to recite the litany of petty indicators and grievances which mark me as a "Bush-hater," but I will limit myself to just one - his decision to taunt the Iraqi resistance to "bring 'em on." The audacity of a sitting President - probably the most physically secure man on the entire planet; guarded by batteries of the world's most professional officers and attended by batteries of the world's most competent physicians - jocularly enticing America's enemies to attack our troops speaks volumes about the character of this president. As they have indeed "brought 'em on" - and on and on by the thousands - the President has betrayed no remorse for having made light of the terrible consequences of his actions. Many times he's talked about the human costs of his decision to wage this war in Iraq. But he betrays his callousness each time he denies the truth of the mounting troubles in that country. I don't doubt he genuinely mourns for every fallen life and every wounded soldier. But I don't believe he genuinely feels responsible for them. I don't believe George W. Bush has the proper appreciation for the gravity of his office nor the consequences of his actions to hold the position of President of the United States.

On the level of policy, this President has disgraced my country, and thereby humiliated me, time and time again. His failure to realize his vow to capture Osama bin Laden "dead or alive" three years after the attack on the World Trade Center has made a mockery of United States power. To this day he continues to treat Afghanistan as a "victory" in the war on terror, despite obvious evidence that the enemy remains upon the field inflicting casualties on United States forces three years after the invasion. He prematurely declared victory in Iraq, again making our nation look like fools who fail to grasp the strategic nature of war, preferring short orgies of violence followed by shameless posturing to the measured and determined achievement of our goals by peace or by force. His overstatement of the case for war in Iraq has damaged American credibility, both at home and abroad. His decision to abandon a second Security Council resolution after vigorously pressing for it exposed America as a hypocrite on the importance of international law. His Administration's decision to hold American citizens for years without trial or charges, then release them without trial or charges when the Supreme Court ruled against this practice, has made a mockery of our respect for our own laws. The lawlessness of Abu Ghraib that stained America's honor, and the refusal to hold those most responsible - Secretary Rumsfeld - for allowing that lawlessness to develop is a colossal moral failing. To the extent that Bush's actions reflect upon all of us, he has caused me great shame as an American patriot.

Domestically, I feel Bush's fiscal profligacy has needlessly injured this country, constraining its ability to face both its apparent challenges and the unanticipated needs of the future. I find his endorsement of the Federal Marriage Amendment to our Constitution to be a monstrous act of cynicism aimed at one of America's most unfairly reviled minorities. The sneering disdain he expressed for Massachusetts at the debates strike me as an excellent example of his penchant for divisiveness - a willingness to carve Americans themselves into those who are "with us" and those who are "against us."

So, I will vote for Kerry next week. I may do so with some nervousness for the next four years. But I won't do so with even the slightest remorse.