I Love the Smell of Waffles in the Morning. Smells Like.... Kerry

Johno Johno

Armed Liberal nicely articulates a position very close to mine in the election horse-race.

I was almost in a brutally tough position on this one, but Kerry's impending coronation makes it somewhat easier. While Bush's domestic policies aren't criminal, exactly, they are amazingly stupid in almost every dimension in which I can think to measure them. But he is doing the war thing sort of right. Unless he's planning to pull out too soon in the face of domestic political pressure. Now my head really hurts.

And if the Democrats had a candidate who had a strong track record on foreign policy and had some kind of remotely consistent plan for what to do now that we're here (see some of my ideas, as examples of what I'd like to see), I'd have to weigh the cost of switching teams mid-game against the net advantages of domestic policies I liked better against the likely effect of the proposed foreign policies against the fact that I've always supported Democrats, and that a strong Democratic Presidential showing would have coattails in local races that I value a lot.

This is arguably the most serious election in my adult life. I believe that the Communists would have collapsed sooner or later even if Reagan hadn't spent them into the ground (although he certainly made a difference). I think that Clinton did some good stuff in refocusing our domestic social-welfare programs.

But there's a big-ass hole in lower Manhattan, and our people are being beheaded on home video. It's not going to get better by itself, and we need to have a coherent set of policies and the resources and will to carry them out. Kerry's actions and statements to date don't give me an ounce of confidence that he's the guy to do this.

Bush is challengeable on that front, and I'd like to see him challenged in order, if nothing else, to get him to better articulate and defend what he's doing.

I'm not going to stay up late seeing if Kerry can make that challenge.

I wish I had something apropos, insightful, and pithy to add but I don't. I can only say... yeah.

Posted by Johno Johno on   |   § 5

§ 5 Comments

1

What would John Kerry do to screw up what's going on? What exactly is Bush doing to make all this right?

I am trying to figure out how Bush can be viewed as a success in foreign policy. He has exactly one quality that seems to endear him to a great number of people: His willingness to push shiny red buttons.

Are you saying that the facts as we know them now to be, if presented to John Kerry, would result in actions that you believe are wrong?

Ross Ross

2

Armed Liberal is planning a post on that tomorrow. But based on recent statements, he views the war on terror as something that can be dealt with through a combination of police work and sucking up to the French.

Buckethead Buckethead

3

Ross, for an answer to that question I would refer you to the post farther down the main page about the Dems' lack of direction overall in the field of foreign policy.

Bush strikes me as the least-worst option for the times we are living in. Do I agree with everything he's done? OF course not!! Afghanistan is a terrible, horrible mess. Iraq has a long row to hoe. The UN is irrelevant but Bush has yet to propose an alternative road to international cooperation.

But I have zero faith that John Kerry could do a better job. I'm still not voting for Bush, but on the matter of foreign policy, he beats the crap out of the junior senator from Massachusetts.

Of course, it's like the Arizona Cardinals beating the Cincy Bengals, or the Cleveland Indians beating the Detroit Tigers, but it's a win all the same.

Johno Johno

5

Yeah, but what decisions was he making there? That link is full of crap. Attacks on Bush, or parroting actions the administration is already doing. Along with a lot of let's hold the hands of the French, and all we be well. I will offer a more complete analysis later.

Buckethead Buckethead

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