Originally posted by DKSuddeth
but I notice that these same conservatives apparently arent horrified enough since they would rather sit at home and not vote than to vote outside of the republican party.
I think I may be one, though not the only one on the board, who has been less than happy at times with GW. I worked hard on his 2000 election and I am again.
The summer of 2001, I was participating in a series of Constitutional classes at various universities. I remember being dismayed that when I had a chance to check the news it was all about Gary Condit and the weather in Chicago. At least I was interested in Chicago. I remember thinking that Bush was just not connecting to the problems overseas. Truly I expected that he would respond to the USS Cole, albeit belatedly. Considering the elections I thought the administration should 'be out there' to show where they stood.
I was also concerned that the Iranian students were creating a problem at home and nothing was forthcoming from State to support them. I could not understand how we could not step up. Really, I was very disappointed.
I returned to Chicagoland from LA about 2 weeks before school began. Luckily all my elderly relatives had made it through the 'heat wave'. As had most people here, seems the media was as desperate to get off Condit as we were to hear something else. School began, 9/11 happened. Bush changed.
I will say from a historical standpoint, FDR KNEW that we should be involved with Hitler sooner than we were. To this day, I don't think the GW administration was serious enough with the threat from radical Islam until 9/11. In either case, not enough was done to preempt the problems.
Since then, I think this administration has kept their eye on the goal. They KNOW they will not see the end, reelection or not. THIS is a long term crisis, which they have tried to make clear. With all the noise in an election cycle, nothing is clear. Successes outweigh the failures, but our society wants instant results, no casualties and to move on. It can't happen that way. I am hopeful that we will prevail and that when he leaves 5 years from now, things will be a bit safer.
If Kerry is elected, we'll see. I wouldn't make predictions one way or another, but do know that in the world crisis that confronts us, we will have to back whoever is elected.