Certainties and uncertainties

As Temujin will tell you, I'm not the kind of person that will commit completely to one side on an issue (or one political side in the time leading up to an election) without feeling personally confident in what I'm supporting. Well, I suppose most people are like this . . . but I happen to have a very critical mind, and I tend to see more of the bad in everything than the good. For this reason, I probably wouldn't make a very good president of the US, or prime minister of Canada. If I was involved in politics, I'd more likely be a consultant or adviser . . . after all, every Arthur needs his Merlin.

Likely most of you are aware of the existence of such slogans as "Anybody But Bush '04", which I discovered, only yesterday, also exists as a bumper sticker. I first noticed this sticker travelling Grandview street (Vancouver) on my way to school, and I was immediately struck by the idiocy and irresponsibility of such a statement. I realized that there really are people in the world who, in the name of opposing a war that they have some scruples about, are willing to put absolutely anybody else in power in order to avoid re-electing somebody who shakes them up a little.

As far as my observations go with George Bush, I can say that as much as I can understand some people's opposition to the war in Iraq, I feel basically confident that Bush is a man who is doing what he believes is right. He sent troops to Iraq knowing that it would, in all likelihood, compromise his chances of being re-elected in 2004. One can carefully observe pretty much everything he has said over the past three years since 9/11, and there is a remarkable consistency in his approach to terrorism and the need for American intervention in a world of chaos and uncertainty. Whether or not I agree with him about going to war, I respect Bush as a leader, and I find it disgusting that the liberal left feels no shame about comparing him to Hitler, and suggesting that he had fore-knowledge about the 9/11 attacks. Further, I don't believe in looking at the whole war issue and simply assuming that, since war brings about inevitable death, it is wrong. There have been some irrefutably positive outcomes in the war to this point, the capture of Saddam Hussein being among the greatest. How John Kerry can look at that very fact and still argue that Iraq and the world are more unsafe since Hussein's capture baffles me.

Now let's turn our attention to Kerry. Here's a man who is the very embodiment of everything that I detest. If you have read my posts in the past, you may have picked up on a little theme: that I make it my goal to rid myself of any masks of pretension to which I believe all humans fall prey in the course of their lives and relationships. I'm a firm believer in saying what you feel is right, and living it out, no matter what others around you may say, do and believe. There are people in this world who seem to do the absolute opposite of this. In the name of opportunism or advancement, they will say whatever they think somebody wants to hear. Kerry is just such an individual. It would be completely pointless for me to go heavily into detail about this. If you frequent any (well, almost any) of the blogs on our sidebar, you are probably well aquainted with Kerry's tendency to waffle on almost every issue known to humankind.

And so I ask you: are you willing to trust a human being whose only concern in this run for presidency is to get your vote at all costs? Will you ignore the facts that are so clearly laid out before our eyes: that John Kerry will say anything, will tell any tale, will stab any back, in order to get himself into the metaphorical pants of American government? What we're dealing with here is a megalomaniac who, since day one, has been attempting to make himself appear more than he is. And what disgusts me is that people are willing to vote this guy into the presidency, simply because he isn't Bush. Well, I guess people can do what they want, but I know that for my part (although I won't be voting, since I'm a Canadian), I would be more willing to trust someone who hasn't characterized himself as an unethical power-monger.