A VERY NEAR THING
Too close for comfort…
I say that not as a Republican but as an American.
John Kerry’s positions on the issues would have represented, I believe, a profound retreat in the war on terror. The idea that a President Kerry would have gone hat in hand to the United Nations and the rest of our allies to try and garner support for the war in Iraq would have meant admitting that Bush’s entire approach to the WoT was mistaken. A President Kerry would have made another terrorist attack not only more likely, but I believe a virtual certainty as terrorists would have been free to plan their attacks in Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Yemen, and North Korea without fear of American reprisal.
Mr. Kerry was unconvincing in his promise to pre-emptively protect the country. His votes against cold war policies and weapons systems, against intervention in Kuwait, and his critique of the Iraq war all point to someone who has profound misgivings on the uses and exercising of American power. His insistence on some kind of “global test” for protecting the citizens of the United States revealed a breathtaking naivete about the motivations of the French, Russians, Germans, and other EU members who, more than anything, seek a counterweight to what they perceive as America’s dangerous unilateralism. It would be in keeping with these nation’s national interests to bring America down “a peg or two” to achieve this. If that means a bunch a dead Americans…regrettable but C’est la Vie.
How near a thing was this victory? If a couple of dozen more Kerry voters had come out to vote in each Ohio precinct, John Kerry would have won Ohio and the Presidency. Bush’s margin of victory would have gone for naught as the inexorable logic of the electoral college would have given Kerry the margin of victory. No amount of crowing about an election “mandate” by Republicans is going to change the fact that President Bush’s policies remain controversial and will be vehemently opposed by leftists Democrat and their allies in the MSM.
I said on election night that voters will have much less patience with Mr. Bush during this second term. He will have to show concrete results in Iraq, the economy, health care, social security, and, most divisive of all, entitlement reform. Mr. Bush has substantially raised expectations for his second term. And given the civil war that is soon to break out in the Republican party between neoconservatives and the paleo-conservatives led by Pat Buchanan, it remains to be seen whether Mr. Bush can keep the party united enough to enact his ambitious and revolutionary agenda.
DROOLING ON THE LEFT
One of the more enjoyable aspects of Bush’s victory this past week was going to far left blogs and watching people melt into puddles of incoherent, jibbering, paranoid pudding pops.
Talkleft certainly qualifies as a nominee for Most Incoherent Bunch of Blither Blatherers. Here’s a gem from Annette. (My comment to her post was “Please adjust your tin foil cap…it’s obviously malfunctioning.”)
“We in Blue States support the Reds with tax $$$ for farm subsidies, etc. We need to all contact our congress representatives and senators and let them know we won’t stand for that. Also, don’t travel to Red States and drop tourist dollars there. Take the kids to Disney in Calif instead of FL, try the beaches in New England or Southern CA instead of Gulf Coast States. Try Southern CA for a winter retreat instead of FL or AZ…”
Then there’s this from “Paul”…who, even though a Canadian, feels perfectly comfortable about putting his two cents in…
“What in the world is wrong with 51% of Americans? How can they vote a nincumpoop(sic), a certified imbecil, a semi-literate and intelectually-challenged hick to another four years in office. I’m from canada(sic), and I despair for America. There is much that is good about your country - but the corporate capital and the corporate media and a bunch of neo-con zealots have turned half of your people into zombies. What a waste of human material?(sic) Anywhere else, even a mannequin would win against Bush. My sympathies for those who voted for Democrats - brace yourselves for another for years of darkness, only more intense this time…”
We’ve been seeing this since Wednesday. People who voted for Bush are called all sorts of vile names with their intelligence being questioned…not just here but abroad as well. And I haven’t even talked about those who are convinced the election was “stolen” by Republican operatives who hacked the touch-screen voting machines used in Florida and Ohio.
And these guys are perplexed about why they lose elections?
What arrogance! What breathtaking hubris! What a bunch of elitist, tin foil hat wearing, kool-aid drinking artichoke brains!