Bush And The Conservatives Are Winning The National Debate
By Carol Devine-Molin (10/18/04)
Why is the message of the Bush team and its conservative allies resonating throughout America? It’s really quite simple. Bush et al. know that this presidential election is essentially about keeping America safe in a post 9/11 world. National security has always been the centerpiece of the Bush reelection campaign.
The question on the minds of all Americans has been this: Whom do we trust more, Bush or Kerry, to ensure America’s safety and security during these perilous times? The answer is manifest: President Bush has been unwavering in his determination to protect Americans from harm. There’s no doubt that President Bush and Vice President Cheney wake up every morning thinking of ways to safeguard Americans and to defeat terrorists. That said, I believe the majority of Americans will vote to reelect the Bush/Cheney team.
Recent indications have been propitious for the Bush camp. In the race for the oval office, President Bush is pulling ahead of Senator Kerry in the latest polling data available as of October 17, which can be readily found over at the website RealClearPolitics.com. CNN/USA Today/Gallup, Newsweek and ABC/Washington Post polls have Bush leading Kerry by 8 percent, 6 percent and 3 percent respectively, which is illustrative of an emerging winning trend with three weeks to go before the election. Given the Democratic Party’s history of dirty tricks and “win at any cost” attitude, the GOP must obviously be on guard for an “October Surprise”.
In the third and last presidential debate on October 13, President Bush delivered a knockout punch to Kerry when he stated: “In our first debate he (Kerry) proposed America pass a global test. In order to defend ourselves, we'd have to get international approval. That's one of the major differences we have about defending our country. I'll work with allies. I'll work with friends. We'll continue to build strong coalitions. But I will never turn over our national-security decisions to leaders of other countries.”
Bush had correctly tagged Kerry, and, frankly it was devastating for the Democratic candidate. I believe Kerry is beginning to reap the consequences, as reflected in the new polling data. Although Senator Kerry tried to wriggle out of the President’s dead-on charge, it was virtually impossible since Kerry has indeed espoused globalism and the belief that America should act in concert with international consensus. Americans are becoming increasingly cognizant that Senator Kerry’s philosophy on foreign policy is out of the mainstream and dangerous to our nation. Our president’s foremost duty is to provide for the safety and security of America. In light of the fact that anti-Americanism is rampant throughout the globe, how could an American president possibly defer to a “global test” that might very well be at odds with our national interests?
This election cycle has served to underscore the profound polarization between liberals and conservatives who hold thoroughly disparate views. On a bright note, at least the electorate has a clear-cut choice before them on Election Day. Make no mistake, Senator Kerry is the Leftist, antiwar candidate on the slate, despite his equivocations and intermittent tough-talk on terrorism. Moreover, the self-righteous, Left-leaning crowd is fond of dubbing conservatives warmongers. What drivel! It’s not that conservatives want war; in fact, we abhor it. However, there is no choice but to declare war on enemies that have made it abundantly clear that they intend to murder us. And, these thugs have a thirty-year track record of terrorism to back it up including their current atrocious attacks in Iraq. It’s not entirely a bad thing that the Jihadis have descended upon Iraq. Frankly, it’s better that we kill them there, than face them on our own soil.
I’m not about to mince words on the issue of war: Both conservatives and liberals want to avert war and avert loss of life, if possible. The difference is that we conservatives possess better insight when it comes to evaluating danger, and a greater willingness to defend ourselves against enemies that mean us deadly harm. Conservatives have always had a better grasp of man’s basic human nature and proclivity to engage in warfare. When all is said and done, we still live in a world where brut force prevails. That’s exactly why former mayor Ed Koch trusts conservatives to do battle with the terrorists. He’s right in stating that the liberals simply “do not have the stomach” to fight this war on terrorism. Think about it -- our all-volunteer force, which has a decidedly conservative bent, is willing and able to fight barbarians engaging in terrorism, suicide bombings, and beheadings. Our intrepid forces confront these thugs, and fight the good fight each and every day.
Which brings me to my final point: John Kerry is going about making the false claim that President Bush intends to reinstitute a draft. This is pure fear-mongering on Kerry’s part, a demagogic tactic designed to scare people about President Bush and depress the Bush vote. However, President Bush, who greatly prefers an all-volunteer force, has averred, “the best way to avoid the draft is to vote for me”. Conservatives only want a well-motivated, professional class of soldiers in the Armed Forces. Conservatives certainly don’t want antiwar liberals in the Armed Forces, or those that oppose serving for any reason. Why? These individuals are disruptive and negatively impact the cohesiveness and effectiveness of the forces. The dirty little secret is that Democrats recently attempted to reinstate the draft. Charlie Rangel was the sponsor in the House, and Fritz Hollings was the sponsor in the Senate – The bill was overwhelmingly defeated. Democrats love the draft when a Republican is in the White House since it can be utilized as a club against the incumbent. Who could forget the last draft - the Vietnam draft - that was accompanied by antiwar demonstrations, hate-spewing activists, and social unrest? Worse yet, that antiwar movement spawned the public career of John Kerry.
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