For the most part, I am not a supporter of the Bush Administration. I believe that the administration has deliberately deceived the American public, downplayed the internal scandals within the administration and Republican party, started an unjustified war, and driven said war into a source of misery and discontent in the US and Iraq.
But I believe I am a fair man - the Democrats are not any better.
I feel that the Democrats have been snickering behind their hands at the missteps of the Republican. They have hamstrung Republicans' attempts of social and governmental reform repeatedly due to partisan differences.
Bush is dealing with this increasingly messy Iraq War and it has become problematic for the administration.
If we could roll the clock back forty years we would find the Democratic president Lyndon Johnson expanding an unpopular war in Vietnam. This war would involve increasing troop levels while simultaneously decreasing public knowledge. After the Tet Offensive of 1968 forced the war onto the forefront of American thought, Johnson began to conduct the war according to public sentiment. In the end, this resulted in more American and Vietnamese deaths and America losing the Vietnam War in 1975. Besides the result in 1975 I see a similar trend in Washington today.
If we could roll the clock back 160 years we would find Democratic president James Polk and his administration driving the U. S. toward the Mexican-American War. This war began on similar dubious circumstances, assumptions, and forecasts of doom and gloom if the United States did not fight and "liberate" the land and place it under the rule of the United States.
These two examples of war have not even mentioned the persecution of Native Americans by all political parties from the conception of this country.
The bipartisan support of slavery and segregation of blacks till the beginning of last century are not mentioned.
The repression of women was supported by both parties.
The attempts to retain social and economic gulfs between poor white immigrants and the privileged whites are similarly unmentioned.
The advertisements for those officials up for election this year are becoming morbid and repulsive and seem to inspire more fear than hope. Take Indianapolis Democratic candidate Orentlicher's covered corpse ad due to Republican Densborn's opposition to stem cell research and Densborn's counter ad featuring a crying child in the corner claiming that Orentlicher "looks out for child molesters."
There are arguments for and against stem cell research and I have not taken a position on this issue but to advocate that Densborn is hoping for more corpses in morgues is morbid. To advocate that Orentlicher appreciates child molesters and harbors any good intent toward them is equally morbid.
This amounts to two candidates unable to face the real issues but instead hide behind the fear instilled in the American public in the form of glossy ads.
The media has done an excellent job of capturing our attention in a thirty second commercial and one page advertisements in magazines.
The difference is that we are not buying a new iPod, we are voting on our representatives and leaders.
The desire for power of governmental office and the willingness to exploit the system for personal power and party power is nothing new.
In a few flashes of inspiration the government has extended many great benefits to the people of the United States, but I do not believe we are experiences one of those flashes of insight. I am hoping to enter the voting booth and find a third lever, a lever of somebody I can really trust.
I do not think I will vote for the most competent authority, I think I will be voting for the least incompetent authority.
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