Reply #129: On Shifting

[welshTerrier2]

I suppose we have to define what is meant by "shifting" to the right ...

For many months, I argued that I would never support any candidate who voted for bush's insane war ... and now I'm considering endorsing Kerry ...

Have I sold out my principles? Have I "shifted" to the right? Have I lost my mind?

There was never a time that I didn't see a need to balance principle with pragmatism ... my goal a year ago was to not have this country engaged in wars all over the globe with young men and women dying on a daily basis ... for that reason, I thought it best to promote candidates who opposed the IWR and opposed the invasion of Iraq ...

This position remains unchanged ... no shift has occurred ... the IWR vote cast by some of our candidates was tragic ... and the invasion of Iraq has clearly been shown to be insane ... and so, one could conclude that there has been no shift in my feelings about this insanity ...

HOWEVER ... I have taken a second look at how best to prevent future wars ... and here I find myself in the difficult position of believing that getting bush out is the best way to achieve that regardless of whether that means supporting someone who voted for the IWR or not ... the real issue going forward is whether I believe a candidate can 1. beat bush and 2. keep us from global war with the Islamic people ... I no longer feel I can afford the luxury of punishing those who so badly disappointed me with their pre-Iraq conduct ...

The underlying values have not "shifted to the right" ... the goal remains the same ... what has changed is how best to achieve the goal ...