Reply #29: I agree. This election will turn on Shrub's character not his competence.

[hansolsen]

The American people cut the incumbent, the "man in the arena", a lot of slack to make mistakes. But they cut leaders very little slack if they lose trust in that incumbent.

Bush has a poor track record to run on, so he is trying to make this election all about John Kerry, who he attacks relentlessly. The Kerry campaign has little success in keeping the discussion focused on Bush's failures in office, in part because of the reluctance to overtly oppose the war in Iraq. Today's statement that "this is the wrongwar, in the wrong place, at the wrong time" is a step in the right direction.

But we need to go further. Kerry has said Bush misled the nation into war. He needs to keep driving that message home, because this goes to the issue of character. There is a dark and evil side to George Bush. soem people can see it and some can't.

He lied about WMD in Iraq. He said the evidence on his desk of WMD in Iraq was "certain". We know for a fact the evidence on his desk was anything but certain. He mischaracterized that evidence. He misled the country about that intelligence. He cherry picked the intelligence to lead the country to war.

He approved torture at Abu Ghraib. He can deny it only because he carries a letter in his pocket from his lawyers saying nothing is torture unless the abuse does permanent bodily injury to the victim. This speaks volumes about George Bush's character.

He smeared Kerry with lies about his heroism in Vietnam and has refused to back off those smears.

I could go on and on.

This election is not about George Bush's competence, it is about his character. He is running as God's candidate. That cannot be allowed to stand. He is the least Christian man who ever served in the Oval Office. If we allow that to stand we will lose this election and we will deserve to have lost.

Whenever Kerry begins to speak to these issue, someone from the campaign comes forward to stick a sock in his mouth. Whoever that someone is, needs to step aside and let the candidate run for office. If he runs on his character vs Bush's character we will win.

So say I.