Posted on 10/26/2004 8:31:01 PM PDT by jamesissmall218
Sept. 11, 2001, changed the face of America forever. It was a seminal event comparable only to the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor of Dec. 7, 1941.
The nation's response to both tragedies was swift and valiant. Both times, the country was blessed with strong, courageous and decisive leaders: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and George W. Bush.
Some of the sharp focus appropriately directed by Americans against the terrorists has diminished since that evil day when depraved, suicidal extremists hijacked airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in our nation's capital.
Life in the United States seems to have returned to normal.
This is largely due to the heroic efforts and sacrifices of our servicemen and women, who have led the fight against terrorism overseas where it originates, steadily transforming daily life in the formerly miserable nations of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Cruel leaders reminiscent of Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin have been knocked from power in those countries. The iron rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq has been obliterated.
These nations now have new hope. Terrorists are on the run.
Now, in the heat of a presidential campaign, some people are saying our policies in these one-time hellholes are mistaken. Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place, proclaims Sen. John Kerry, who originally supported the conflict. This appears to have emerged as the central issue in Kerry's challenge to President Bush.
Americans will resolve the dispute on Nov. 2. They should do so by asking themselves a simple question: Are the shores of our beloved nation safer today than they were on Sept. 11, 2001?
We believe with strong conviction that they are. And we think the resolute leadership of President Bush - and steadfast allies such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair - is the reason why.
Simply put, terrorists have been put on the defensive by being forced to concentrate their defenses in faraway lands like Afghanistan and Iraq. It is far better that we fight them there rather than here.
Much is made of the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found after the United States liberated Iraq. This does not diminish the value of what our troops have accomplished, however. Saddam's links to the terrorist al-Qaida group are undeniable, and our country attacked these elements in Iraq because we could. That our actions there have made our own country safer appears obvious.
President Bush understands the enemy. He has led us well. But it is not only for the war on terror that Bush has earned the nation's support in his bid for re-election. His domestic policies are on target as well.
Bush has tackled difficult issues and forged bipartisan support toward solutions.
Take the "No Child Left Behind" education bill as an example. While there have been gripes about the level of funding, the amount the federal government is spending on public schools has never been higher. More importantly, the nation now has an agreed-upon set of standards for what students should be learning, as well as a means of holding teachers and schools accountable.
The nation also has a new prescription drug program that will ensure benefits for the elderly and the most vulnerable members of our society.
And tax relief has provided a necessary stimulus for a slow economy that is finally showing solid signs of renewed growth.
Are there still problems to be faced? Of course. There always will be. Social Security, the environment, homeland security, health care and business expansion are all areas posing tough challenges for our leaders. But there is no evidence that Sen. Kerry has any novel solutions to address these concerns that have not already been considered or tried.
The administration of the federal government is in good hands under President Bush. Voters should keep it that way by re-electing him on Nov. 2.
Excellent read.
Doing my funky endorsement victory dance, which was stolen from me by some chick on SNL last Saturday..Witch!
Thanks.
The good old News Herald. I didn't have any doubt they'd endorse Bush.
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