Candid candidate...
I stayed up and watched the Late Show with David Letterman last night, something I don't normally do. I'm glad I did. John Kerry was there, and he was the only guest for the evening minus Green Day, the musical guest. David asked straight forward questions, the ones I'm sure most Americans have on their minds, and Kerry gave good, to the point, candid answers. If Kerry could run his entire interview with Letterman in an ad, it would be the best campaign spot for the season and could nearly guarantee him a win.
As a voter, I was satisfied with what Kerry had to say. He wasn't uptight and staunch, he let out some jokes, many of which were quite funny and seemed to have a good time. That's not a side of Kerry we get to see that often. Which is a shame, because he's good at it. The man is smart and quick on his toes. Here are some of the highlights of the evening for me:
-- What does Kerry make of the Republicans calling him a flip-flopper? Kerry responded by addressing the issue of his voting to go to war, then not supporting it. When Kerry voted to authorize the President to take us to war, he did so believing when the President said war would be a last resort, it would be a last resort. Kerry also believed Bush would follow UN guidelines and create the multi-national force that would be necessary to win such a war. Bush did none of the above. It's not only Kerry and other Democrats who are miffed over being lied to, there are plenty of Republicans upset about it too. It is clear now we were led to war under false pretenses. We know the President only acted on the best intelligence he had, but the truth is, with or without that evidence, the United States was not in imminent danger. There was still time to follow UN guidelines and create a true coalition before going to war.
My own take on the "flip-flopper" issue is this: Kerry has been a Senator for 20 years. He has voted one way on an issue, and another way on the same issue in his time in political office. Wouldn't you hope that someone would grow over 20 years in public office? Of course his opinions are going to change, and hopefully they change for the better. I've always thought progress is a good thing, and a 20 year Senator who has thought differently about an issue a time or two is one that lacks arrogance, exudes intelligence and isn't afraid to admit their mistakes. Something our current President can't claim.
-- Why did Kerry vote to go to war, but then vote no on authorizing another $87 billion to win the war? Kerry said he saw what was happening with the money. Nearly $20 billion of that can no longer be accounted for and another $40 billion is going to Halliburton and it's subsidiaries. We know now Halliburton has over charged for many of their services, and isn't it funny Dick Cheney used to work for them? Congress has now barred Halliburton from receiving any more contracts in the effort to rebuild Iraq.
-- The Top 10 List - Bush Tax Proposals:
10) No estate tax for families with at least two US Presidents.
9) W-2 form is now Dubya-2 form.
8) Under simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton.
7) Reduced earned income credit is so unfair, it makes me want to tear out my lustrous, well groomed hair.
6) Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off US Constitution.
5) Texas Rangers can take a business loss for trading Sammy Sosa.
4) Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa to cover the whole damn thing.
3) Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent.
2) $100 penalty for pronouncing it "nuclear" instead of "nucular".
1) Bush gets deduction for mortgaging our future.
I stayed up and watched the Late Show with David Letterman last night, something I don't normally do. I'm glad I did. John Kerry was there, and he was the only guest for the evening minus Green Day, the musical guest. David asked straight forward questions, the ones I'm sure most Americans have on their minds, and Kerry gave good, to the point, candid answers. If Kerry could run his entire interview with Letterman in an ad, it would be the best campaign spot for the season and could nearly guarantee him a win.
As a voter, I was satisfied with what Kerry had to say. He wasn't uptight and staunch, he let out some jokes, many of which were quite funny and seemed to have a good time. That's not a side of Kerry we get to see that often. Which is a shame, because he's good at it. The man is smart and quick on his toes. Here are some of the highlights of the evening for me:
-- What does Kerry make of the Republicans calling him a flip-flopper? Kerry responded by addressing the issue of his voting to go to war, then not supporting it. When Kerry voted to authorize the President to take us to war, he did so believing when the President said war would be a last resort, it would be a last resort. Kerry also believed Bush would follow UN guidelines and create the multi-national force that would be necessary to win such a war. Bush did none of the above. It's not only Kerry and other Democrats who are miffed over being lied to, there are plenty of Republicans upset about it too. It is clear now we were led to war under false pretenses. We know the President only acted on the best intelligence he had, but the truth is, with or without that evidence, the United States was not in imminent danger. There was still time to follow UN guidelines and create a true coalition before going to war.
My own take on the "flip-flopper" issue is this: Kerry has been a Senator for 20 years. He has voted one way on an issue, and another way on the same issue in his time in political office. Wouldn't you hope that someone would grow over 20 years in public office? Of course his opinions are going to change, and hopefully they change for the better. I've always thought progress is a good thing, and a 20 year Senator who has thought differently about an issue a time or two is one that lacks arrogance, exudes intelligence and isn't afraid to admit their mistakes. Something our current President can't claim.
-- Why did Kerry vote to go to war, but then vote no on authorizing another $87 billion to win the war? Kerry said he saw what was happening with the money. Nearly $20 billion of that can no longer be accounted for and another $40 billion is going to Halliburton and it's subsidiaries. We know now Halliburton has over charged for many of their services, and isn't it funny Dick Cheney used to work for them? Congress has now barred Halliburton from receiving any more contracts in the effort to rebuild Iraq.
-- The Top 10 List - Bush Tax Proposals:
10) No estate tax for families with at least two US Presidents.
9) W-2 form is now Dubya-2 form.
8) Under simplified tax code, your refund check goes directly to Halliburton.
7) Reduced earned income credit is so unfair, it makes me want to tear out my lustrous, well groomed hair.
6) Attorney General Ashcroft gets to write off US Constitution.
5) Texas Rangers can take a business loss for trading Sammy Sosa.
4) Eliminate all income taxes; just ask Teresa to cover the whole damn thing.
3) Cheney can claim Bush as a dependent.
2) $100 penalty for pronouncing it "nuclear" instead of "nucular".
1) Bush gets deduction for mortgaging our future.
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