Summing it up neatly
 

"On the one hand is John Kerry, a humorless Boston scold, in appearance the love child of Abraham Lincoln and Bette Midler, who recites slogans that he understands but does not believe. And on the other is the president, proud of his aversion to making an argument for his own case, in appearance a denizen of the Pleistocene, who recites slogans that he believes but does not understand."
-- Mark Helprin

Well said is putting it mildly
 

Well Helprin has done it again. I think this adequetely describes the two, now the only question is: which is worse?

- Walrus

I didn't mean it to become partisan but IMO, of the two types I would prefer one who understands but does not believe. All that means is he's political, maybe even pragmatic. Believing but not understanding is a weak basis for leadership.

Once again... I have to ask... as I have been for at least the last 4 years....

Can't the Republicans and Democrats come up with anybody better?

Say what you want about Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton, but each of them was able to convice a portion of the electorate greater than 50% that they were a good choice. Bush Jr., Al Gore, and now Kerry all seem to find this an impossible task.

Review history. Truman was regarded as the complete wrong man. Kennedy was considered, at best, spineless by so many. His Congressional record proved it. Gerald Ford was roundly regarded as an excellent choice for president and yet was a mediocre or terrible president. Jimmy Carter would never have gotten the job had Republicans not been so overtly corrupt under Nixon. Nixon 'cooked' government books resulting in something new - stagflation. As a leader, Carter was terrible. And yet today, he is considered a world's important leader alongside Mandella and Gorbechev.

Its difficult to judge based only upon current 'sound byte' news reports. Clinton was not a very likely choice for president. His campaign started weak, unassuming, and barely reported. Yet no other leader has ever received a well earned 5 minute standing ovation from the UN General Assembly.

Will Kerry be a good president? We cannot say just as we could not say about Truman or Kennedy. Would Gore have been better? Again, insufficient facts. We have since learned that George Jr does not even make decisions and has insufficient world knowledge. He waits to be told what to think. He does not read his memos. Even after being told the objectives and resources by Gen Tommy Franks for an Iraqi invasion, instead, George Jr only remembers starbursts on the charts. He could not even remember what those starbursts represented. A leader who goes to war without even comprehending basic reasons and facts? Yes, George Jr has proven to be incompetant. Just too many facts say so. We tried him. He has proven to be as rudderless as Gerald Ford and lies just like Nixon. Time to acknowledge our mistake and try someone new. Until we put the man in office, we really don't know how good the man will be.

Notice in but four years how strongly my opinions of the man have changed. But then I do not fall for the emotions in soundbytes and pomp. The more I learn about this man, then the more appaulled I have become about George Jr as president. Facts say this is not a good president as demonstrated by the massive deficit and George Jr's outright attempt to increase it. He outright attempts to destroy free trade. His outright attempts to pervert science. And as the nation's best ambassadors and generals have said - George Jr has undermined everything they had accomplished over 40 years. Time to find someone who is a leader - and who does not outrightly lie.

Well, he was helped by the fact the Bush Sr. was seen by almost everyone as invincible in the wake of Desert Storm, so that a lot of who would have otherwise been the likely Democratic candidates (including Gore) found convenient excuses not to even try to run.

Clinton stumbled on a message, I believe, in New Hampshire. In simple terms, "Its the economy stupid". The message was not sugar coated. It told little people that they will have to do the heavy lifting. But is was a message that a lying politician would never speak. That earned him tremendous respect. Rather interesting how Clinton came out of nowhere (after his post Super Bowl interview) to dominate domestic politics. Most important, he found a message that the people wanted to hear. Al Gore never really found a message in 2000. Kerry is still stuggling to find one. George Jr's is something about 'war on terror'. Even though 'war on terror' is a lie, the message works.