Thank you for helping to put the lie to the lib contention that the world hates us, courtesy the actions of the President. Hans Blix, lead UN weapons inspector (read: effing blind man) and Kerry backer, says that this presidential election is so important that he wishes the whole world could vote on it. Glad to see one more vote for the right guy!

It matters not a whit that he miscalculated on the WMD, or the fact that Iraq had few ties with bin Laden or whether Don Rumsfeld has his own private torture chamber... He kicks ass, is confident and couldn’t give a tinker’s damn whether he is thought wrong.

Hmmm... Right or wrong, he kicks ass and has no self doubts. Cannot say that I am impressed.

That's why I respect Bush. Whereas Kerry works only to further his own political career, Bush is working on doing what he thinks is right, and I always applaud sincerity more than I do a thirst for power.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

True, but if I have to choose between a road paved with good intentions and a road paved with insincere acts for power, I'm going to go with the former.

I think Kerry are going to win. Bush basically said that USA was "exempt" from gensta(SP) convention concerning torture of the Iraqi people.

That will cast bad light on Bush. Generally, Americans have pretty good morals. (Before I get complaints, I did say generally, meaning not 100%.)

Also, the details on that power problems while ago seems to be held after elections. I suspect Bush got something to do with it, and they don't want Bush to lose elections by revealing that.

I have to say that the world doesn't like America. A single (probably white, as he/she has access to a computer) South African does not a world make. Most of those I've met in my travels over the past year have no love for Bush, and think of him in much the same way as people think of the mafia - he's violent, dangerous, above nearly any legal attack and aggressive. He has radicalised opinion amongst moderates, and made the role of the US in the world extremely difficult to justify. Those who support the US, especially in the Middle East, find they can't support Bush.

Admittedly, John Kerry isn't much better - he's a vapid, soulless shell of a man with the charisma of wilted cabbage, but chances are he won't have significantly different policies when he's in power. In order to return the world to at least being merely suspicious of the US, it will be necessary to see a change in leaders, even if there isn't a change in policy.

slate.msn.com

bush had three chances to hit the abu musab zarqawi terrorist camp in northern (and kurdish controlled) iraq before the war began.

he did not do so.

Apparently, Bush had three opportunities, long before the war, to destroy a terrorist camp in northern Iraq run by Abu Musab Zarqawi, the al-Qaida associate who recently cut off the head of Nicholas Berg. But the White House decided not to carry out the attack because, as the story puts it: [T]he administration feared [that] destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam.

When the war finally started in March, the camp was attacked early on. But by that time, Zarqawi and his followers had departed.

In the two years since the Pentagon's first attack plan, Zarqawi has been linked not just to {nick} Berg's execution but, according to NBC, 700 other killings in Iraq.

zarqawi 1, bush 0.

Points taken. You know little about South Africans though, the black population has the highest standard of living in Africa and 3 in 10 have internet access.

The only way Bush wins is if we get another 9/11, which may very well happen again, maybe around October or maybe on September 11. It amazes me that such a terrible thing like 9/11 can help a president.

The only way Bush wins is if we get another 9/11, which may very well happen again, maybe around October or maybe on September 11.

Which is one reason I am worried... not about our election but about our safety. I strongly suspect that bin Laden would much prefer to see Bush win. It serves the purposes of the most radical to have extreme opponents who will respond in incendiary ways.