Third Party & Independents: Archives

Adam,

Being from the solid blue state of Illinois, I feel your pain! But, seeing that I have a special connection with your state (I have 3 aunts, 1 uncle and 16 cousins residing in Little Rock), thought I’d ask your opinion on this question.

Apparently, President Clinton was insistent that the Kerry camp allow him to stump on their behalf in his native Arkansas, convinced it’s winnable. It is now on his schedule this week.

My question? Will it make the difference?

Every bit counts I say. Kerry is back even with Bush this week. They will probably remain tied going into the election. Clinton has some pull here in the state I believe still. As I said in the article, there are some major issues against Bush for Arkansas. If Kerry can keep up the good fight, and with Clinton on board, perhaps we can swing the state to the Kerry camp. Six votes is six votes. It’s going to be interesting…

Adam,

I have family out in Russelville. I’ve been feeling the same as you. Arkansas. And Mississippi is 41% Kerry. Mississippi!

While all the “red” statistics are there in Arkansas, most people don’t realize that the state has always had a crazy independent streak. A lot of Arkies were unionists back during “the war”, and a lot of them pay more attention to running their farms than to the NRA or the pro-life movement.

And of course, it’s ground-zero for Walmart. Are Walmart shoppers Republicans or Democrats? I’d suggest neither. They’re all about finding the best deal.

Ahh, Arkansas. I luv ya, you crazy state.

Julia

I have been wanting to write about Arkansas politics, but you beat me to the punch.

What most people don’t realize about Arkansas is that the state is largely run by Democrats. The Senate is 77% Democratic. The House is 70% Democratic. Our governor, Mike “Huck” Huckabee is a Republican, but he is a bit of an odd duck. He raised taxes to spend more on schools (in response to an ambiguous court order), and is pushing hard for people to lose weight. In a particularly ironic political twist, he spent about a year trying to convince the legistlature to consolidate small school districts. That’s right, the a southern Republican governor was on the side of “big gubment” and Democrats were stonewalling. (Replace “governor” with “President”, and it’s 1957 all over again.)

Overall, I am disappointed that Kerry has ignored Arkansas for the past couple months, at least based on lack of ads. Most polls haven’t shown that big a lead for Bush. Gay marriage resonates here, but I’ve also met a lot of conservatives who are mad at Bush about Iraq. Plus, Clinton has apparently been pushing for Kerry to campaign here.

…and is pushing hard for people to lose weight.

Now, here’s someone who understands the real issue behind the healthcare crisis. I might move to Arkansas so I can vote for him!

Dan

All of you are right. There is a Democratic streak that keeps this state in the swing of things. Like I said in the article, we have all but 1 of our 6 reps and senators Democratic. You’d think there would be less red.

It’s a different breed of Democrat in the end though. Clinton was not a Democrat by Kerry standards. It’s just an odd thing down here. I’m feeling good about the election. If Arkansas swings for Kerry I’ll be a happy camper. If the US swings for Kerry, I’ll dance right out of my chair.

Arkansas is a swing state.
I’ve been there and every house with a large enough tree, had rope with an old tire tied to it.

Arkansas is a very important piece to this political puzzle for two different reasons. For Democrats there would be a great sense of redemption being that Arkansas’ votes went to Bush in the 2000 election and we are predominantly Democratic overall as a state. Oddly enough, no one here in Arkansas really knows how that happened because we helped to raise the most promising and believable president that we have had in this country in years (Bill Clinton). Secondly, for he Republicans, there is a since of pride because they managed to sell a Democratic state to the Republicans which was a further attempt to undermind the blessing of having Clinton as our president. I don’t think Bush is worried about Arkansas’ vote because he has a Republican colleague and friend in the highest office who will definitely conspire to do his part in attempting to repeat 2000. However, the people of Arkansas are largely Democratics and supporters of Clinton determined to show up in this election which should prove to be enough to swing Arkansas back home to the Deomcratic party.

M.D.S.

Ahh..Arkansas, my wife and I drove from Texas to Fayetteville in Arkasas to spend a day or two researching the place for possibly moving to. We wanted a rural property just outside a small city. We went to the library and city hall to inquire about demographics, jobs, real estate, etc. I had long hair and beard and folks seemed real nice and helpful. The lady at the city hall referred us to a realtor’s office about 6 blocks away and advised us to consult with them. We left to go to the real estate office. It was very beneficial. We got there and saw what appeared to be the KKK headquarters across the street with 3 guys donned in their robes and hoods (faces exposed) walking into the building.

We then recalled that we had not seen a single person of color the entire time we were there. We promptly got in the car and wrote Arkansas off as a place to live. Too bad, though, we did fall in love with the Ozarks. That was back in 1983, and I am sure things have changed a bit, but probably not too much.

We live in the hill country N. of San Antonio where the KKK donned in robes still get together in rural towns and gather occasionally in San Antonio, though, San Antonio is a city which is very intolerant of the KKK. Everytime they have a meeting in SA, the police get hundreds of calls asking if they can legally conduct rallies there. Of course, they can, but, they have to live out in the rural areas for safety. I always found it ironic that those who peddle fear, live in its shadow every day of their lives. Bush supporters I am sure. A friend of mine has related similar stories after living in Idaho for a few years, except there it was the Aryan nation instead of the KKK back in the early 90’s.

If I were Kerry I would leave Arkansas alone and focus on Florida. But, if Bill has some free time, it wouldn’t hurt for him to work Arkansas. But, the real prize is in Florida. I see Colorado just turned blue in the latest poll, that has to be good for another visit or two in Colorado. Somebody needs to attend Hawaii, however, just went a couple points for Bush.

It is going to get real interesting these next few days as we see a few “given” states go soft as grass roots efforts erode the “given” status.

Just want to clear up an apparent misconception —Arkansas is NOT a lily white (or redneck white) state. Our Black population is 16%, well above the national average. Little Rock is about 1/3 Black. Walking around in Klan robes would not be a good idea! We also have a rapidly-growing Hispanic population, particularly in the Northwest (where Fayetteville is).

Woody Mena:

I agree. I live in Little Rock. I was just up in the Rogers/Springdale/Fayettville area this weekend. Man, that is Bush country up there though. That whole area of industry is growing as fast as the Hispanic population itself.

David:

Things have changed a bit here since the 1980’s. If it wasn’t for the education system here I would be perfectly happy to raise a family. I just don’t trust my kids to the education I recieved. I agree that Florida is more important, but personal pride makes me want Arkansas to swing for Kerry to unseat Bush.

Woody and Adam,

Seeing we’ve got a substanitive discussion going, any idea where the tally of new voter registrants stand in Arkansas? Was there an effort by Democrats, as in other states?

Woody, I specifically spoke to Fayetteville. We drove through Little Rock stopping for an hour. I was a young adult when the civil rights battles were fought in Little Rock, therefore, I know, from that history, that Little Rock is not lilly white.

However, rural areas like Fayetteville change very slowly. I have watched Fredericksburg Tx for a couple decades now. A virtually all white population which imports area Hispanic labor for their orchards and other menial work. But, let a black family try to buy real estate in Fredericksburg and it ain’t gonna happen unless the ACLU becomes their middle man, and even then it would be questionable. Of course if I were black, I would have a hard time trying to find a reason to want to live in Fredericksburg, it would not be healthy.

I would guess something very similar is true in Fayetteville and many areas in the Ozarks. I know it is true in the S. Missouri Ozarks outside of the Branson area, where my wife’s family lives. I am sure Arkansas has grown and matured over the decades, but, it would take first hand reliable reporting to convince me that much has changed in those near all white rural and small town areas.

I continue to be amazed here in Texas at the host of ways discrimination can still sustain itself in housing, education, and even medical access in rural areas and some suburbs of large urban areas. But as one black friend of mine said, to a large degree in many areas in Texas, segregation is voluntary, as she pointed out, there is no way in hell she would ever want to choose to move to Fredericksburg where subtle combat and slights would have to be endured.

I would guess voluntary segregation in Fayetteville may be at play as well, if it is still largely African American free, which, in a way, can be seen as an improvement over the 1950’s and prior. Folks afterall, should be free to move where they wish, and if ethnic groups choose not to move to Fredericksburg or Fayetteville, it is substantially and significantly a different situation than prior to the 1960’s.

Bert:

This press release by the Sec of State tells that there are 1,685,527 registered voters in Arkansas for the 2004 election, a record number. 162,062 are new. The census estimates Arkansas population to be over 2,725,714. That means over 60% of the state is registered to vote. These numbers are good.

In 2000, according to this site, 1,555,809 people registered, 921,781 turned out. That is 60% of the registered turning out. Even if this year is the same there will be a turnout of about 1,011,316 voters. That is up by 89,535 votes. I expect the turnout of registered voters to increase though.

Is that enough stats for you?

Adam,

Well, since you asked…

Of those 162,062 new registrants, any chance of a breakdown by party affiliation? Which county had the highest increase in Dem registrants? What was Bush’s popular vote margin of victory in 2000?

Bert:

I don’t know real figures for the breakdown, but allow me to speculate a little.

According to the Arkansas SOS, these counties have the following voter turnouts:

* Pulaski at 262,852 with an increase of 31,662 voters.
* Washington at 88,118 with an increase of 14,755 voters.
* Benton at 96,657 with an increase of 11,356 voters.

These are the top three counties that increased registered voters. A look at the results of 2000 gives us a clue to their leanings:

According to the Arkansas Elections website:

* Gore won Pulaski in 2000 with 68,320, leading by 12,454 votes.
* Bush won Washington in 2000 with 28,231, leading by 6,806 votes.
* Bush won Benton in 2000 with 34,838, leading by 17,561 votes.

I want to go out on a limb here and say that Pulaski is not going to go to Bush this year. Washington with a 60% turnout, lets assume 8,853 new voters will show up to the polls. This could give possible hope for this county to swing Democrat. In Benton, Bush smoked Gore, so even a 60% turnout of 6,813 new voters shouldn’t be enough to give a change in party. These assumptions just look at the raw data and don’t take into account how many voters switch their votes this time around.

According to CNN’s election results, Bush beat Gore in the popular vote in 2000 by 51,696.

That’s all I got for now. There aren’t any real breakdowns available right now I believe. Judging by these three big counties alone, I want to believe the election will be closer than ever, like it will be in many states. We shall see though, won’t we?

I don’t know how white supremacists are doing in Arkansas, but in Ohio they’ve gone mainstream and call themselves “election monitors”.

LOL, Woody. Good one.

Who else, besides me is in the “swing state” of Ohio?

Keep dreaming, not one poll in the last 2 months has showed Kerry with a lead. He was only tied in 1 poll, down by 6-9 in most other polls. A southern democratic presidential candidate could win here, but not a MA Liberal. This is about as probable as Bush winning New Jersey.

Keep dreaming, not one poll in the last 2 months has showed Kerry with a lead. He was only tied in 1 poll, down by 6-9 in most other polls. A southern democratic presidential candidate could win here, but not a MA Liberal. This is about as probable as Bush winning New Jersey.

CER:

Not me, of course.

jj:

Nice tripple post there, pal. We’ll see next week this time who is dreaming and who is going home to Texas.

An Outsider View of US Presidential Campaign 2004

Once to every man and nation,
comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood,
for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
offering each the bloom or blight,
and the choice goes by forever,
‘twixt that darkness and that light.
 James Russell Lowell

The world watches with baited breath as the US citizens get ready to vote in the man who is to be their President for the next four years. Perhaps for the first time in history, the outcome matters to and interests outsiders, equally as much as the American people themselves. Why is this so?
It is not so much the position of the USA as the sole superpower in a uni-polar world which fuels this interest, as the concern about how this power is likely to be used .Over the next few years how this power is used and how the rest of the world reacts to it will undoubtedly mould the future direction and shape of human values and civilization.
One of their Great Presidents Franklin Roosevelt told the American people that the only thing they had to fear was fear itself. The incumbent George W Bush having taught them to fear has then gone on to exploit the situation both at home and abroad in fearful and shameful ways.
The Bush Campaign
Take the way he has conducted his election campaign. Basing it almost wholly on the terrorist threat to the mainland and the war in Iraq, he has decried his opponent as a flip-flopper and sought to project Kerry as an incompetent and weak Commander in Chief Viz a Vis himself. To this end he has twisted Kerry’s sane policy advocating fighting the war based on internationally recognized norms i.e. with the support and cooperation of allies and the world, to mean , “acceptance of veto on US options” and “inability to lead a war you don’t believe in”. In a similar vein he has even stooped to casting doubts on Kerry’s brilliant war record while managing to evade the more relevant issue of his own evasion of military service. The extant to which he seeks to manipulate fear is most evident in his latest ad showing wolves about to leap out of the TV screen!
By his attacks on Kerry’s integrity and competence as commander in chief, Bush has avoided the problems which would have faced him if he had allowed the campaign to drift to more relevant issues. That Bush has to campaign in this way, more like a challenger than the incumbent, is a sign of weakness, not strength.
Squandered Opportunity for true Global Leadership
George W Bush on winning the US Presidency with the narrowest of margins promised to reconcile and unite the nation. Although 9/11 presented him with a unique opportunity to do so, he foolishly squandered the unanimous support within the country, indeed in the entire world for action against al Qaeda and Afghanistan. He used it solely to solidify his political agenda at home and launch an imperialist war in Iraq. Within the country choosing to wrap his right wing radical agenda in the mantle of The Commander in Chief he implemented it belligerently. Externally adopting the cloak of The Crusader in chief he used it to project a go it alone neo-conservative plan for US imperialism.
As a result the USA is politically divided as never before, and the legacy of fear and hate being nurtured by Bush are laying the foundations for plunging his nation and the world into an abyss of horrors and a war of civilizations which will far exceed any experienced in human history.
These facts are already evident to most thinking people. This explains why so many leading intellectuals and leaders both within and outside the United States have shown their disagreement with his policies and methods. The list includes leaders of influential nations, the majority of the most influential newspapers both within and outside the USA, even the secretary general of the United Nations. Ten Nobel Prize winning economists, forty-eight Nobel Prize winning scientists and one hundred & eighty six former United States Ambassadors from both Democratic and Republican parties have come forward to urge voters to elect John Kerry. John Eishenhower, the son of former President Dwight Eishenhower and life long Republican, has come out to endorse the democratic ticket, not to forget at least fifty percent of the US voting population itself. Newspapers across the nation are endorsing John Kerry; including a full thirty six (as of this October 25) have switched their backing from George Bush four years ago to Kerry in 2004. Only two papers have switched from a democratic endorsement to endorsing Bush. And, Kerry leads overall endorsements by a healthy margin.

Flawed Political Vision and leadership

George W. Bush is arguably the worst United States president in recent history. He is arrogant and out of sync with the dynamics of modern civilization building, and shows open disdain for opposition from the left, and no tolerance for even minor differences from within .The Bush administration has presented a “with us or against agenda” that places the country’s own citizens in conflict with their neighbors. On his watch the country has split into a bitter political divide. The same policy at the international level is perceived globally as “a neo-conservative plan for American imperialism”. This has led to an alienation with long standing powerful European allies, and, a mistrust of US government by most nations .In the short term this means the USA having to shoulder almost the entire burden alone, and in the long term possible development of rival power groupings as other nations band to protect their own commercial and national interests.
Mr. Bush’s major flaws are his stubborn reluctance to admit leave alone correct mistakes. He has sought to whitewash and cover his mismanagement of American economic, health ,environmental and social affairs by appealing to the average Americans sense of patriotism in the post 9/11 era ,not even hesitating to generate fear and religious(anti-Islam) prejudice as instruments for securing the vote . Blind faith in military power as a tool for change has too often influenced rashly unconsidered and hasty decision-making. He has lied about the most fundamental issues to get America into a war, and having got his mandate to do so he led it into the wrong one. He won’t take solid advice from experienced leaders in his military and intelligence agencies, and persistently hampers, conceals or delays fact and reports which seek to uncover the need for urgent remedial action.
The Presidential Debates have exposed Bush’s hollowness as nothing could. Polls unanimously show Kerry as having won all three. At the beginning of the debates, President Bush held a steady 11% lead. Today that lead has evaporated, with most polls putting the two candidates neck and neck.
Honesty and morality is integral to good governance and leadership, Bush lacks both. No wonder quite a few of his chosen leaders have refused to serve any longer on his watch e.g. Paul O’Neill, Mel Martinez, Laurence Lindsay, Ari Fleischer, Mitchell Daniels, Karen Hughes (returned as campaign manager 21 months later), George Tenet, Louis Freeh, Christie Todd Whitman & Harvey Pitt.He has not even hesitated to play on the personal loyalty of a brilliant soldier statesman like Powell to gain his own ends, in the process wrecking all that Powell was really capable of.
In short that Bush has squandered the unique geo-political environments for successful American global leadership available to him in the post uni-polar world reinforced by 9/11, and instead chosen to become a polarizer by exploiting the war on terror to cow domestic opposition and divide the world into them and us.
Bush as Commander-in-Chief
Any child could launch the world’s mightiest military force into action, but would America trust a child to do so? And would the fact of having launched the forces alone give the child the right to claim to be the best commander in chief?
Since ancient times military action has been accepted as a continuation of political aims. The enormous cost and sacrifice of modern wars however demand that nations go to war as a last resort and for meaningful and clear reasons. The military must be launched in support of a clear aim. Once launched the commander in chief must ensure winning the war as quickly, efficiently and painlessly as possible. This entails diplomacy and statesmanship and sound allies to gain moral ascendancy and strength, sound intelligence to avoid egg on the face and meticulous planning to avoid overstretching by ensuring availability of sufficient resources for all contingencies.

Where does Bush measure up against all the above requirements.
He got his mandate by promising to go to war as a last resort. With the nation and the world firmly behind his operation in Afghanistan, he turned his sights even before he finished al Qaeda on to Iraq. Without waiting for the United Nations Inspectors to complete their task he invaded Iraq without the support of key allies, fooling his own people by presenting Iraq and Saddam’s possession of WMDs as a future threat to the United States. With no WMDs ever having been found it is now evident that Bush lied to hurry the nation into a war in Iraq which could have been delayed or even avoided altogether.
The result is that far from being finished Al Qaeda is stronger both in terms of membership as well as zone of operations then ever before .Both Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar are as safe from US reach as ever before . The Center for Strategic Studies estimates that the number of al Qaeda operatives has tripled from 6000 to 18,000 in response to George Bush’s actions in Iraq.

Meanwhile the war in Iraq is a disaster. The US is overstretched in fighting two wars, with others on the horizon. Mr. Bush’s go it alone crusading moralism has alienated the rest of the world and a large constituency at home. No WMDs have been found and removal of Saddam are the only laurels Bush rests on. Iraq is in chaos and death lines their streets. Having created this chaos, being unable to leave it in this state is the sole justification Bush offers for staying on.
There have been 1,248 coalition deaths, with1,109 of these being Americans .Also more than 100,000 Iraqi mostly innocent civilians have been killed at what cost to American future standing in the region and indeed the world God alone knows. Regards for human life aside, the $200 billion price tag of war is enormous for America to bear alone, and it will rise much more as final bills are called pushing total war costs close to over $250 billion since the start of the invasion till to date. Of course this will multiply by many times as resistance and hatred of US actions spreads in the region. This time around it could be not just another Vietnam but another USSR.
In the actual conduct there have been too many blunders including disbanding the Iraqi army, leaving the borders undefended ,trusting shady Iraqi nationals with no links to the masses , poor protection of explosive dumps, haphazard training of Iraqi security forces , gross mismanagement in the use of Iraq development funds, poor operational intelligence and over application of military force to unarmed civilian populations .All this combined to turn what could have been a stunning liberation into a gruesome nightmare.
Bush by his actions has allowed Iraq to become a hotbed of terrorism, the very condition he struck to prevent. American troops and resources are increasingly being stretched and America’s relations with allies being placed under strain. America by its actions has become a rallying cry for terrorists in the region and is under pressure. Even though no major outside power support the Iraq resistance for now, given Bush’s belligerent attitude towards foreign powers can this be guaranteed for the future? No doubt Osama Bin Laden would prefer things remain this way with Bush in the saddle for the next four years.
Government Policies

Economic Policy
Bush has been reckless in his handling of the economy. Elected on a promise of fiscal conservatism Bush shocked the economists with his free-spending ways .On his watch the country has gone from surplus to deficit, from economic boom to economic trouble. Domestic spending has been fueled by the loose monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. Domestic demand has been kept going by an unprecedented explosion in credit. There is an obvious limit to pumping up demand in this way and the US has reached it. Also Bush cut taxes. Together, the two resulted in a massive federal budget deficit accumulating at the rate of $50bn a month. As is well known Bush’s tax cuts have helped those who are already rich.

In the meanwhile this policy has produced statistics which suggest that the economy has done well under Bush. In comparison to previous US economic cycles however, the recovery has been weak. Annualized GDP growth averaged 3.4% while in previous recoveries it averaged 5.4%. Over the same period, real wages and salaries rose at an annualized rate of 2.2%, well below the historical average of 10.6%. Also there are fewer Americans in employment than when the upturn started. The lower jobless recovery rate has created greater economic problems for Americans than the sluggish job performance of Europe in the 90s created for Europeans .This is because American welfare policy is full employment, not a social welfare state. But poverty is on the increase and there are now 44 million Americans without health insurance. There are also signs in recent months that the squeeze on real incomes is having an effect. Bankruptcies are up, veterans benefits have been cut, a back door draft is being used to shore up the military, health care costs are rising, millions have no health care at all, the few jobs being created don’t keep pace with the expanding population…and they pay a lot less, many seniors can’t afford their prescriptions unless they forego eating and paying other bills, the education system is severely broken. He has a deplorable record on jobs made worse by outsourcing.
The Invasion of Iraq was at the very least expected to solve the problem of oil prices. Instead world oil supply has been disrupted and oil prices galloping to an all time high.
Obviously the economy has been grotesquely mismanaged over the past four years, as witnessed not just by the oil crisis, trade deficit and the job losses but the way Bush has squandered the budget surplus of the Clinton era.
Security of Americans
The security of America and Americans has always depended primarily on the balance of power enshrined in The US Constitution. This is what gave America it’s ability to sustain it’s unparallel educational as well as science and technological base by encouraging local participation as well as attracting talented individual scholars ,entrepreneurs and professionals from abroad.
Right from the start Bush ran a government based on a radical right wing agenda depending on secrecy, manning of important departments by industry executives and lobbyists, and a belligerent attitude towards anyone who questioned his actions. This is what forced Republican Senator James Jeffords of Vermont to switch sides quite early on in the Bush Presidency thus handing control of The US Senate to the Democrats.
On the matter of civil liberties, Bush has turned away from the conservative doctrine that the Constitution must be strictly observed. His Patriot Act has upset the balance of power between government and the rights of the individual by suspending safeguards to civil rights and liberties. He has neutralized the Congress by intimidating the Republican leadership and transforming them into a true rubber stamp, unlike any in American history. He has appointed right-wing judges who have helped to insulate him from accountability in the courts. If he wins another term, he is likely to appoint at least four more similar Supreme Court justices, thereby changing the very nature of the US Supreme Court perhaps for ever.
Externally his go it alone “with us or against us attitude” coupled with his over reliance and eagerness on use of military force as means of power projection is making more enemies then friends for the Americans ,and is likely to prove a damaging blow to American security in the long run.
Science and technology
Here one can do no better then quote extracts from the Open Letter to the American People, June 21, 2004 of 48 Nobel Laureates Endorsing John Kerry
The prosperity, health, environment, and security of Americans depend on ability to sustain our vibrant science and technology; to encourage education at home and attract talented scientists and engineers from abroad; and to nurture a business environment that transforms new knowledge into new opportunities for creating quality jobs and reaching shared goals.
President Bush and his administration are compromising our future on each of these counts. By reducing funding for scientific research, they are undermining the foundation of America’s future. By setting unwarranted restrictions on stem cell research, they are impeding medical advances. By employing inappropriate immigration practices, they are turning critical scientific talent away from our shores. And by ignoring scientific consensus on critical issues such as global warming, they are threatening the earth’s future. Unlike previous administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important to our collective welfare. John Kerry will change all this. John Kerry will restore science to its appropriate place in government and bring it back into the White House. He is the clear choice for America’s next President.
Deceptive Government
The final feature of Bush’s government involves his obsessive secrecy and refusal to conduct the public’s business openly, combined with outright misleading and denial of knowledge, responsibility or even remedial action for mistakes which become public knowledge. Iraq had WMDs which were a threat to US security. Iraq had links to Al Qaeda. He knew nothing about prisoner abuse and killings. He found out about the missing 380 tons of high explosives only a week ago? He has blocked The CIA’s National Intelligence Estimate, which outlines in detail the upper echelon Bush figures’ mistakes and incompetence in the Iraq adventure. Congressional intelligence committees have been asking the CIA to release this document since July, and the CIA is refusing. It probably won’t be released until after the election.

Conclusion

What has been cited so far is only the tip of the iceberg ,as there are over 150 deeply divisive issues which Bush has managed to bury under the delunge of his rhetoric about the overblown threat to American security, and his misconceived better capacity to ensure it.

His strategy might work to scare the unsophisticated part of the American population into turning a blind eye to his failures as a US national leader, and accepting his radical right wing agenda – some even say a grand concept of a one party state – thus securing a second term for him.

The majority of the thinking Americans however, are scared stiff of his strategy of racial and religious profiling , obsessive secrecy in the conduct of governments public functions and efforts to eradicate the balance of power constitutionally enshrined in the independence of The US Congress, The US Supreme Court and the personal liberties of the American Citizen. They realize that such policies will be a death blow to all the cherished values which have ensured the emergence of, and by themselves, can continue to guarantee the continued superiority of the USA as the leading super power of the world. They understand enough to leave well done alone. They know that trifling with the recipe for sure success can lead to disaster. It is not only the Afro-Americans or the Muslim-Americans who have learnt not to trust Bush any more, latest polls clearly indicate that at least 50 % of US Christians do so too.

And finally this brings us to the initial question of why this time the rest of the world is so overwhelmingly interested in the outcome of these US elections.

George W. Bush has polarized not only The USA but the entire world with his radical policy .Only while the polarization within America might yet go Bush’s way because of the myopia generated through excessive fear; The polarization in the rest of the world is almost certain to result in a world up in arms against America. This is because Bush’s rhetoric, quite naturally, does not dull their reasoning power to the same extant as that of Americans whom it directly targets.
The world has clearly seen how Bush has misused the powers granted him by a historic opportunity to rough shod over his own people and foster on them a divisive personal agenda.
It has clearly seen how on false premises he has squandered the initial unanimous international support for action against Al Qaeda and Afghanistan, to pursue a personal agenda for the invasion of Iraq disdaining the advice of the international community. We knew then and the American public knows now that Bush was lying to further his disastrous personal agenda.
We knew then and can clearly see now that this has led to further global instability and internal insecurity in the form of:-
• Greater strength for Al Qaeda both in terms of motivation, as well as recruitment and area they operate in.
• Alienation from long standing European allies.
• Exposure and overstretching of US forces and resources in an undesirable go it alone operation in Iraq.
• US inability to address more meaningfully far graver current international issues like Palestine, North Korea, Iran, The crisis in Sudan, and even relatively minor ones like the threat to world economies by the spiraling of oil prices, the law and order situation in Iraq or even in Afghanistan where except for the Al Qaeda and Taliban leadership caught by Pakistani intelligence and security forces Osama and Mullah Omer are still at large and live to strike another day.
• The emergence of The USA as a rallying cries for Muslims of the region, with as Cronkite says “The problem, quite clearly, is we have excited the Arab world, the Muslim world, to take up arms against us,”.
• Simmering mistrust of Bush’s imperialistic global policy Viz aVis likely long term policy reactions of various regional powers.
• Intense polarization and divisions within the USA due to perceived curbs on political and individual liberties, sowing the seeds of a house divided against itself- a war of radical political ideologies.
• Mismanagement of US economy.
• Disruption and dislocation of world oil supply.
Internationally too Bush has quite clearly sown the seeds for a war of civilizations. While based on the surface on ethnic and religious profiling, the underlying motive is clearly the economic one of Middle –Eastern Oil Resources. In going so brazenly for these Bush has clearly encroached on far more than religious issues, as Bourne out by the deep polarization on Iraq found within the Western world itself.
And so while American resources are bled white in the heartland of the Muslim world, other regional powers like Russia, China, Europe perhaps even India will in isolation shore up their economic, military and even political bondages – and sooner rather than later the real clash for domination of the worlds resources will take place. As in WW- 2 this time too, the ultimate belligerents would be grouped on economic rather that religious basis and the devastation would be far greater.
This is the legacy Bush is almost certain to give to the Americans and the world. This is the very enviournment Osama bin Laden seeks to create.This is a legacy I would not wish anyone’s child to inherit.
Our age is in dire need of reconcilers not polarizer. I feel Kerry as President ,with his emphasis on security through mutual co-operation as the first option and use of force only as the last resort , is much better suited to lead America as the pre-eminent super power of the world.
For all that it maybe worth, I therefore endorse John Kerry as my choice for the next President of the USA.
God Bless The USA and God Bless Our World.
Saiyedharizvi@hotmail.com