Confessions of an apologetic columnist

[Raster]

The following editorial is from the Auburn Reporter, a twice monthly community newspaper delivered by mail to 28,000 Auburn households, published by Horvitz Newspapers-- noticeably right-wing slanted community newspapers in western Washington state.

There is no on-line link to the editorial.
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Confessions of an apologetic columnist
My Turn by David Suffia

I have a confession to make. Also an apology. The confession is that I voted for George W. Bush four years ago.

The apology is because I voted for George W. Bush four years ago.

Like millions of other independent, middle-of-the-road Americans, I voted for George W. Bush because I was fooled by his charm into thinking he was a moderate. He isn't. He's a right-wing religious extremist and he and his administration are a threat to American democracy.

His Homeland Security apparatus is a bloated bureaucracy that seems to spend more time on politics, show-boating and harassing innocent people that protecting us from terrorists. Parts of his Patriot Act are an abomination that violate the basic principles upon which this country was founded.

Bush's bogus war on Iraq is costing billions of dollars and hundreds of soldiers' lives white diverting attention and resources from the real terrorist enemies who want to destroy us. In the process, he as alienated most of our allies around the world and created a doctrine of pre-emptive war that would have made the Founding Fathers shout in dissent.

His opposition to stem cell research, based on dubious moral contortions, is slowing efforts to find cures for dreadful diseases. Meanwhile, other countries are pursuing such research despite the administration's opposition.

Bush's effort to amend the Constitution to ban gay marriages is a corruption of the very principles of the Constitution itself. I suspect it's nothing more than a divisive feint to draw attention away from substantive issues like those I've already mentioned.

He has denied for four years--and only recently recanted--what the rest of the world already knew, that air pollution is threatening the very future of the planet.

It is obvious that his income tax cuts benefited the rich far, far more than they did the poor or middle classes. His policies have encouraged corporations to send thousands of jobs overseas. To top it off, he has run up record budget deficits that will damage the American economy for years to come.

Even my 87-year old father-in-law, a life-long Southern conservative Republican, says he will vote for the Democratic candidate this fall--for the first time in his life--rather than vote for Bush again.

Like most people, I hate to admit I was wrong, but I was. I voted for George W. Bush on the rebound from the moral lapses and scandals of the Clinton administration. Who would have thought the Clinton years would turn out to be the good old days?

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This is Auburn, Washington, about as middle America as you can get.

[Sydnie]

1. Great editorial.

If only more "Bush 2000" people would look at the state of things now as opposed to what Bush promised then, they might come to the same conclusion.

The "good old days" for sure.

[wurzel]

2. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

The only conclusion an honest Republican can come to. There is nothing conservative about George Bush.

[acmavm]

3. It's my opinion, so take it for what it's worth, that a lot of people who

voted for the Unelected Fraud in 2000 did so because they were pissed off by Clinton/Lewinski mess. So in a knee jerk reaction to what was really a private issue between husband and wife that was made into a public travesty, they voted for someone that 'they felt they could have a beer with'. Which is a totally ignorant way to pick a president. Look what you get when that happens, a liar and a coward who's done more damage to this country than I can put into words.

I don't want a president that seems like a regular guy. I want a president that is of high intellect. I want a guy who is smarter than I am. Not a dumbass who's college grades were C minus (and they were probably pity grades at that).

I want a guy who has proven that he is not a coward, in the battlefield and again when he came home from a war and told the truth about what an utter fiasco it was. I want a guy who was willing to take on the criminals that were scamming this country and the world and go face-to-face with them (BCCI).

In other words, I sure as hell don't want a man who's life is just one big failure after another and who has to be continually bailed out by daddy, or who is forced on this country by fradulent means after he lost an election.

[Cha]

10. I agree that many voted for *

"because they were pissed off by Clinton/Lewinski mess".

I think they believed bush would return the White House to a place of "values". How ironic that now Kerry needs to fumigate it 10 times as much for *.

And, of course, some wanted to vote for * because they thought they could have a "beer" with him.

I know some of those are seeing the error of their ways, too.

"Screw the beer..where are the jobs I need to feed my family?"

And some of the military are thinking .."Why did I ever trust this man to Invade Iraq?"

[scarletwoman]

4. Very good editorial.

I hope Auburnites will take it to heart. Thanks for posting it, it's a very well-written piece.

sw

[Raster]

5. Even though posted, I'm gonna kick it...

:kick:

This is America. People are not happy, nor confident with the current leadership. Leadership, what a joke.

It all boils down to this: You've watched the last four years. You've heard the excuses. You've seen the unmitigated disaster that is Iraq and Afghanistan. You've seen the blatant manipulation of news and information to cloud and obscure. You seen complete disregard for the constitution and the rights of the individual. And you've seen one of the most crooked, crony-ridden administrations in our nation's history, selling off of our nation to foreign and corporate interests. That said,

Is this the group of people you want to run things for another four years?

[Booster]

6. Unfortunately, only half of us have watched the last four years;

the other half are stubborn, don't read, don't want to know, aren't interested in politics but like to have a beer with Bush, think all politicians are crooks so what's the difference (they may be right on that one), or just think Kerry's boring. "sigh"

[nyhuskyfan]

7. My only complaint...

Is that there are a lot of people who would consider the Clinton years the good old days. Peace, propserity, and an unprecedented economic boom. The only blight on the Clinton years is that there was a certain political faction that decided that put their interests before the country's and spend an enormous amount of time, resources, and energy on a witch hunt. We spent 70 million to come up with a lie about oral sex, and these same people allocated 3 million to investigate 9/11 (outside pressure forced them to drive the pricetag up to 12 million).

[KG]

8. still fail to see how some people percieved his so-called 'charm'

guess they must be the kind of mark con-men are always on the look-out for.

from the first time i heard is nasally rasp and stilted cadence, i could tell bush was some kind of retard.

[Logansquare]

12. Me too, but I was mystified by the love of Reagan's canned ham

and Americans seemed to just eat it up.

[Cha]

9. SIS BOOM BAH!

I love it when people admit they make a mistake..

I do when I make them..haven't made any political mistakes, though! :) I just got into it in 2000!:(

Some of these bush supporters aren't admiting they made a mistake but some(which is Worse) don't think they did. The truly BRAINWASHED! What a way to live!

[Kenergy]

11. I couldn't have said it better

Good post

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skittles]

14. I long for the days when a cigar was a scandal

YES INDEED