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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Alan,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><SPAN class=703073103-12022004><FONT face=Arial>>> Bravo! =
Brilliant!
Sadly, the people who need to read your comments, thoughtfully, will =
not. And
they know their arguments are bogus, anyway. They just don't care about =
truth.
Hatred blinds the terrorists. Hatred blinds half our nation, too, it
seems.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>That's the interesting thing. Usually political rhetoric *is* =
bogus
-- on both sides. The side out of power rails against the side in =
power,
using far-reaching statements that strain at the truth, if not =
circumvent it
altogether. Meanwhile the side in power chants a mantra of =
far-reaching
praises for their leader that are equally stretched. What's more, =
both
sides *realize* they are straining at the truth and/or departing =
from it
entirely. I've never seen an election year in which this didn't =
happen --
until this one.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As a friend of mine and I read through the very clever =
"Presidential
Resume," we were both struck by the facts that (1) as far as we knew, =
nothing in
it was untrue (* but anxiously awaiting Rob's rebuttal), and (2) there =
were a
few items we could think of that the author neglected to
include! It's truly amazing, when you add it all up! =
Yes, the
resume was somewhat redundant, perhaps stretching a list of, say, 35 =
items to a
list of, say, 50 items. However, nothing seemed incorrect about it =
at
first glance.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>While those discontented with the current leadership (including =
Dems, a
minority of Reps, Libertarians, all minorities, clergy, yada, yada, =
yada) rattle
off a series of understandable grievances, Bush supporters shrug and =
say, "Yeah,
but in times like these, I don't think anyone could do any =
better." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Then do these Bush supporters spout off glowing praises of their =
imperious
leader? No. All they do is to grumble about Bush critics, =
while
muttering, "Lies, lies, all of it lies!" Tempered criticism of =
those
"damned Liberal Democrats" is about all I hear, if that.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This is a very curious election year indeed. =
Other dynamics
seems to be surfacing -- those of guilt and good sportsmanship. =
Legitimate
criticisms of Bush are so glaringly obvious that pointing them out is =
rather
like hunting defenseless lions and tigers at the zoo. I think =
it will
be interesting to see how Kerry (?) plays his cards. He will of =
course
need to shoot those lions and tigers, but can he do it in a way so as =
not to
offend the people who cast their ballots for Bush in 2000? I =
think
there may be a sympathy factor for the defenseless animal caged at the
Whitehouse. Even though it may be a ravenous beast that has killed =
thousands of people and brought ruin upon its captors, it may be viewed =
with the
same guarded sympathy as, say, Saddam Hussein. Remember how =
pathetic that
murderous monster looked as medics were examining it for =
parasites?
Bush is a quick learner and is using the same strategy to garner =
sympathy,
IMO. Remember how pathetic Bush looked when defending his decision =
to
invade Iraq? Notice the posture? The tilted head? The =
tilt of
his eyebrows? The tone of his voice? Brilliant! =
Bravo!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This may well evolve to be the first gentlemanly campaign in modern =
history. Or it may be the same Jerry Springer slug-fest that =
prior
elections have been. This should be a *very* interesting =
election to
watch!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rob, as someone who values the truth, I would love to see what you =
found
about the claims on the resume.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dave, sorry about not deleting the lengthy text before =
replying. Very
bad form. I usually don't do that.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Peace,</DIV>
<DIV>Sarah</DIV>
<DIV>Fiscal Conservative</DIV>
<DIV>Social Liberal</DIV>
<DIV>Independent Voter</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV></FONT> </DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>