It Seems O So Long Ago....

that America had a leader its people can trust; that America had a leader that its people can respect; that America had a leader who is for peace; that America had a leader who cares for the people; that America had a leader who could admit when he was wrong; that America had a leader who actually led.

But contrary to what it may seem, it wasn't that long ago. It was only 7 years ago that America had a President that stood for dignity and stood for what is right. But thats what 7 years of Bush/Cheney will do to a person.

American unity and bipartisanship was at its peak following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The country rallied behind its President. George Bush had all the support a President could ever want. He had all the trust a President could want. And he had all the respect a President could want. And what did he do with it? He took advantage of that support, that trust, and that respect and turned around and blatantly lied to the American people and to Congress to justify a war with Iraq. The President and highly respected members of his administration went out on a nation-wide tour rallying support for a war. The reason they gave: Iraq has WMDs and is a direct and immediate threat to the U.S.

The American people, at that time, had no reason not to trust in and believe their President. There was no precedent for a President misleading his people into war. Even the thought of that was unimaginable. But in just a few years, the truth came out. Not only did Bush and his administration mislead the American people and Congress, they did it purposely. There is now overwhelming evidence that Bush knew damn well that Iraq and Saddam did not have WMDs and were in no way a threat to the the U.S. Yet, even while knowing this, he told the American people the exact opposite.

Now, his credibility is shattered. I'll tell you what was the "final straw" for me. I remember watching the news in 2003, a few days before the war began, and I remember hearing Saddam Hussein say that he did not have nuclear weapons. I specifically remember what I said in response, "that lying bastard". Those were my exact words. I can't even begin to explain how it felt when the truth came out. In that instance, Saddam Hussein wasn't lying, our own President was. Never in my life time did I even dream that a country as great as America would have a liar as a President. But I then came to the sad realization that we do.

When I read the latest intelligence report, that old feeling was again conjured up . For the last year, President Bush and VP Cheney have been warning the American people and Congress of the threat of Iran. According to Bush and Cheney, Iran was on the brink of having nuclear weapons and posed an immediate and direct threat to the U.S. Ahmadinejad, the
President of Iran, has been for months saying that he is not developing or seeking nuclear weapons.

But, once again, the truth has come out. And the truth is that Iran has not been working on developing nuclear weapons since 2003. Thats almost 5 years ago. And once again, there is growing evidence that the Bush administration knew of this fact much earlier that did the public. So why then, just a few weeks ago, did President Bush come on national television and tell the country that Iran and its nuclear weapons were going to bring about World War III? The sad thing is, that if this information didn't come to light sooner, the President would had probably decided to attack Iran anyway, despite knowing the facts. Then it wouldn't be Iran's fault for starting WWIII, it would be America's.....and thats the saddest thought of all.

To think that a U.S. President would lie and manipulate the emotions of his people to start a war used to be an inconceivable notion. Sadly, it is no longer inconceivable; it happened. I'm just thankful it didn't happen yet again. So while it may seem o so long ago that America had a President who actually benefitted the country, I remind you with hope that there is only a year to go. I just hope and pray that America doesn't make the same mistake next November as it did in 2000 (or should I say the Supreme Court made in 2000)? It's time to elect a leader that America can trust; that America can respect, who is for peace; who puts the people first; who can admit when he/she is wrong. Its time for America to elect a leader who will actually lead.

Can't People Take A Joke?

The media has gone crazy in recent days over a statement that the Clinton campaign released about Barack Obama wanting to be President even when he was in kindergarten. In all seriousness, can people not recognize a joke when they see one? Have we really become so stiff that when a campaign makes a joke, we can't just laugh at it and move on, but rather spin it into something its not? Aren't there more important things for the media to cover than this? After watching yesterday and today's lineup on CNN and MSNBC, that statement made by the Clinton campaign has gotten more analysis and air time than the intelligence report saying that Iran is not developing nuclear weapons.

In all honesty, you don't even have to be a Clinton supporter to admit that there is something wrong with that. Since when has a joke become more important than actual hard news? Is that what America and its media is coming to---where a joke has to be spun into some sort of scandalous controversy? Criticize Sen. Clinton on her policies as much as you want; thats fair game, but stop spinning every little thing that comes out her mouth into a scandal. And that doesn't just go for Sen. Clinton, that goes for any candidate. The American people have a right to know the truth about a candidate and what he or she says. Today, however, thats not happening because the media is just looking for a big story. And when they don't have a big story, or at least don't think they have one, they make one up. Thats exactly what they did here and this isn't the first time. It has happened to other candidates too and its time to stop.