Rubber Meets the Road

Spencer Price

Times Columnist

During a White House press conference last evening, President Bush stated, emphatically, that he was committed to winning the war in Iraq and, ultimately, the war against terrorism.

In so doing, Bush drew a line in the sand regarding Senator John Kerry and the upcoming presidential election in November. What is truly remarkable about Bush's position is that his challenge extends not only to Kerry, but to the American people as well.

What, exactly, do I mean by that statement? Well, please allow me to explain. Although President Bush will face Kerry in the November election, the contest will be about so much more than a struggle between a sitting president and a wannabe. The election will be a referendum on America's value system.

The reason I believe this is because Bush's position is so clear concerning the war in Iraq. In fact, he leaves no room for guesswork. Kerry, however, flip flops almost daily concerning the war - one day he supports it, the next day he doesn't.

Try as the liberal media might to muddy the waters, the American people are clear on two things - that President Bush was in no way responsible for the 9-11 attacks and that he is the best man for the tough job of winning the war in Iraq and, ultimately, the war against terrorism. Americans may be frustrated with the continued violence and loss of American lives (who wouldn't be) in Iraq, but they trust Bush and they believe he will do what he says he's going to do.

Kerry, however, is a different story. Americans don't trust him. And why should they? Americans don't care what European leaders think when it comes to electing American presidents (the keyword, of course, being "American"). But Kerry apparently does. In fact, you may remember that he recently boasted that several European leaders were supporting him for president (though he refused to name them - I wonder if those same "leaders" were the ones who opposed the US-lead invasion of Iraq. Hmmm).

So, in the end, the election will boil down to this: do more Americans want what is best for America (if so, Bush is your man) or, do more Americans want what will make European leaders happy (if that's you, vote Kerry - after all, you can definitely count on him since he would rather die than look bad in front of the French).

Another way of saying it is "does America value truth, strength, and resolve or does it value patronage, pandering, and pansyism?"

As for me, I prefer the former. I believe President Bush does as well. That's why he decided to state his case clearly and let the election-chips fall where they may. And that, my friends, is exactly where the rubber meets the road.

Spencer Price can be contacted via e-mail at spricemd@alltel.net. His column appears in each Wednesday's edition of The Thomaston Times. "Please visit his website at conservativecommentaries.com"