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Good comments. So glad you intend to vote for Bush.

Just mention to your son that there are many reasons - different people see conservatism in different degrees of conservatism; compassionate conservatism is what Bush stated he was - we are seeing compassionate conservatism; a President has to look at all agendas and pick those that he can accomplish - some are for now, others will be done later, others will not get done due to opposing forces.

We cannot expect one man to be perfectly aligned with our views and accomplish everything we wish to accomplish. A man has to direct his efforts to a few items and try and get them done - yet people expect all to be done or else.

All of these expectations in changing government when his top priority is fighting the war on terrorism. Just how much can one man accomplish in a 4-year period. Also, please note all the forces against him as he fights our battles while we sit back comfortably and criticize because he moved two steps forward when we expected 10 steps.

It might help matters if there was a little less criticism and more support and help. Yet - a president cannot expect that because people get scared if they don't agree with his every move. When scared, they fear they misread the man. Guess that is politics.

I want you to reread your last post to me and tell me when it would be okay for a conservative to address issues of a conservative nature.

As long as Bush is in office I'm supposed to offer up 'a little less' (read that no) criticism, support him and help. Then in 2008 when another "conservative" runs, I'll need to support them and not criticize or they won't get elected. And if they do get elected I shouldn't criticize or they'll never get anything done. If they don't get elected I shouldn't speak up because I'll ruin their chances in four years.

This sounds like a thriving healthy conservative party to you? Lordy!

I stated that I support the war on terroristm with regard to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. I cannot support allowing Yasser Arafat to continue his terrorist ways, and the condemnation of Israel for defending itself. I cannot defend open borders under dire terrorist desires to do us harm. I cannot defend allowing people from terrorist states to immigrate here. I cannot defend allowing commerce to enter our nation with as much as 98% of it going uninspected. While I'd like to support the president with regard to his war on terrorism, we have at best a very selective partial war on terrorism. With glaring holes in our terrorist safety net, we none the less have some of the most restrictive and draconian policies geared toward our own citizens. Why? If we're not going to go the whole nine yards, why not give our citizens the breaks, not the non-citizens from terrorist states and known terrorists?

I don't think this presidency or our nation is strengthened by silence on these issues.