I don't believe the President for a moment is a socialist. Some people are overly pure, and as I said, there are places where I believe the government does belong. Oversight vs intrusion.
But even I have raised my eyebrows over some of the things done, signed and spoken. And I am among the more moderate on this board.
Anyway, the problem is in attacking the President in toto as a socialist not deserving a second term, not in disagreeing on policy.
For exampl, Howlin and I were on opposite sides of the Elian Gonzalez controversy. This does not make me discount her opinion on other issues.
In the same manner, President Bush and I are on opposite sides on the education bill. However, I knew he was going to get something passed if he could, yet I supported him, anyway, both in the election and to this day. Why?
Because I firmly believe that the security of this nation is more important than anything else. If we lose the war on terror, or are attacked by Chiina, or Cuba, or wherever, we will not have the luxury of going back and re-doing things. President Bush understands the critical nature of national defense. No other candidates do.
Education Bills, Farm Bills, and every other issue (with the exception of judicial appointments) can be re-done. National defense cannot.
Therefore, I support the President, who has shown he means business about defending this nation. The rest of the issues are subordinate, in my opinion.