Post Election Thoughts

I guess I’m like many Americans, I’m so glad the elections are over. The pre-election commentary was exhausting. As an expatriate, there is not much sympathy for a conservative like me as world opinion is solidly against GW. Not that anyone really cares that much about Kerry, anybody but Bush would do.

A rather balanced discussion a day before the election was insightful. While most of the panel took the popular position, Bush bashing, there was at least one European who seemed to get it.

• North Korea was a problem before Bush, so is Iran. Kerry wasn’t going to reduce the threat from these two rogue nations, which some liberals seem to ignore.

• The Europeans aren’t going to engage in Iraqi, no matter who is president. They couldn’t help if they wanted, as he said, “The Belgium army has more hairdressers than special forces” (I don’t know if it's true, but thought it was a great line.) The French are never going to fight for what they believe in and they have national policy that is solidly anti-American and anti-Israel.

• Europeans don’t understand American’s faith and religion. A nation that is deeply religious is an offense to a post-Christian continent where less than five percent of the population ever bother going to church. Our faith is not the problem, it is their abandonment of faith.

One commentator said that the Germans were “ecstatic” with Kerry. “He’s like a rock star to many, because he is so European.” Another great reason for me to vote Bush.

I don’t agree with Bush on everything. I have my doubts about Iraqi, I hate large deficits and I disagree with him on trade policies and immigration. While I do not believe that God has His special hand on W, I feel more comfortable with putting my confidence in him than I do with a party that, not only has no solid answers for the world problems, but makes light of what I believe in as a matter of faith. The liberals in America and their European cousins may conclude I’m shallow and ignorant. When they come up with an intelligent alternative I will listen. If they want my vote in the future they are going to have come up with a better argument than “you’re stupid if you don’t vote our way.”