Brain Fertilizer

More from Jay:

Oh, and the coalition of the coerced and the bribed? "That would be nations like Great Britain, Poland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Denmark, El Salvador, Australia, and others — allies that deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a politician. I respect every soldier, from every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America is grateful, and America will not forget."

[Bush:] "Even when we don't agree, at least you know what I believe and where I stand."

[Jay:] Ladies and gentlemen, I will be blunt: This was easily one of the best political speeches I have ever heard. It was one of the best texts, and one of the best performances. I thought, when it was through, "If America doesn't want to reelect this man — this measured, proven, smart, brave, canny, compassionate, balanced, inspired man — then America is a country with extremely serious problems."

I'm usually careful to remind myself that "viewpoint" is a difficult thing to gauge, and there is all sorts of room to disagree with nearly anything without being evil or stupid...but I essentially agree with the sentiment Jay expressed. Especially if you emphasize America rather than any one American. As in, there may be reasons for individuals to honestly and honorably decide to not vote for President Bush, but whether or not people recognize it, he does embody much of what is right and good about America, and if he cannot garner 50% of the vote, then America has lost its direction and moral compass, and if more than 50% of the nation prefers John Kerry to George W. Bush, then the future well-being of our nation is indeed in jeopardy.*

*despite his rampant paranoia on one issue, I still don't feel that way about Howard Dean... At least he stood for something besides just "getting elected".