Bin Laden's Choice?
It seems that bin Laden's TV message today is aimed at one goal: ousting President Bush. By extension, I think this means UBL's preferred candidate is John Kerry. I don't need to go over policy positions or anything like that — all of you are smart enough to know that stuff already. The point one should consider is what scares UBL about four more years of Bush (and conversely what does he feel he would gain with four years of Kerry)? Considering that this follows on the heels of another threat against voting for President Bush from al-Qaeda… let's just say we can be confident they don't want four more years.
They do not want four more years because President Bush is firm and aggressive in the war on terror. President Bush has the will and resolve to seek out the terrorists and get them — the war on terror may not ever be “won,” but so long as the terrorists know that we will strike back, it limits the gains they can make. A President Kerry, by all indications, would leave rooting out terror to the UN, a body that is rarely able to accomplish anything terribly useful. I hope those still on the fence will think about this seriously. When the top enemy of the state comes out of hiding to talk about your leader's allegedly poor handling of that enemy's attack on your country — should you heed that enemy's advice?
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RE: Bin Laden's Choice?
The good news is that this news won’t impact the vote. The media will hype it as such - otherwise, it isn’t news. It’s meaningless, though. Those who want Kerry will see this as one more reason to vote Kerry. Those who want Bush will see this as one more reason to vote Bush.
The problem here is that we think people actually make intellectual choices in the voting both. We don’t! We use rational statements to explain our choices, but not to make the choices. Our choices are based on emotion. We like Bush or we like Kerry. We then take the information available and bend it to fit what we like. It’s not just the Kerry supporters or the Bush supporters or even the extremists here. You and I do it.
I’m not saying this to say we’re wrong or that we don’t care about the election. I’m suggesting this is simply the way men and women work. Our choices are slaves to our values, not the other way around.
RE: Bin Laden's Choice?
Good point, Kevin… as always.