A Leap of Faith

Apologies for the random musings of the past evenings, intersperced as they were with some Johnny Cash tunes from the Man Comes Around. I will leave them up for their incoherence. As I attempted to say before, I do appreciate what I might call your "Andrew Sullivan" perspective - the non-partisan, blunt Conservative viewpoint. I do love argument in political debate above all, especially when it is stripped of the hackery that Stewart mocked Carlson and Begala for, focused as it must be on ideas and effectiveness. I do drift toward the left, but quite like writers like George Will and Andrew Coyne as opposed to Mark Steyn or Robert Novak. The difference, though perhaps hard to isolate, is in the tone. They tell me things I do not know without overt condescention, and so provide a basis for developing and refining political beliefs of my own. Contrast them with demagogues on the right (or oft-criticisms of what you might call the "vitriolic" left in equal measure). As we move toward actually working on governance as a living/life career, let us keep such pragmatism and willingness to listen as paramount. Let such a philosophy keep Ahab on his even keel as well. That said, I have waited patiently for the New York Times endorsement of Kerry for President, not because of the impact of such an obvious annoucement, but for the cogency of their argument. Surprisingly, it has been printed early. I am sure you will come across it Cooper, but here is the hyperlink in any case. A few brilliant quotes. For my money, I offer these examples:

"There is no denying that this race is mainly about Mr. Bush's disastrous tenure... Like the tax cuts, Mr. Bush's obsession with Saddam Hussein seemed closer to zealotry than mere policy... The international outrage over the American invasion is now joined by a sense of disdain for the incompetence of the effort... The Bush White House has always given us the worst aspects of the American right without any of the advantages... Time and again, history invited George W. Bush to play a heroic role, and time and again he chose the wrong course."

And could either of us, from opposite sides of the spectrum, say it better than this conclusion?

"Voting for president is a leap of faith. A candidate can explain his positions in minute detail and wind up governing with a hostile Congress that refuses to let him deliver. A disaster can upend the best-laid plans. All citizens can do is mix guesswork and hope, examining what the candidates have done in the past, their apparent priorities and their general character. It's on those three grounds that we enthusiastically endorse John Kerry for president."