What I Want to Hear

Being a Brit I won't be voting come November, but if I was I would be edging cautiously towards Bush. However, I wouldn't yet be certain. I don't like the way the Republicans have run their campaign so negatively (though the Dems have been just as bad). I hate negative campaigning, and month after month of AWOL claims countered by flip-flopping accusations have tired me out.

If I was to vote for Bush, there are a few words I would like to hear first. I'd like to see him sit down in front of a camera a few days before America goes to the polls and say something like this:-

'My fellow Americans, I come to you today to discuss a very important matter. I'd like to speak to you about the future of America, the future of the earth and every man, woman and child living in it. About our children, and their children.

Today I will lay out my vision for the future - a vision of a safer world; a world in which no American need fear the spectre of terrorism.

Four years ago the good people of the United States of America elected me as their Commander-in-Chief. Since then we have been through some rough times. We were attacked at our heart, an attack none of us really expected, and from which we have not yet recovered. We were forced into a position in which we had to send our fighting men and women abroad in order to protect us.

Since 9/11 we have liberated Afghanistan from the Taliban, and we have liberated Iraq from Saddam. Freedom has won out in these nations against the crushing dictatorships that once ruled.

Our job is over in Afghanistan, and almost over in Iraq. When re-elected I will at the earliest opportunity withdraw all military personnel from these nations. We have fought the battles, and now is the time to secure the peace. From here on in this will be the job of the elected leaders of these nations. We are not in the business of empire building. God willing, these burgeoning democracies will stand the test of time. True freedom cannot exist with the military presence of a foreign power.

However, the war is not over. Despite our successes in Iraq and Afghanistan, we cannot and will not rest until Osama bin Laden is held accountable for his crimes against humanity. The focus of this War on Terror must now be returned fully to the hunt. Dead or alive, bin Laden will no longer be free by the end of my Presidency. This I promise.

Meanwhile, we will increase our efforts tenfold to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We cannot be truly secure while reliant on unstable nations. We must move forward and develop the energy sources required to carry us through the 21st century. We must move away from polluting fossil fuels and towards sources of clean, renewable energy. We will do this for the sake of both ourselves and for our children, our grandchildren and all those whose lot is to inherit our legacy of waste and pollution.

In securing our future we must not forget our present here at home. We must continue to build on our momentum with the economy. We must ensure that unemployment continues to fall. We must ensure that every citizen has access to affordable healthcare, and that every child receives a good education. We will achieve this not through higher taxes and bigger government, but by ensuring that every American can earn enough to provide for their family; by stimulating the growth of industry; by encouraging innovation and enterprise.

I am convinced that I am the best man for the job. John Kerry is a good man, and a good American. However, I do not believe that he has the resolve to win the War on Terror. To lose this war would be to threaten this great nation, and that is a risk I am not willing to take.

God bless all those who strive for freedom, and God bless America.'