After watching all four of the debates (available over at C-SPAN if you haven't seen them) for this year's presidential election, presented by the Commision on Presidential Debates (Please watch this video on the how the debates are coordinated from Bill Moyers program, NOW: VIDEO.), I still felt I had little perspective on what kind of leaders they'll make for the next four years. Besides the facts I already have gleaned about both of them from their past years of service (which you can read about over at vote smart or the whitehouse.gov, if you are interested John Kerry or George Bush) and the press coverage of the past few years.
While I am not an "undecided" in this years election (perhaps some of you are) I am always striving to understand both sides of the issue and where each candidate truly stands on their beliefs, personal history and potential role as the foremost world leader for the next 4 years (and perhaps you are too). I think, as evidenced by the last 12 years of presidential history (that which I was most lucidly paying attention to having been born in 1974), we've seen that the President very much shapes the directions this country and other world leaders turn, hence we have a responsibility as citizens and voters to investigate which of these candidates should hold the position.
I ask you to please watch this program from Frontline (a PBS Television Program), which I believe presents a very fair and non-partisan view of the candidates. With all the seemingly stilted press coverage, and carefully manicured candidate propaganda, I think this helps clear through the mud and get down to who these candidates really are, not just in terms of character, but in terms of experience and their political beliefs. None of us can predict what either of them will do for certain over the next four years, but we can weight the options well and cast our vote with confidence that we believe and have some degree of trust in our choice.
The program is called, "The Choice 2004", and it is viewable on the web if you have a high speed internet connection, or if you have a group of friends that you can gather (hopefully a bi-partisan group) before the election, get them all to chip in and buy the tape or dvd and watch this. It's very good, and backed with other evidence found on non-partisan websites and in your local libraries, surely you'll have enough to make a sound choice for America.
Thanks for listening and I hope to hear from all of you soon.
-wayne
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