StudioGlyphic

The polls show a fairly even split between Bush and Kerry, with many polls showing Kerry with a slight lead. Bush's favorable/unfavorable and right-track/wrong-track ratings are something for the Bush campaign to worry about. The talking heads keep harping about Kerry's "inability" to take advantage of Bush's bad news cycles. This echo chamber talking point is ludicrous; historical data shows that an incumbent in Bush's current position isn't likely to win, and that challengers usually trail the incumbent at this point in the election. As election day draws nearer, and particularly after the convention, we should see Kerry establish a more solid lead as independents/undecideds break for the challenger.

Still, this isn't something to take for granted, so I'll do my part in introducing John Kerry to both of my readers.

It seems to me that our country has been going through a kind of ethical struggle. In the political world, there is the question of the link between Al Qaeda and Iraq, the stockpiles of WMDs, the prisoner abuse scandals, the false Niger uranium story, the outing of a CIA operative, the stifling of the actual cost of the prescription drug benefit, etc. In the corporate world, we've seen the scandals surrounding accounting practices, mutual funds, insider trading, executive compensation, and the energy crisis. It's true that there are on-going investigations and reforms that don't necessarily make the headlines every day, but these things need strong political backing, and I believe a Kerry administration will give these matters the attention they deserve.

In his years as a Senator, Kerry distinguished himself in investigating and uncovering the truth in the Iran-Contra affair, the drug trade, money laundering, and the status of Vietnam MIAs and POWs (see David Corn and Sydney Blumenthal). He took the lead on these issues, sometimes alone and without thanks, because of the lessons he learned in Vietnam as well as his own personal integrity. In contrast, the current administration is characterized by its penchant for secrecy and obfuscation. We can do better than that.

In a democracy that prides itself on being a model for all nations, its chief executive should have the kind of commitment to truth and openness that Kerry's record reveals. John Kerry would help salvage some of our faith in our institutions, and that in itself is worth supporting.

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