<HTML><BODY STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Pat writes:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"So, France and Germany don't want to play nice its the end of the world??<BR>What about Belgium? What about Australia? Don't they count. Bush has done a<BR>great job of working with those who will and discounted those who won't.<BR>France is not going to send troops I don't care who is president. It is<BR>insulting for Kerry to suggest that if he is in charge they will. And if it<BR>is true I am even more insulted that they would try to manipulate me that<BR>way! I don't care who their leader is and I would accept him because it was<BR>their choice even if I disapproved. I expect the same respect from them.<BR>Kerry is so elitist its disgusting!"<BR><BR></DIV> <DIV>Let's break this down, shall we? Then we might be able to make something akin to sense out of it. To begin: </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"So, France and Germany don't want to play nice its the end of the world??"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>No. And I don't want to play nice my end of the world, either. I am entirely opposed to Armageddon; to paraphrase the old hippie bumper sticker, apocalypse is bad for children and other living things. (Hear that flute playing in the background? I think it might be part of the soundtrack from <EM>Snow White</EM>.) Oh wait, when you wrote "its end of the world," you didn't mean "the end of the world"? Too bad. Makes better sense (and more fun) my way.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Next: "What about Belgium? What about Australia? Don't they count."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What about Micronesia? What about Poland? What about the ex-President of Spain, the reindeer herders on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and that good luck card from the old guy in the Carhart overalls who lives on a hill out in Potlatch? This is a "coalition of the willing," damn it. So what if the US has supplied 90% of the troops and is paying 90% of the bill? This is a group effort, just like when I lift one foot off the ground, I help Atlas hold up the world.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Pat praising "Bush [for having] done a great job of working with those who will and [discounting] those who won't" is rather like me patting myself on the back for working so well with Rose these last dozen years. What the hell does it mean? First of all, Rose and I agree on most issues. Second, she doesn't really need my help. What a beautiful friendship we have! It's a coalition of the "this isn't putting me out one little bit and so I'm happy to go along with it." What do I get in return for all of Rose's effort? Endless entertainment and the spectacle of a group of local tax cheats finally on the ropes. Hoorah! Now, it's true that I do take some risk in siding with Superpower Rose. No doubt I have dismissed, pissed off, and/or ignored that 95% of the county who take a more moderate stance. But hey, what do I care? I'm a strong leader; I'm always certain; I can't name any mistakes I've made over the last four years. Normal people: kiss my ass! (That's going to be my 2008 Presidential slogan. Like it?)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Finally: "France is not going to send troops I don't care who is president. It is insulting for Kerry to suggest that if he is in charge they will. And if it is true I am even more insulted that they would try to manipulate me that way! I don't care who their leader is and I would accept him because it was<BR>their choice even if I disapproved. I expect the same respect from them. Kerry is so elitist its disgusting!"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Rather than attempt to untangle this Gordian knot, let's adopt the Alexandrian method and just slice right through it. When Americans elect a President, like it or not, we elect the defacto leader of the free world. Mr. Bush has shown decisively that he cannot lead the world. According to his average approval ratings over these last four years, he can't lead much more than 47% of Americans. He can bully; he can shout; he can go it alone, but he cannot persuade or convince. As the leader of the world's only superpower, that is an essential part of his job. His father was able to do it; so was Ronald Reagan; so was Bill Clinton. If we are to win the war on terror (or at least beat terrorism back to pre-911 levels), then we need both strength and diplomacy. Even better, strength through diplomacy. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I find it astonishing that Kerry is so elitist, he disgusts you. What's elitist about pledging to work with others, making a particular effort with those with whom we disagree? I see Kerry not as elitist but as cooperative. But then, that's because I can't imagine anything more elitist than consistently flipping the bird to the vast majority of the democratic world and then pouting when they flip it back.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If Mr. Bush can't stand the bird, he should get out of the nest. He lost the popular vote; he was appointed President by the Supreme Court . . . he's a bit of cuckoo anyway, isn't he?</DIV> <DIV><BR>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment<BR></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <BR> <BR></DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msncom</a><br></p>