[A Quiet Boom]

My point about Cheney's daughter is that she supports her father as is her right. Ron Reagan, President Reagan's son was against his father on many issues and was public about it. Ms. Cheney while public about her support for her father and publically gay has left the gay marriage issue out of the public forum. I am for civil unions, I feel this way for two reasons. First I believe marriage is between a man and a woman only. Second, based on what my gay friends have told me, they are also pro civil union and do not feel gay marriage is necessary as long as those civil unions provide all the benefits of marriage. The rightly point out that one could be civilily joined by law and married by faith. Marriage has it's roots in faith and should remain that way. Bush feels an amendment is necessary because activist judges have tried to attack marriage in recent years. Neither candidate is for gay marriage BTW. Kerry just feels we don't need to protect marriage either through an amendment which he opposes or the defense of marriage act which he voted against. The whole amendment issue brings to light a different and larger problem facing this country. Activist judges are legislating from the bench which is unconstitutional, we have the senate and congress to make the laws. The courts are supposed to strcitly interprete the laws.

On the point about mistakes, it is political death to admit mistakes during an election, nearly every politician who has done it has lost. I believe Bush knows the mistakes he's made and will come forward eventually about them. What is important to look at is how he's dealt with those mistakes. In some cases he has fixed them and others he needs to address or need further work. Admiting mistakes in Iraq however might be viewed as a strategic mistake because it might hurt the relationship with our Iraqi allies. A leader needs to be positive in a time of war to "rally the troops". I don't believe the coalition Bush and Blair put together was a mistake, especially given the information we have seen lately about France and Russia in the oil for food scandal, it is clear they would never have backed us and they've even said they won't back Kerry. The coalitions that went with us into Afghanistan and Iraq will benefit the most in the long run because the people of those nations will not forget who helped them win their freedom. We did not forget France's help during our Revolutionary War and returned the favor by liberating them in WW2. The corrupt french government seems to have forgotten who it's strongest friend was and that is a shame.