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The first presidential debate offered one of the most depressing displays of arrogance and ignorance by a sitting president that I have ever witnessed. It is embarrassing to see that President Bush could be so out of touch with the realities of world affairs and so unable to articulate US foreign policy, especially considering he is the person responsible for the direction and agenda of US foreign policy over the past 3-1/2 years. The president doesn't fully understand his own policies, and we cannot expect him to understand the complicated issues we will continue to face or to make the informed, effective decisions needed for a peaceful and prosperous future.
Equally disturbing is the president's constant ridicule of Senator Kerry's position of a more globalized foreign policy strategy. Not only will Kerry's strategy relieve the human and monetary cost of the war in Iraq and elsewhere, but it will make our efforts to curb global terrorism more effective. Additionally, a respectful and multilateral approach to foreign policy, as outlined by Kerry, will have a dramatic positive effect on the US economy. It's no coincidence that the US trade deficit is at dangerously high levels considering the neo-conservative foreign policy Bush has adopted, especially when coupled with an economic plan based on historically flawed "trickle-down" policies.
Senator Kerry's thoughtful and detailed foreign policy plans will make America safer, improve international trade, share the human and monetary costs of war, and restore the alliances strained by the reckless Bush agenda. Further, the resulting financial savings from a multilateral foreign policy paired with a repeal of ineffective tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans will help with domestic improvements in areas such as education, law enforcement, employment, healthcare, and energy independence.
The only real consistency of president Bush's leadership is that he consistently leads America in the wrong direction and makes the wrong decisions, internationally and domestically. His historical disregard of facts and obvious inability to understand the complexities of the issues our country faces are dangerous, intolerable, and require decisive denunciation by the American electorate in the upcoming election.
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