Ed Koch - A Democrat That "Gets It"!

On a radio talk show I heard them mention about an article former mayor of NY Ed Koch had written. The parts of this article I am sharing with you here sum up nicely why Democrats and Republicans alike should vote for George W. Bush in ‘04.

I have edited out the “fluff” and other comments that don’t really pertain to the point he was trying to make. If you don’t want to go read his entire article suffice it to say that he does not agree with many things our current president is now doing, or wants to accomplish in the future. Mr. Koch, after all, is a Democrat first.

The reason I wanted to share the following parts of his article is because he is a Democrat that, and he still “gets it”.

This is not the time to switch leaders and try to go back to talking with terrorists. This country needs to keep on a dedicated path and a dedicated goal as a unified country.

All that being said, here is what Ed Koch has to say about the upcoming election. It has been taken from his article, “Correcting the Record: Why I'm Voting for Bush “, that was written on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2003, and can be found HERE.

“I intend to vote for President George W. Bush in the next election because in my view he is best able to wage the war against international terrorism. There is no greater threat to the United States than that posed by al-Qaeda and similar groups. President Bush has confronted that threat head on.

“After 9/11, the President announced the Bush Doctrine, which in my opinion rivals in importance the Monroe Doctrine, which barred foreign imperialism in the Western Hemisphere, and the Truman Doctrine, which sought to contain Communism around the world.

“The Bush Doctrine, simply stated by the President before a joint session of Congress, is “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.” The President has applied that doctrine in Afghanistan and Iraq and has put other countries on notice that he will do so elsewhere, if necessary.

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“It is the primary responsibility of government to provide for our physical safety. A president who does not realize this puts all of us at the mercy of fanatics who would not hesitate to use conventional and non-conventional weapons with the aim of killing as many innocents as possible.

“The United States, of course, is not the only country victimized by terrorism. That list is growing and now includes Turkey, Russia, India, Malaysia, Ireland, Israel and Colombia, to name a few.

“I do not believe the major contenders for the presidential nomination in the Democratic primaries have the stomach to confront the terrorist scourge comparable to President Bush. This is especially true of the current Democratic front-runner, Howard Dean, whose stated reason for entering the race is his opposition to the war.

"Most of the other candidates, who were in Congress and voted for the war resolution, are now tacking to the wind to satisfy the left-wing constituency, hoping if they win the nomination to move to the center before the general election. The exception is Joe Lieberman, whom most observers believe has no chance of winning the nomination. “

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