Braised Lambchop
a nurse trying to work while suffering with chronic pain - she rambles a bit

I think this piece, written by a man who served as a special assistant to President Reagan (a true conservative), quite nicely sums up the problem I have with Bush.

For example:

Conservatives are all about less taxes and less spending. Bush is all about no taxes (at least if you can afford them) and massive spending.

Conservatives are all about less government and more personal liberty. Bush is all about more government (he created an new Cabinet department and insists that his administration knows best about educating children in Paducah) and less personal liberty (the Patriot Act, government intrusion into women's health records to ensure they haven't had abortions).

Conservatives are all about freedom of religion. Bush is too, if you're a born-again Christian. I wonder how long it would take after a public school district wanted to institute a morning Muslim prayer for the Justice Department to go bat-shit?

Conservatives are against meddling in the foreign policies of other countries, or 'nation-building.' Bush can't seem to stop meddling in everyone else's business.

But if you can manage to set all that aside, here's the kicker:

... other characteristics of his (Bush) seem less well suited to the presidency. By his own admission he doesn't do nuance and doesn't read. He doesn't appear to reflect on his actions and seems unable to concede even the slightest mistake. Nor is he willing to hold anyone else responsible for anything. It is a damning combination. John Kerry may flip-flop, but at least he realizes that circumstances change and sometimes require changed policies. He doesn't cowardly flee at the first mention of accountability...

"Government should never try to control or dominate the lives of our citizens," Bush says. But you wouldn't know that from his policies. He has expanded government power, increased federal spending, initiated an unnecessary war, engaged in global social engineering and undercut executive accountability. This is a bill of particulars that could be laid on Lyndon Johnson's grave. No wonder "Republicans aren't very enthusiastic about" Bush, says right-wing syndicated columnist Robert Novak.

The 'flip-flops' are actually the main reason why I support Kerry, and I can honestly say Kerry was my first choice, too. It's not a crime to change your mind. Kerry seems to realize that the world is a complex place, with few instances of black and white choices, and that when circumstances change men should change as well. Bush seems to think the world is a simplistic fairy tale. He won't admit mistakes. He won't consider opposing points of view. And he absolutely shuns personal responsibility, preferring to blame others for his own inane errors.

No, Kerry isn't a conservative's dream. But there are only two choices here, assuming Nader doesn't get on ballots and that the Libertarian candidate, Bednarik, isn't going to be a factor. Do conservatives want to take a chance and get rid of Bush, the antithesis of conservatism, or do they want to continue down this perilous road and risk a trillion dollar deficit by the end of the decade?

It's not about religion. It's not good against evil. It's pragmatism against the pie-in-the-sky dreams of a slacker who somehow managed to put himself in charge of the world's last superpower. Continuing with GWB could - and I'm not exaggerating here - be the end of this country.

I'm still scared. Please, America -- get this man out of there.