Daily Bruin Endorsements: Kerry best choice to oust Bush

American voters will make a crucial democratic decision in
November.

At an important time in United States history, will the country
continue on with four more years of tax cuts for the rich,
environmental deregulation, inadequate health care, special
interests gone wild and misplaced priorities in a war on terrorism?
Or will it opt for change?

The campaign for the presidency is shaping up to be one of the
most polarized in recent memory. And the mantra for thousands of
moderates, progressive and liberals has become “anyone but
Bush.”

And for good reason. The Bush administration has sold out the
government to powerful lobbies, huge corporations and wealthy
individuals. It has turned against its own citizens, particularly
Arab Americans and gays. The same administration led the country to
war in Iraq on faulty premises ““ on what pundits call
“faith-based intelligence.”

Bush does not deserve re-election.

The best candidate ““ and the one with the best chance to
replace Bush ““ is John Kerry, a Democratic senator from
Massachusetts.

Kerry began atop the pile of Democratic candidates, before
stumbling badly. Sometime in January, Kerry found traction and took
off, re-emerging as the front-runner, tossing aside
flavor-of-the-month candidates Howard Dean and Wesley Clark.

Kerry has won all but two state contests so far and could lock
up the nomination Tuesday.

But the veteran lawmaker has more than just momentum. A
decorated veteran of the Vietnam war and an expert on foreign
affairs, Kerry has a credibility on national security issues
equaled by few other elected officials. It’s hard to see why
voters would want Bush ““ who may or may not have shown up for
national guard duty in Alabama and who once mistook Africa for a
country ““ to make war decisions, when they could have
Kerry.

Kerry also has a strong voting record on the environment and
would repeal some of Bush’s tax cuts to help fund neglected
education programs. While Kerry’s opposition to gay marriage
upsets many progressive voters, at least he didn’t call for a
constitutional amendment restricting gays’ basic
freedoms.

And lest it be forgotten how important it is to millions of
Americans that Bush be shipped back to Crawford, Texas, Kerry has
that one quality that is increasingly talked about in politics:
electability.

He is a good debater. He would talk circles around Bush if the
two ever matched up head to head.

When campaigning, Kerry is a strong finisher. He came from way
back this primary season and did so in past senatorial elections
too.

His status as a New Englander leads many to believe he’ll
have a hard time challenging Bush ““ particularly in Southern
states. But Kerry has won primaries in Tennessee and Virginia.
Furthermore, Kerry can’t possibly do worse than Al Gore did
in the the south in 2000 ““ and Gore almost won the
presidency.

Another criticism of Kerry is that he is aloof. True, he
doesn’t connect with voters in the emotional way his only
remaining democratic competitor, Senator John Edwards, does. Like
Kerry, Edwards also has a compelling biography, having grown up
poor, the son of a mill worker. Edwards has conducted a spirited
campaign, and if Kerry earns the endorsement, he would be wise to
consider Edwards as a vice presidential candidate.

But if Bush and Co. would have fun painting Kerry as a
Massachusetts liberal, they would have a blast highlighting
Edwards’ inexperience ““ especially in foreign affairs.
Edwards just can’t match Kerry’s credentials.

Voters know who the Republican candidate is, and they must
decide who is best to do battle with him. John Kerry has proven to
be the best hope for Democrats and liberals to end the Bush
regime.