I have been an ardent, committed and very vocal Democrat since I was old enough to vote, so it is no surprise that I will vote for a Democrat in the 2004 presidential election. I was actually very pleased that Kerry won the primaries. I still think he is a solid, serious, intelligent man with what I perceive of as “my way of thinking” and enough experience, nationally and internationally, to implement policies I would want to live with. I trust him to do the right thing fiscally, environmentally and internationally. But I have been terribly disappointed in Kerry as a presidential candidate, so far. He seems without vision, mired in rebutting the Bush attack ads, and is not presenting himself as a leader – decisive and convinced of his ideals. That is something Bush does well, and it is very reassuring to many people in times of crisis.

I try to be pragmatic about the reasons for the war in Iraq, but I am appalled by the terrible mess we are in there now, the lack of preparation for the aftermath of the war, and what I see as election-oriented policies for the present problems in both Iraq and the Middle East. I am also very unhappy about the Bush administration policies on taxes, the environment and our civil rights. I am counting on Kerry and his team to get it together so that we can have a regime change – now.