At the Bottom of the Box

Pandora was the wife of Epimetheus, God of After Thought. He did not take precautions and Pandora ripped open his box. She let out all the evils bent on the destruction of man, but at the bottom of the box was HOPE. This campaign has been an ugly swarm of monsters, but there at the bottom of the box is HOPE!!! I think it will be OK to take some time here in the Agora, to reflect on and even to celebrate the HOPE of the election of 2004.

I will begin by prasing John Kerry. We all feared another Al Gore. I listened with dismay to John Edward's angry and divisive "concession" speech. Edwards was like an angry teenager whose team has lost the game calling his gang to gather behind the bleachers and "keep up the fight!" But John Kerry was noble in defeat. He, like Marie Antoinette, found his spark of inner greatness when everything else was lost. It will be ironic if Kerry's moment of greatness comes down to his concession speech. If John Kerry keeps his promise to support the War in Iraq, defeat may not be his only moment. I HOPE he will prove his words with actions.

I am proud of George Bush. He did not falter in his campaign. He has been the leader of our nation, not a candidate running for power. He did not blink at the attacks and misrepresentations that flew in his face. He was gracious in victory; offering HOPE to all Americans.

I am proud of the people of America. I admit I doubted; two Clinton victories had jaded me. The evil things that swarmed out of the box frightened me. I thank all those who worked so hard to fight these evils. How hard it must have been to defend our President as the beasts rushed at your faces. Thanks to those in California and Washington D.C. and in other places less sheltered than the Agora. Your courage was the "silver lining" in the dark cloud of attacks, the light of HOPE that always burned although buried. The HOPE was this , if the good people would vote they would choose the Good. America can now celebrate a sweeping victory of HOPE. President Bush amassed a clear majority in popular votes and a sizable lead in the Electoral College. Republicans now have greater strength in the House and Senate. The people made their choices because they have values; they recognize right and wrong. The relativists did not prevail; Daschle was dashed. Those who said that Americans would vote their pocket books, their fears, or their prejudices were mistaken. Those who counted on the ignorance of the people were defeated, those who questioned the wisdom of the people were given HOPE. This election was won on values not on personality; it was won by leadership not like ability. The people of our country did not want change - they wanted values; they can handle the truth. President Bush was reelected because of his succeses and because the people of America are smart enough to recognize them.

Although HOPE does "spring eternal", the evils from the box cannot be ignored. The clean wind of truth has swept them away, but we should not be too sure they have been dissolved. President Bush has reached out with HOPE to "all those who voted for his opponents." The opposition must reach out too. Democrats now must realize that Americans value values. They must now support American values to get votes, but will this support be false, a mask to cover their real intents. Democrats must be true to be trusted. Although John Kerry "did himself proud in defeat", the swarming vermin released from the box of this campaign still buzz with rage. We must look at those who were aligned against President Bush and observe them in defeat. Have they really changed to match America? Consider Mike Moore, whose lies inspire hate of America world wide and are quoted by Osama bin Laden. Note the foul mouthed Hollywood celebrities who mock and belittle without offering any constructive solutions to the problems they claim to see. Keep your eye on "moveon.org", Bill Clinton, and Pee Diddy who called for votes without offering anything for them. Watch Dan Rather who broadcast lies to influence the campaign, and George Scoros who pumped $17 million into misinformation. Don't forget Teddy Kennedy who called our President a liar on the floor of the Senate and never presented one credible bit of evidence to support his accusations. Remember the "traditional media" whose shared exit "polls" combined to try and influence the election while America was still voting. Be ever mindful of the French and Germans who took hundreds of millions of dollars of bribes from Saddam to thwart the liberation of Iraq. Keep your eyes on the UN, also bribed and corrupted, inject itself into American politics in order to increase its power. In the light of our present HOPE we must not be blinded to the harms that still swarm.

At this moment, while we gaze on beautiful HOPE, those who sought power by being enemies of President Bush are now crouching down in consultation. For the moment they are too worried about each other to do too much harm. There is even the HOPE that they might have learned the lesson of this election and will come to the aid of America. But we must watch them carefully. Let us see how they react to judges appointed to protect the values they now pay lip service to, let us see how they support the troops that are fighting for the freedom they now claim to adore, let us observe how they spend their money and the currency of their words in spreading the truth. I am curious to see how bipartisan Nancy P. will be when she is called to consult at the White House. I want to know if the Democrats are more interested in their own success in 2008 than they are in America's success in the four years till then.

I missunderestimated America - there was the beautiful HOPE at the bottom of the filthy box. Let's reflect on the lessons of this campaign, celebrate the goodness of America, and keep our eyes on the evils still swarming about the world. We must not live by "After Thought", but with HOPE in and determination to protect the future.