Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

If you are truly undecided, and I doubt many are, I ask that you read this in its entirety, and check the VodkaPundit link for an even more heart-felt opinion.

This election cycle has come to define for me something very clear. I look at things, I believe, with a very open and logical mind. I listen to all sides, and don’t evaluate words from a single instance. Rather, I try hard to listen in context, and that means more than simply the words around the words. It means paying attention to past actions to see how well the new words fit.

The common statement by Democrats, with no basis in fact as shown many times, that Bush stole the 2000 election is a case study of what we will see in three weeks. It doesn’t require clairvoyance to see it coming. They are already prepping us for their onslaught. Lawsuits will be filed in every single swing state.

Our military personnel have become pawns in their game–and they do seem to consider it one. The Democratic Party either doesn’t understand international relations, or choose to ignore the ramifications of their words and actions. Remembering how Johnson was brought down by Vietnam, they see a chance to do the same to Bush. They want Iraq to be another Vietnam. That is fact. It is undeniable if you simply look at how they continue to use the same words and actions as they did when teenagers. They can talk all they want about supporting the troops, but their actions speak much louder. Those men and women know. Every slander of Bush adds to the morale of those we fight. Certainly the leaders of the DNC know that. Yet they continue. They could disagree without slandering, but choose not to do so. As long as the enemy believes they are fighting a winning cause, they will continue to fight.

Why?

I often ask myself what it is that the Democratic Party wants to do with the power they cherish above all. I just don’t know. Every specific they mention, and there are damn few of those, has proved to be a failure, and a horrendous waste of money.

They speak of getting back to a balanced budget, yet were dragged yelling and screaming to the last one by Newt Gingrich. Clinton only signed that one after sending it back two times, and having the Congress send it to him a third. And even that wasn’t truly balanced. Excess Social Security receipts offset the real budget deficit–another Democrat sleight-of-hand from the Johnson era. Still in use today.

A National Health Care System is a false dream. Ask anyone in the military what it is like. Or ask the Medicare patients you know about their pleasure in having government assistance. Ask a Canadian with health problems what he thinks of their system.

Why is that power something they crave? The term “Public Service” is false. Public service is volunteer work, not your career in an elected position. Career politicians are serving themselves, not the public.

They want to do good. Please. Their actions in the last year have shown that “good” isn’t on their agenda.

Steve Green of Vodkapundit has had enough himself.

If Drudge has it right, then the Kerry-Edwards campaign is going to do its damnedest to turn our fine nation into a banana republic.

And he feels much as I do.

The rules don’t matter. The reputation of the country doesn’t matter. The political health of the nation doesn’t matter. Power matters.

I have voted a straight ticket only once in my life. The last week or so I have been trying to pay closer attention to local candidates. I feel it is important to vote for someone rather than some Party, and I want to make intelligent choices. But I’m beginning to believe Steve has the right approach.

But for the first time in 16 years, I’m going to vote Republican straight down the line. If I have to punish a couple of local Democrats I’m fond of, then so be it, but I have to try to get a point across: The national Democratic Party is bad for this country.

The only thing that will end this is a landslide for Bush. I really see no other prospect.

Last night I heard bits and pieces of some Democratic pundit calmly insulting Dubya. Standard fare. He then mentioned something about Bush not having a plan for getting us out of Iraq, something I’ve heard almost daily since the fighting began.

Exit plans are for losers.

We had an exit plan for Vietnam. That certainly worked out well.

You go into a fight to win. If you do otherwise, you lose. Once you’ve won, you don’t need an exit plan. You walk away. That’s what we are doing right now in both Afghanistan and Iraq–setting up the circumstances so we can let them handle things on their own. Once that is done, we have won.

Please, please, someone ask one of these morons to answer in perfect 20/20 hindsight what the exit plan was for World War II, Korea, Kosovo.

Kerry has lots of plans. That sounds very forward-looking. Does he have an exit plan?

Last month, Michelle Malkin wrote something that really caught my eye.

To his credit, Texas Democrat Rep. Solomon Ortiz (call him the Dems’ Tom Tancredo) has been recently sounding the alarm about the al Qaeda/illegal alien gang connection–as well as our idiotic catch-and-release policies. Too bad more of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle have failed to join him in stopping the revolving door.

I’ve never seen anything to indicate that Ortiz, my Congressman, was interested in illegal immigration at all. So, I thought perhaps I had been ill-informed, and needed to learn some more. I don’t want to vote against someone here in South Texas who actually wants to do something to stop illegal immigration. Michelle linked to this press release which seems to indicate he cares about the issue.

I went to Project Vote Smart to find out how he has voted in recent years on immigration issues.

I wasn’t wrong.

Since 1997, he has voted against restricting Social Security, health care, and even a new form of Social Security card. He voted against prohibiting illegals from getting Medicaid benefits, and another bill requiring health care providers to notify authorities of illegals who seek health care. Immigration reform organizations give him terrible marks. Most, including Border Patrol officers, say he votes in support of their issues 0% of the time. The Immigration Lawyers give him a 50% rating.

I followed another link which took me to a recent news report.

Congressman Solomon Ortiz announced El Savadorian gangs members are in the Valley possibly to help Al-Qaeda members cross into our country.

It all became quite clear. When illegals are Mexican, it is apparently okay in Ortiz’s mind to welcome them with open arms. But when they come from El Salvador or Brazil, they need to be detained and sent back.

Must be an election year.