Thanks, Mindles, for stating better than I could my ongoing frustration with people who assume that I'm a rabid right winger because I don't agree with rabid left-wing positions. There's only one part of the post with which I disagree:

Bush never saw a spending bill or entitlement he didn't like, all small government rhetoric aside.

What "small government rhetoric"? I've never heard any.

I had hopes that Bush planned to shrink government, despite his talk about "compassionate conservative," but it was hope based on faith, not evidence. All I knew was that he would be preferable to Albert Gore Jr.

I also know that he will be better than John F. Kerry.

That is to damn him with faint praise.

But I'm sure that I'll continue to be lambasted as a right-wing Bush lover.

Politics is amusing to watch. Many conservatives would like to see a smaller gov't spending less, but we continue to vote for the republicans who vote for increased federal spending every year.

Meanwhile, liberals are ready to vote for JFKerryHeinz who's official position on the iraq war is that he will continue it, that it was right, that we should have a BIGGER army which should send more troops to iraq.

I really enjoy reminding Deaniacs of Kerry's positions. ;-)

My prediction on the election outcome is that there will be what the media traditionally calls a landslide; 55% popular vote for bush - 70%+ of the electoral college vote. (Don't ask me why the media calls this a landslide -- It said it about Clinton and he never got even 50% of the popular vote.) Oh, and the media won't call it a landslide, they will mumble something about the public not wanting to change course in a war.

The likely determining factor in the election will be that the majority of voters will view GWB as more resolute and proactive in projecting american power against the War on Terrorists (WOT).
I see this cutting across all traditional party lines. The only thing keeping the Dems from complete disaster in this election is that they managed to derail Dean (the dem's popular choice) before he got nominated.

Dems and the friendly-to-Dems media will continue to highlight every news event relating to WOT in a negative light, and avoid any positive stories concerning the WOT. For example, it used to be "people will starve in Iraq because the US invaded!". Didn't happen, but we don't hear about that anymore do we? Any headlines like: "Bush's post war plan a success; no mass starvation"?

The public, while greatly influenced by the negative news, will put together the real picture: that Iraq is free, the terrorist are engaged in fighting democracy in iraq and afghanistan, and thus they are less able to mount attacks against democracy in the US.

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To the point that Rand, and other Bush supporters, are completely happy with GWB -- I highly doubt it. Many, many conservatives have much to criticise the Prez about, but they, IMHO, don't see any common ground with KHeinz.