By Sarah Carlson, Copy Editor

I Am The Enemy

May 1, 2003. President Bush landed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq behind a “Mission Accomplished” banner.

Since then, as of Monday, 963 American soldiers have died in Iraq and 1,102 since March 2003. The number of Americans wounded is 8,016.

Now I am not blaming Bush for their deaths; I am simply asking why. Why were we in Iraq in the first place, and why are we still there?

Changing your mind or admitting you are wrong is not a bad trait to have, rather a virtuous one. Bush seems so concerned to alter the focus of the war, whether it is weapons of mass destruction or Saddam Hussein’s regime or the liberation of the Iraqi people.

I support and respect the troops in Iraq, but I would not think any less of Bush if he admitted he might have rushed into the Iraq war and not have paid enough attention to Osama bin Laden, the real perpetrator behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. An arrogant “we’ve been here for four years, we know what we’re doing, don’t ask questions” mentality simply won’t cut it.

It is important to constantly seek the truth and learn from mistakes when trusting authorities on matters, instead of trying to make what you want to be true true.

Considering America’s standing with foreign nations, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., will be an asset to the country in improving relations and going after bin Laden, and the nation will not be vulnerable if the presidency shifts during wartime.

Kerry wants to protect the rights of same-sex couples through unions, not marriages, and he also voted to add sexual orientation into hate crimes legislation.

Kerry wants to close the pay gap between men and women-women earn 77 cents to a man’s dollar-to improve after-school care programs, raise the minimum wage, repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and improve financial aid for students.

I consider myself a moderate, and both Bush and Kerry make points and have stances I agree with. That being said, I cannot in full conscience vote for Bush because I don’t trust his administration’s elitist stance on the war and the use of Christianity as a tool to hook conservative voters.

It’s time for a change.