Bush takes stand, not Kerry

To the editor:

As a high school student, I have been taught to not straddle the fence. Teachers emphasize that students should take a stand for what they believe.

In a recent poll of Arizona voters who supported John Kerry, 44 percent said they will vote for Kerry because they think he is "electable." That is great, but in this same poll, only 13 percent said they will vote for Kerry because they think he "stands up for what he believes in." Even most of the Democrats don't think Kerry will stand up for what he holds important in his life.

Now let us compare Kerry with President Bush. The president begins his day with prayer in the Oval Office. He is currently pushing for a 28th amendment that says marriage is between a man and a woman. Bush has captured one of the world's most volatile rulers, Saddam Hussein. Our president obviously stands up for what he believes in.

Director of the Concord Coalition, Bob Bixby, recently commented on the Massachusetts senator in U.S. News and World Report: "There isn't a particular issue on which I have a real problem with Kerry, but there isn't an issue he's been a real leader on, either."

If a man cannot be a leader in the U.S. Senate, what makes anyone think he will be a leader of our country?

LUCAS PRESSON

Cape Girardeau