And now I'm depressed again

It looks like things are going badly for the Bush campaign again. Man, this is really depressing and nerve-racking. I don't think I can take a few more weeks of this.

This is a war election, so essentially it is a referendum on how the incumbent is conducting the war. The question on the ballot this year is the Bush Doctrine of pre-emting gathering threats and promoting democracy and liberalism in Muslim countries. It looks like both parties agree on these pillars of the Bush Doctrine, although with Kerry it is sometimes hard to tell. However, there is a sizeable group of people in this country (read: Michael Moore) who disagree entirely with the Bush Doctrine (probably because they dislike the author of that doctrine). A Bush loss might be interpreted as a rejection of his doctrine.

Another interpretation though is that the doctrine itself is not being repudiated, just its application in Iraq. I feel though that if you are going to enumerate a doctrine of militarily pre-empting a potential threat, and replacing hostile dictatorships with liberalizing governments, then you need to put your money where your mouth is. Just saying that we believe in this doctrine is not going to be enough when faced with such audacious enemies as Osama bin Laden. And, if this doctrine is inapplicable to Iraq, then where exactly is it applicable? Baathist Iraq was about as abominable a tyranny imaginable. Not to pre-empt the Saddam regime and attempt to replace it with a decent one would be a rejection of our own doctrine.

So, a Bush loss is certainly a step back from his agressive stance in the new war. That the American electorate is seriously considering this is just too depressing.