I have been working long hours out of town for the past two weeks and it looks like I’ll be doing the same for the next two weeks. I have managed to watch portions of all the debates and I think Bush did better on his delivery in his second and third debate with Kerry. Nothing new was said about their plans to change my mind on voting for Badnarik but one element did come into play that has changed my mind.

The Kerry campaign bringing up Mary Cheney was a desperate move and one I’m very uncomfortable with. The look VP Cheney gave Sen. Edwards as he was thanking him for “his kind words” told me then that it wasn’t thanks, but a punch in the nose that he wanted to give him. One time like that, though, you let it pass and give the person the benefit of the doubt. The second time, though, when Sen. Kerry brought up the fact that Mary Cheney is gay, that’s a deliberate act.

I think what pushed me over, though, was when Elizabeth Edwards made her remark about the Cheney’s being ashamed of their daughter. That was too much. If Mary Cheney wants to talk about being a Lesbian then that’s her business but we don’t need a man who will bring up other people’s sexual orientation for political gain as President of theis country.

Because of the fact that I believe that President Bush is less than fully competent to be the leader of the free world I wanted to try to give John Kerry every benefit of the doubt but so far everything he has said leads me to believe that he would be even less competent in the Job than George Bush. I have no confidence that he can deliver on any of the promises that he’s made just by the way he has presented them.

My biggest problem with Bush isn’t his taking us to war with Iraq, I think that was needed, nor is it his lack of competence in nation building, I believe that one strategic mistake made after the fall of Baghdad put us where we are there now. My biggest problem was the way many of our civil liberties were trampled on shortly after the terrorist attck on 9-11. The Supreme Court seems to be reeling the administration in on that item so I have to consider what John Kerry would do to my civil liberties. I think, regardless of his rhetoric he wouldn’t change much.

If this was a contest between the lesser or the greater of two evils I would have no problem choosing the lesser of the two evils. Until now I considered them equal evils. Now, Sen. Kerry’s decision to bring Mary Cheney’s sexual orientation into the campaign he has just slid over to the greater of two evils side. Because of that Badnarik no longer has my vote. I like the ideals of the Libertarian Party but it seems like they draw more than their share of crackpots.

I will vote for George W. Bush in November. Kerry, you did this to yourself.