In the op-ed, “Choosing Bush’s leadership” (BDN, July 6), Jim Tobin, the Bush-Cheney ’04 New England regional chairman, asks, “Could the choice be any more clear this November?”

Excellent question; Kerry-Edwards is the correct answer. Tobin’s piece reads like a piece from a Karl Rove “how-to” manual.

Tobin begins by pushing fear and quickly skips to pseudo-patriotic rhetoric but he doesn’t give hard facts. There was no imminent threat, no weapons of mass destruction, and no Iraq connection to Sept. 11. There are, however, thousands of dead Iraqi women and children – more than 870 brave U.S. soldiers killed and more than 5,000 wounded troops.

Further, because of President Bush’s misguided adventure in Iraq, terrorists from surrounding Middle East countries have gone into Iraq and expanded their activities.

When Tobin discusses the economy he omits more hard facts. Bush has had four years to convert a $400 billion surplus into a $500 billion deficit – the interest on the $4.4 trillion debt is $156 billion for this year alone. We are in fiscal trouble well into the future.

The American public can make good decisions when they have the facts. They know that if you go down the wrong road, you stop and find the correct route. Bush cannot do that – he doesn’t even seem to know when he is lost.

Could the choice be any clearer this November? This much is clear: America cannot survive another four years of Bush’s reckless policies formulated under the leadership of the Republican neo-cons.

Mary Gray

Miles Gray

Belfast