The Democratic Party is in desperate need of new leaders. Luckily, no laser- guided missiles will be needed here; just follow the trail of alcoholic fumes, high-pitched whines and pathological lies to your nearest Kennedy, Clinton or Gore, respectively.
To get a sense of how bad the situation has gotten, look at Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a frontrunner for his party's presidential nomination. Kerry told a crowd of fellow leftists at a fundraiser that only through a "regime change" at home could we regain the trust of foreign countries that currently hate us.
Funny, last time I checked, "America the Beautiful" was the song of choice, not "Europa Uber Alles." Kerry's remarks are indicative of the deep self-loathing psychosis that plagues the left. Instead of being driven to do what is good for this country, the leaders of the Democratic Party now seek to appease foreign nations as a means to purge themselves of the guilt of being born in the greatest nation on Earth.
By specifically using the term "regime change" to articulate his disjointed vision for the future of this country, Sen. Kerry imparts moral equivalency between an attempt to end a mass-murdering regime in Iraq and his own political aspirations to unseat president Bush. It seems that real priorities, national security in particular, have never been the strong suit of Democrats.
"Regime change" is what you hope for in countries with dangerous tyrants who store Anthrax in daycare centers. But hey, Bush is a Republican, and he does believe in God, so evidently that's close enough for Kerry to believe he has the right to make a subtle moral comparison between Bush and the Butcher of Baghdad.
All this underlines the unmitigated hatred that leftists harbor against America. Every once in a while, it seems to bubble to the surface and take form in some snide remark made by one of their big shots. But you do have to hand it to Kerry for seeing the error in his ways. In keeping with his party's tradition, Kerry apologized.
But it might also have been the case that Kerry could have just been confused. After all, he has recently "discovered" that he is Jewish, and has been touting his Jewish heritage. At the same time, he espouses his Catholic beliefs because he is in a very Irish state where Catholicism bodes well.
Kerry isn't even a very good Catholic. Recently, the Pope decreed that many American politicians, specifically John Kerry, didn't abide by the doctrines of the church, and therefore shouldn't capitalize on their religion. There is even talk of excommunicating Kerry if he continues to claim to be Catholic while not maintaining Catholic morality when voting on issues like abortion.
These days, lying and bending the truth is no stranger to democratic candidates - I'm still waiting for Gore to show me his blueprints for the Internet. But when major American political figures go as far as to imply that all the negative aspects of oppression, misery and corruption that go along with the term "regime change" describe our own country, lies have crossed the threshold into fairy tales.
Kerry certainly is getting a message out to the rest of the world. But it is not a message of hope for renewal of good will. It is a signal of what the enemies of this country very much love to grasp as reaffirmation of their tyrannous and immoral cause.
Perhaps, Sen. Kerry, you should "discover" next that you are an American.
Shanna Bowman is an industrial engineering senior. Reach her at snb@asu.edu.
