[Johnny Stew]

"A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation.
To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."

Today, President Bush said in his victory speech that he wants to work to unite the country, and win the approval and trust of those who opposed him in this country.

In all honesty, I hope he succeeds.
But then, I remember I had the same hope the first time he made such a promise. When, despite the fact that I voted for someone else, I hoped that Bush would be a good president and the "Great Uniter" he promised to be.

Perhaps it's a bit of the old "once bitten, twice shy" adage, but I'm less optimistic that he'll hold true to his words the second time around. After all, the "Great Uniter" turned into one of the greatest dividers this country has ever known.

I know a lot of people support him (obviously), and are happy he won. And I know there are a lot of gung-ho people in this country who are thrilled that he's waging this war, even if it's at the expense of our country, and its citizens and its economy.
I know a lot of people are also supportive of his "moral agenda." Unfortunately, I still choke on the word "moral," when I think of it in regards to George W. Bush. Quite frankly, I don't feel HE has the moral character to question mine. But that's my issue. I'll work through it, and I'll keep fighting to change some minds on what constitutes morality.

I want to have confidence in the man leading my country. But my confidence must be earned, and it hasn't been yet. And I have to wonder if it's been irreparably damaged by the past four years, though I'll try to be open-minded.
Now Mr. Bush has four more years to change my mind about what kind of legacy he will leave behind when all is said and done, and that's going to require a LOT of work on his part.

Hopefully we're not going to be faced with another four years of "more of the same": More infringements on our civil rights, more of someone else's so-called morality being forced upon us, more economic hardships, more tax-breaks for the upper-class, more American lives lost in a war created under deceptive pretenses, another several billion dollars added to the national deficit, and another four years of Osama Bin Laden roaming free.

I have my doubts, but I have my hopes too.
So, change my mind, Mr. President...
you have no idea how much I want to be proven wrong about you.