I am not a fan of George W. Bush's policies in most areas.

I can't say I dislike the man, I've never met him. Frankly, he seems like he'd be a halfway decent partner for quail shooting or cards, or some such activity.

But I WILL defer to what I have been taught since I was old enough to have an opinion on such things, and that is that a certain respect for the office is my DUTY as a citizen of this country.

While the 2000 election may have been questionable, it doesn't change the fact that George W. Bush won enough other states to make his place as the US president at LEAST as valid as Bill Clinton's notorious "plurality" in 1992. Further, the 2004 election, conspiracy theorists aside, seems to have been definitively decided for Bush (where were all those "popular vote" whiners from 2000?). And as such, Bush is deserving of my support and loyalty through his tenure in office.

I will criticize the policies that I feel are inept and inane, but I will remember that the man is the elected leader of this country, and, no matter how I may feel about that, my respect for the Democratic process must keep me from trying to subvert the will of the majority, no matter how misguided I feel it may have been. In criticizing Bush's policies, however, I hope that I can provide some viable solutions, as I feel no criticism is complete without them.

It's my hope that a few more of my countrymen will at least attempt to show the same level of respect for the office.