Bush deserves second term

Almost an entire presidential election season has been taken up with debate over a war occurring half a world away.
Closer to home, there are a great many issues facing Tennesseans and the country as a whole.
Based on his administration's handling of the war against terrorism and values more in line with average Tennesseans than his opponent's, The Lebanon Democrat endorses President George W. Bush for re-election.
This election season has arguably been the nastiest and hardest fought in the history of American presidential politics.
In truth, many of the issues brought out by both campaigns appear to have little to do with the lives of average Americans. Of course, war is one human endeavor that is easy to criticize and even easier to find fault in the way it is prosecuted.
However, the focus of the Bush administration's first four years has been on the No. 1 threat to our country's safety and sovereignty, acts of terrorism.
There is very little room to argue that the attacks of September 11, 2001 did not change the very course of human history. It certainly changed the life of every American. The Bush administration has spent four years almost solely reacting to that cowardly act and trying to forge a defense and intelligence system that can thwart future attacks.
Because of that focus, the President has been roundly criticized, including very real doubts about the validity of the Bush administration's reasons for going to war in Iraq.
The President has also been criticized for a lack of attentiveness to domestic issues.
However, waging the war on terrorism in the wake of 9/11 was the only appropriate response. Such an effort cannot be a quick fix with readily identifiable good guys and bad guys, friends and foes.
It is perhaps this thirst for quick answers and results in an American culture obsessed with instant gratification that has spurned the resentment of the Bush administration's lengthy take on the war on terror.
It is perhaps that same cultural imperative that has brought many to pick apart the decision to invade Iraq. There is little doubt Iraq was the best armed enemy nation supporting anti-American terrorism. The stated reasons in hindsight for prosecuting the war may have been wrong, but the purpose was just.
In addition, Bush represents values on the domestic front more like Tennesseans than his opponent. From his positions on firearms to abortion to taxes, Bush's world view is in line with most Tennesseans.
President George W. Bush deserves to finish what he began in the Middle East. History will judge his success, but those currently judging Bush have not made their case that they can do any better at the country's helm.