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Military Leaders, Diplomats, Conservatives, Grass Roots Republicans,Former Bush
Supporters Rejecting George W. Bush
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"Bush's doctrine of preemptive war sets a dangerous precedent. He started a war based on deception. He has no fiscal discipline. He has weakened constitutional liberties, disregarded international law, and made a mockery of the Christian faith." "I am one of those Republicans
who believed all the accusations and supported the invasion of Iraq. I
am not as much for Kerry as I am against Bush."
"I can't support any of GWB's
positions. His policies are non-effective and potentially
dangerous/deadly for Americans/American soldiers. ....vote Kerry."
"Once-proud Republican is now ashamed of the party. Conservative used to refer to fiscal sense, not huge budgets required by corporate welfare..." "I am a Vietnam-era Veteran, unlike incumbent Republican politicians. Those promoting the war with Iraq, who should have served during Vietnam era, dodged the draft. Now they are sending others to die for their own political agenda." "I’ve voted Republican since McGovern. Bush betrayed the principles of the Constitution when he attacked unprovoked Iraq. Our founding fathers fought so that a nation could decide its own fate without outside interference. He’s no leader but a misleader." |
Republicans for
Kerry '04 “Country Before Party” http://www.republicansforkerry04.org| More comments
from grassroots Republicans,
from Republicans for Kerry '04 site: "Many
of us on this board have a very long GOP history. I
have been a card carrying Republican for 25 years ... I voted
enthusiastically
for W in 2000, Dole in 96, and Bush 1 in 92, and Reagan. I've worked
for a
Republican congressman's local office, I've never voted for a Democrat
for the
House or Senate....
"I'm leaving President Bush because I believe in balanced budgets,environmental conservation and a foreign policy that is strong without being needlessly belligerent... "I'm leaving President Bush because the image, reputation and influence of our country in the world is at stake... "I'm leaving President Bush, because we've been lied to regarding weapons of mass destruction, about the connection between Iraq and Al-Qaida (when CIA was telling us before the war that there was no such connection... "On countless times, in front of TV cameras, I've supported President Bush and the Administration views. I had to battle against Belgian Ministers and Political Leaders. I took the bruises, I took the insults, because I thought I was fighting for the right cause. Now I realize I was wrong. The war in the battle field was easily won, but we lost it in the field of honor and in the field of ideas... "I'm leaving President Bush because
I no longer support what
we're doing in Iraq... "I'm
leaving President Bush
because our deficit grows by the day and we're mortgaging future generations." -
Christian D. de Fouloy
"No one wants to be a Republican more than I, but I can't in
good conscience vote to continue this dishonest, arrogant, ignorant and
irresponsible administration. I have two beautiful kids, and I'd love
to have them grow up in a world where they can take my grandchildren
fishing in clean streams, travel abroad without being hated, and (for
my son) not have to worry about being drafted into some unnecessary,
interminable foreign quagmire."
- Dr.
Robert Smith of Kansas City, Missouri, who voted for Bush in 2000 but
will vote for John Kerry this year.
"George
Bush led America into a war of choice based on . . . false
justification. The catastrophic toll so far: nearly 1,000 U.S. dead,
7,000 U.S. wounded, 12,000 Iraqi dead, 40,000 Iraqi wounded, untold
misery and heartbreak among surviving families, and no end in sight to
the violence. Iraq has become a rallying cry and breeding ground for a
new wave of bin Ladens. John McCain and others predict that U.S. troops
will be fighting to stabilize Iraq for at least 10 more years..."
"I have been a Republican since my teenage years. I proudly served as a senior political appointee in the Reagan and Bush senior administrations at the US Commerce Department. I believe that George W. Bush has essentially stolen my party from me. My Republican party has a core set of principles and beliefs. We don't hold these beliefs to get elected. We seek election to put these beliefs into action... "By any measure, this Administration has abandoned the prudence and caution that were the hallmarks of my Republican Party... "The President likes to talk about his tax cuts. My Republican Party knows the difference between a tax cut and a tax deferral. The $400 billion of government we didn't pay for this year, we - or our grandchildren - will still have to pay for. My Republican Party knows that the ONLY way to cut taxes is to cut spending. Unfortunately, this Administration is throwing money at any interest group it thinks it has a chance of buying votes from. But government spending doesn't hurt less just because it is a Republican writing the checks... "I am a Republican who is supporting John Kerry because I believe it is unpatriotic to stand by and do nothing while our government is bankrupted and our principles trashed. I want to be able to look my grandchildren in the eyes and say I did my best to maintain the legacy of our great country for them." "I have been a Republican since 1980 and an elected PCP
(Precinct Committee Person) since 1984. During that time I have served
on the Multnomah County Republican Central Committee, as a member of
the Multnomah County Executive Board, as a delegate to the State
Central Committee, as a delegate to the State Republican Platform
Convention, worked on numerous candidate campaigns for both state and
national office, worked on several issue based campaigns, and for eight
years I sat on a statewide legislative commission representing the
Oregon/Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church...
"As a Republican my loyalty to the party cannot be questioned, not by anyone nor for any reason. But I also have a higher loyalty; that is my loyalty to my country, to the nation, to the Republic, to the United States of America. And my loyalty to my country is second only to my loyalty to God, the Father, the Master Architect, that that created all that there is. But my loyalty to my party comes second to my loyalty to my country. And as a loyal citizen of the United States of America it is my duty and my responsibility to speak up when I believe that my country is headed in the wrong direction." |
Come Back to the Mainstream,
http://www.backtothemainstream.org/
Republican Leaders Speak Out
In a statement published August 30 in The New York Times, seventeen leaders and former elected officials called on the Republican Party to come back to the mainstream, including:
Republicans
for Change 2004" John Kerry's election will not be an end to the Republican party or irreparably harm the party. The current Republican party has been taken over by the far right and dangerous individuals who are willing to say and do anything to push an extreme agenda here at home and abroad. We cannot afford to stand by as these activists and DC insiders ruin our country and risk making the world even more dangerous than it is today.
" The time is now. This is our chance to stand up and be
counted. We do not become Republicans
to become mindless drones. We are Republicans because this is a
great country and one that cherishes freedom. Freedom to pick a new
leader every four years is our greatest freedom. Our country needs new
leadership. The best alternative for new leadership is John Kerry. "
A
Telling Shift of Allegiance, September 12,
2004, Why
Republican stalwart Hilary Cleveland, widow of 10 term GOP Congressman
James Cleveland, chairwoman of New Hampshire George H. W. Bush
presidential primary campaign in 1980, organizer and campaigner for
George W. Bush in 2000, is now heading the GOP Women for Kerry Steering
Committee. http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/bush/articles/2004/09/12/a_telling_shift_in_allegiance?mode=PF
Why
I Will Vote for John Kerry for President, John Eisenhower, September 28,
2004, http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=44657
"Sen. Kerry, in whom I am willing to place my trust, has demonstrated that he is courageous, sober, competent, and concerned with fighting the dangers associated with the widening socio-economic gap in this country. I will vote for him enthusiastically.
I celebrate, along with other Americans, the diversity of opinion in this country. But let it be based on careful thought. I urge everyone, Republicans and Democrats alike, to avoid voting for a ticket merely because it carries the label of the party of one’s parents or of our own ingrained habits."
John Eisenhower, son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, served on the White House staff between October 1958 and the end of the Eisenhower administration. From 1961 to 1964 he assisted his father in writing “The White House Years,” his Presidential memoirs. He served as American ambassador to Belgium between 1969 and 1971. He is the author of nine books, largely on military subjects.Conscientious
Objector: Why I Can't Vote for Bush, How
George W. Bush Has Betrayed Conservatives' Most Cherished Principles,
Robert A. George, October 19,
2004
"....It
really depends upon how our nation
conducts itself in foreign policy. If we're an arrogant nation, they'll
resent us.....but if we're a
humble nation they'll respect us."
Retired 
The
group, which includes
Democrats and Republicans, said Bush's foreign policy and the war in
Iraq have