Will,

Thanks for the insight. Not trying to pick on you, but am curious about what or when the scales finally tipped. Going into the 2000 election, Bush ran a good campaign. I think the people who voted for him (except maybe those who simply vote for a particular party) would agree. No, I did not vote for him, but based on the campaign he ran, he certainly had my attention. By 2004, we had the ability to evaluate Bush's campaign rhetoric with his action/inaction in office. Yet many of the reasons you express for 'regretting Bush' predate the 2004 election, so what changed for you from 2004 to now? How 'strong' was your support of Bush going into the 2004 election?

Also, you and I have discussed third party candidates and the difficulty third parties have in 'breaking into the game' (an easy cure is Instant Runoff Voting- which both republicans and democrats vehemently oppose as it could break their lock on government). So rather than not vote, why not vote for a third party candidate? Vote your dreams, not your fears? Granted, there may not be a third party candidate that represents your 'dreams' but given that no candidate is perfect, there should be someone that was close. Badnarik?

"Our democracy is but a name. We vote? What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real, though not avowed, autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee." ~Helen Keller