That's the conundrum. With the scope of campaigns these days, it is impossible to be "in the loop" on everything. Of course, when there's backlash, you certainly do wish you were in the loop on that. People are human, and I do not think we should judge people on isolated incidents. I look at a person and a candidate on the basis of the whole.
I look at the whole of Bush, and I do not like what I see. Sure, it is very notable that he took some very big chances with the war on terrorism and succeeded, but I personally do not like how he infuses his brand of morality into politics--a brand of morality that I do not share, in spite of the fact that we are both Christian--and I do not like his spending habits. For all the hundreds of billions we spent, where is this money to repair our infrastructure? Our cities are gross, and, especially if you have seen cities like Toronto or the major European cities, you come to realize that rampant urban decay really *isn't* necessary.
I believe that we need a leader with vision. I don't know if Dean is that person yet, but I know that our current leader does not.
Melon