President Bush shares our values

The first thing outsiders notice about the Golden Plains is just that -- miles and miles of open fields and rolling hills, dotted by occasional towns and farmsteads.

Out here, when we meet another vehicle on a country road, more than likely, they'll be miffed if we don't give them a wave. We have those new county road numbers, but we're more likely to give directions like "turn left where Joe used to park his combine."

We're not without our prejudices, but we're more likely to judge an individual on his or her own merit than some false stereotype we've adopted over the years.

The truth is, most of us just don't meet that many different people in our day-to-day lives. When we do, it's an occasion. We pay attention and give the newcomer his or her due.

Out here, most of us know who we are, and we know who our neighbors are, too.

It's only a week until election day, and those of us in Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas will have many important choices to make, but perhaps none more important than which man will fill the nation's top post.

For most of us, the obvious choice is the incumbent, President George W. Bush.

Not that we don't see his faults. We wish coalition forces would have found the weapons of mass destruction we were told would be waiting when we invaded Iraq. The economy is strong, but we wish it were stronger, and gasoline prices lower. American health care is the best in the world, but we wish it were more affordable.

But, we're convinced the president has tailored his campaign to fit his basic beliefs, rather than the other way around. Yes, George W. Bush wants to be returned to office, but not at the expense of turning his back on the principles that guide him.

America can't afford to change leadership in the middle of the war in Iraq, let alone the war on terror. Turning around now would be a sign of weakness to our enemies, and indication of our national lack of resolve.

This week's revelation that Chief Justice William Rehnquist is undergoing thyroid cancer treatment underscores the important role the next president will have.

Sen. John Kerry is unlikely to nominate Supreme Court justices who share the values of most of us in Nebraska and Kansas.

In this very important election, we feel George W. Bush has the basic personal characteristics that will serve our region and our nation better in the long run.