This election will be the defining moment for the next century, not just for the US, but for the world. In 1904, Teddy Roosevelt was re-elected and undertook an aggressive internationalist foreign policy. This included intervening in the Russo-Japanese War, for which he won the Nobel Peace prize, and being the first US president to make an official trip abroad , traveling to Panama. His leadership led to the completion of the canal, and his support for the insurrection and eventual independence of the same. He sent the US Navy around the world, and implemented what was called the "Big Stick Diplomacy", whereby US would actively pursue her interests, specifically in the Western Hemisphere.

Later in his life, as Europe plunged towards war, he was at the forefront of US involvement on the side of the British, while Wilson ran for re-election on the slogan "He kept us out of war". Against this backdrop was a heavily isolationist sentiment among the majority of the population. Wilson finally had to get us into the war, only after the sheer stupidity on the part of the Kaiser ordering his subs to attack US ships.

Post World War One history is widely known. A US isolationist Senate, a vindictive Britain and France, German unrest and political instability, and fear of Bolshevism, all combined to create the scenario for fascism and later World War 2. Any high school history student could tell you those things (Of course given the state of our public schools, that might not be the case). Sadly, it seems that the democrats today and especially one in particular, running for the highest office, have forgotten that lesson.

What this election presents is a clear choice between what we as America, and who we as Americans, are. This election is a referendum, and the choice could not be clearer. On one hand, the president sees America as unique among nations, blessed with unique gifts, imbued with a unique greatness. He also understands that as Winston Churchill said, "The price of greatness is responsibility". On the other, the Senator from Massachusetts, who is more concerned with whether foreign nations like us.

In June 1940, as the Nazi machine was set to invade England, Churchill stood before the House of Commons and offered his "We shall never surrender" speech. But what most people do not know is how the speech finished.

and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.

He was summoning America to rise to her divinely appointed responsibility. He knew in his heart, that one day, we would rise and liberate the world. We did. We didn't do it by seeking approval or consensus, or "working in coordination" with our allies. Yes, we worked hand in hand with the British, and their "blood, toil, sweat, and tears" was vital to the war effort. And yes, much Australian and Canadian blood was spilled as well. And yes, political considerations were made, in particular giving Montgomery the resources for the disaster in Holland, when Patton could have driven a wedge deep into Germany.

After the war, it was again the US that led the rebuilding of Europe, not only as a bulwark against Soviet expansion, but as the example of freedom's promise. Centuries of Kaisers and Emperors were no match for the intoxicating nectar of freedom and democracy, while the ever present oasis of West Berlin that gave lie to communist propaganda in the heart of East Germany. All the while, millions of US troops manned the front lines in the Cold War, ready to defend Europe. Again.

Today, exactly 100 years after the election of Teddy Roosevelt, America faces another fateful decision. Can we afford once again to turn inward and deny our responsibility and obligation to ourselves, to the world, and to freedom's cause, for freedom's cause is our own. Can we afford, once again, to allow regional disputes to once again turn into global conflict. The global reach of jihadist inspired terrorism is already global.

This election isn't about health care, jobs, or gay marriage. This election is about whether we are going to allow fanatical Islamicists to gain control of governments through threat and coercion, and hold the free world hostage.

In 1904, had one looked back a century earlier to 1804, he'd have seen a new republic, struggling to survive, having just doubled in size from the Louisiana purchase the previous year. The greatest challenge to the country still lay 8 years in the future with British invasion. But a century of incredible progress, an horrific war, and massive demographic transformation left the US at the cusp of superpower status at the turn of the century. Yet, America chose to turn her back to the world, secured by two vast oceans, dismayed by European's unceasing penchant for warfare. The result was hundreds of millions dead, hundreds of millions enslaved under the hammer and sickle, and trillions of dollars wasted on arms instead of alms.

We can now look back a century earlier. We can see that our intransigence had fateful consequences. America has a choice to make this November. It is infinitely more important this '04 then the previous one. When the President said this will be Liberty's century, he was right, but only if Americans do the right thing. When challenged, we have always risen to the occasion. All those crosses above Normandy aren't there because the French made good wine. Their blood was the price we paid for our failures. Next time, if like the last time, the price will be a hundred fold higher. The choice is obvious.

There are many reasons that John Kerry should be kept as far away as possible from 1600 Pennsylvania. He has opposed virtually every weapons system since the sling-shot, while he fails to grasp the enormity of the threat we face. In a time of war, he is both incompetent and dangerous. But I now realize what it is that makes Kerry unfit for command, unfit to lead.

November 1992 was a most important month in US history. The country elected Bill Clinton, draft dodger and Vietnam War protestor, over a certifiable hero from the last good war, George HW Bush, who had just led a multinational coalition to remove Saddam from Kuwait. The nation finally exorcised its demons about Vietnam.

The parades for the returning troops were far out of proportion to the magnitude of the accomplishment. The parades were not for the troops from Desert Storm, but for the troops who never got a parade on their return. The parade was a national catharsis, an epiphany of sorts. It was all 12 steps. It was an intervention, a reconciliation of estranged parent/child. It was Oprah and Phil, a national self-help book all rolled into one. An exaggeration? Hardly.

If ever a nation performed a group hug, this was it. We decided once and for all, those who served in Vietnam were heroes, were worthy of our accolades, our love, praise, and our pride. And most importantly, we apologized for our sins. Those who never returned and those who didn't live long enough will not know. But their families do. And maybe, just maybe, they were looking down on us that day.

No longer would veterans hide their medals or refuse to talk about their service. Vietnam Veterans could indeed hold a variety of political ideologies. They could be liberals like John Kerry or conservatives like Duke Cunningham. But one thing was certain, the past was noble, but was not a part of the future. Vietnam was over, the pain, the anger, the distrust. Even John McCain, veteran and POW, and John Kerry, veteran and protestor, could become friends.

This election was supposed to be about how to fight global jihadism, the war on terror, and rogue states with WMD's. This election was supposed to be about how on earth we're going to pay for scores of millions of baby boomers' retirement, with an aging population, a shrinking workforce, and global pressure putting downward pressure on incomes. This election was supposed to be about whether we head further down the path of secularism, or return to a more moral based society. It was supposed to be about all things, big and small.

We elected Bill Clinton. Twice. He defeated Bush then Senator Dole, who lost the use of his right arm fighting the Nazis. The Nazis. Isn't a Nazi the worst thing possible? Seems to be for the folks at MoveOn.org. Dole fought them. WW2 didn't matter. And Vietnam didn't matter either. Senator Kerry, you even said so. You defended him against charges by Bob Kerrey, Vietnam Veteran and recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

There were many reasons to be opposed to Clinton, be it his positions on abortion, guns, taxes, etc. There were many reasons to be critical of his policies, be they foriegn or domestic. But digging into his past was a futile adventure into was and what shall never be.

So what did you do Senator Kerry? You made Vietnam not only a campaign issue, but the campaign issue. You did that. You. Not Bush. Not the Swift Vets. Not anyone but you. You can't blame your consultants, your campaign managers, your strategists. You are responsible. You're the candidate. You "reported for duty". You had the gall, the gumption, the audacity to undo everything. The nation was over Vietnam. But you dug up the past, reopened old wounds, rekindled old hatreds. You did it. You did it because you wanted the presidency more than anything. You were bigger than the presidency, the nation.

You didn't care that it would rip apart the nation again. You didn't care what the result would be. Your selfishness, your arrogance, your ambition superceded all that. How dare you do that. How dare you put yourself before the nation. How dare you think that we needed you, not just a new president, but you, John Kerry, above all else. How dare you do that.

I never served. I never had the concern of being drafted. I never faced the isolation and separation of being far away from home and deeply afraid. But I can honor those that did. I can honor and respect them, hold them in highest esteem. I can thank them everyday for the freedoms I have, the safety I enjoy. I can put pictures of military aircraft on my classroom walls and always know that if not for the brave men who climbed into those P51's, B17's, and F4U's long ago, the world would have descended into darkness. And I have every right to do so. And I do so proudly.

We are the only nation in history to occupy superpower status and only use it selflessly, not selfishly. Want to argue that? Ask any Canadian if they fear US invasion. Case closed. We are the only nation who invades to liberate, not conquer. We are the only nation willing to fight and die for an ideal, not an ideology. We are the only nation that takes land to give back to the rightful owners. We are the only nation to offer her sons to die for others, and all we ever asked for in return is a small piece of land to bury our dead. We rebuilt our enemies countries, then turned them into allies and trade partners, continued to do so for decades, and never sent them a bill. We have not always been perfect, nor true to our ideals. But we are, and always have been, the force of good and right. Always.

But you didn't just criticize the war strategy. You didn't just criticize the command and military leadership. All would have been valid and warranted. No, you went far beyond that. You relegated the most noble person on earth, the US soldier, to a rapist, plunderer, and pillager. Genghis Khan? He destroyed entire civilizations. He turned China into pasture. Had his son not choked on a chikcen bone while camping outside the gates of Europe in 1241, western civilization would be destroyed. Yes, destroyed. Not Darius crossing the Hellespont, nor Goths crossing the Rhine, nor Muslims crossing Gibraltar, nor Vikings crossing the Baltic posed as dire a threat. You must have had more than a grade school knowledge of the Mongols. You knew exactly whereof you spoke.

And yet that was over 30 years ago. It's over. Done. Finished. In the past. Let it go. But you didn't. You couldn't. You are forcing us to take sides over which veterans are telling the truth. We don't want to. We honor them all. We don't want to discuss Vietnam. We already did. We moved on. Everyone knows you served. They also know what you said in 1971. But one can't be separated from the other. If service in Vietnam is the qualifiaction for office, then your service will be evaluated. And so too will be your post-war activities.

Campaigns are supposed to be tough. They are supposed to test the mettle of a candidate before we the people give them the authority to govern. We elect people, not parties. Campaigns are the mid-terms, term papers, and finals all in one. And it works. Not perfectly, but it works.

You did this to the country. Again. You are to blame. I am angry because I don't want to feel your service to the country was disingenuous. You wore the uniform. I honor that. You opposed the war, we are a free people, and that is democracy. I wouldn't want it any other way.

You know what you did in Vietnam. You know that you wanted to go to Europe to study and avoid the draft, but were denied. You know that you enlisted in the Naval Reserves because that would reduce your chances at combat. You know that you requested swift boats because they were not involved in heavy combat. You got three flesh wounds and got out. Yet, none of that would have mattered. We wouldn't have cared. You served. Most of us didn't.

Oh sure, there would be some veterans who can never forgive and forget, and that is their right. But their complaints wouldn't have lasted a week. And trying to maintain the issue would have had the same effect it had on Clinton.

You made Vietnam the issue. You did this. You brought all this to the forefront. You are forcing us to refight an old battle, one we don't want to. If there is cosmic justice in the world, this issue will haunt you, disrupt your campaign, derail your hopes at the presidency. If there is justice, you'll join your hero McGovern as recipients of massive Republican landslides. If there is justice, you'll get a DVD of election night, as state after state falls for the president, and you'll be forced to watch it every night until that day comes when you go have to answer to those veterans whose misery you deepened, whose suffering you extended, whose courage you weakened, whose hopes you demoralized, and whose lives you chepaened.

They'll be waiting. They've been doing so for a long, long time.