Paul Johnson: Kerry Must Be Stopped, Bush Must Win

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Paul Johnson is an Englishman and a prominent historian. His op-ed piece on Tuesday's election is here. Excerpts:

The great issue in the 2004 election—it seems to me as an Englishman—is,
How seriously does the United States take its role as a world leader, and how
far will it make sacrifices, and risk unpopularity, to discharge this duty with
success and honor? In short, this is an election of the greatest significance,
for Americans and all the rest of us. It will redefine what kind of a country
the United States is, and how far the rest of the world can rely upon her to
preserve the general safety and protect our civilization. . . .

I don’t recall any occasion, certainly not since the age of FDR, when so
much partisan election material has been produced by intellectuals of the Left,
not only in the United States but in Europe, especially in Britain, France, and
Germany. These intellectuals—many of them with long and lugubrious records of
supporting lost left-wing causes, from the Soviet empire to Castro’s aggressive
adventures in Africa, and who have in their time backed Mengistu in Ethiopia,
Qaddafi in Libya, Pol Pot in Cambodia, and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua—seem to
have a personal hatred of Bush that defies rational analysis. . . .

I cannot recall any election when the enemies of America all over the world
have been so unanimous in hoping for the victory of one candidate. That is the
overwhelming reason that John Kerry must be defeated, heavily and
comprehensively.

Well, I certainly agree. I hope Tuesday's voters do too.