the outcome of the election

[Skandranon]

I do know what I'm talking about, and it's not just about 'not liking Bush' on a personal level.  Some are equipped to disagree.  That particular poster was/is not.  At least not from what I can take from his arguments...

Well, he can hold a right to a contrary opinion, even if we think it's wrong. And being an American, his matters rather more than ours. I don't disagree with you on the cavalier nature of Bush's foreign policy, I just don't agree that we can take the absolutist position that we know more and can therefore be assuredly more right on the issue. As non-Americans, I don't think we're in a position to estimate or understand the impact of 9/11 on the American consciousness, and consequently I'm wary of passing judgment on them and their choice for president.

I'm not really all that enthusiastic about the "middle America" explanation, either. While I'm not sold on God, guns and gays as a reasonable rationale to vote for a candidate, I'm aware that there are many Americans who didn't vote Bush for that reason. Generalization's no good.

When this bubble bursts:
Things probably won't be looking so sunny with 80% of our export base in a deeeep recession.

We can certainly diversify our export base, but I do agree there is a potential problem on the horizon. Then again, the large deficit/debt isn't necessarily bad. It definitely could be, but Reagan's first term was marked by large deficits and the US made it to the Clinton years all right. Notably, Reagan's second term was also marked by a noticeable tacking towards the centre on issues. I still think there's a lot of reason to look up.

One last thing. A Kerry presidency wouldn't have magically repaired the American economy, and a lot of his solutions would have been tarifftastic, which is no good for us in a much more direct manner.