The war on terror has taken a back seat to the war of words. In all three presidential debates, President Bush denigrated John Kerry as a “Massachusetts liberal,” as if this caricature embodies the evil trinity of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.

Labels have proven their enduring appeal in this campaign. As the election nears, politics is the id‚e fixe at Iowa State, and epithets such as “flip-flopper” are hurled with partisan fervor at Kerry.

“Creepy” is the latest addition to this arsenal of insults, offered by one of my Republican friends during dinner conversation last week. “Kerry creeps me out,” she declared matter-of-factly between forkfuls of spaghetti. At the time, I giggled, a bit perplexed at how a lanky old guy could frighten anyone (maybe it’s the eyebrows?).

To me, “creepy” evokes a far more sinister image. For example, reinstating the draft is creepy.

Sen. Tom Harkin echoed what government officials have known all along: Iraq and Afghanistan are a huge drain on our armed forces, and a pre-emptive military strategy necessitates future confrontations with Iran and North Korea, for which we do not have nearly enough troops.

“Creepy” also means not knowing if fellow ISU students will return safely from Iraq, or how many more will have to go, because Bush had no exit strategy for the war. Facing unemployment as debt-ridden college graduates is creepy, because the president hasn’t challenge his greedy CEO friends who outsource the jobs for which we spent four years getting qualified.

The federal government’s long arm reaching into women’s reproductive organs is creepy.

“Liberal,” synonymous with “open-minded” and “progressive,” has recently entered our lexicon of dirty words, and is used to challenge Kerry’s senate record.

But why is liberalism shameful? Let’s not forget that it was liberals who fought for women’s rights in the workplace, outlawed atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons and passed legislation giving blacks the right to vote. A liberal political tradition is one that upholds civil and human rights.

On the other hand, “compassionate conservative” has the twofold appeal of Mother Teresa and apple pie. Under this “compassionate” administration, 1.6 million private sector jobs have been lost, and tax cuts for the wealthy have converted a $236 million budget surplus into a $415 billion deficit.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, college tuition costs across the nation have soared by 35 percent since Bush took office, and his Clear Skies Act has a provision allowing coal-fired plants to emit 520 percent more toxic mercury into the air. How thoughtful.

During Bush’s “culture of life” crusade, more than 1,000 American soldiers and 12,000 Iraqi civilians have died to capture a man who had no connection whatsoever with al-Qaida, according to the Sept. 11 Commission. Every day, 49 people die in America because they lack health insurance, and all of that toxic mercury kills up to 200 people daily.

Now it’s my turn to label him: President Bush is a “fair-weather philanthropist.” With America’s current condition, he generously tosses the torch of responsibility onto others, and cannot think of any mistakes he’s made in the past four years. Even those of us who are unemployed know that job evaluations don’t work that way. If there were currently a victory in Iraq and a flourishing economy, would he have been as eager to share the credit?

“Liberals want progress, but that requires change and people are afraid,” commented one of my peers during a class discussion on Tuesday.

It’s true — Bush is a masterful puppeteer, yanking at the emotional strings of Americans, launching a campaign based on fear, the crux of which is “Vote for me, or else Osama and the liberals will getcha!” Young people are especially vulnerable to this rhetoric since they face so many uncertainties.

But in his own words, President Bush can run, but he cannot hide. His creepy record speaks for itself.

Zoya Arora is a senior in finance from Morgantown, W. Va. She is a member of the

ISU Democrats.