In my last few columns, I refrained from using Sept. 11 to convince anyone that Kerry is the right man for the job of president. However, this week the partisan gloves are coming off, and attacks on President Bush’s claim of being more capable of making America safer will be made.

First, let me defend the sitting president on a particular issue. It is true that during the Sept. 11 attacks Bush showed exemplary leadership. From the evacuation of the vice president and congressional leaders to Air Force One flying to the North American Aerospace Defense Command in Nebraska, Americans knew that our government was still in charge.

Second, Michael Moore attacks the fact Bush sat in a classroom for seven minutes before taking action. All I can say is that I would be worried if he had not shown any form of human reaction to what we all agree was a tragic day in our nation’s history. No one attacks Rudy Giuliani for shedding tears; some could call that a sign of weakness. So for me, Bush demonstrating a seven-minute period where his body exhibited the fight-or-flight response to danger is not a concern.

In my view, Bush was a powerful rallying point for our country during that time, and it’s clear that at the end of the seven-minute period he chose to fight. Having said some nice things about Bush, I will not hold back on my criticisms of his policies and values.

In November 2002, CBS News reported on the military’s desperate need for interpreters during a time of a tragic shortage of skilled linguists. Yet, despite this fact, the military saw it necessary to discharge nine qualified linguists, six of whom were capable of translating Arabic, due to the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

In the latest issue of The Advocate, a report shows that 3,000 gay and lesbian military personnel have been discharged since 1998 under this policy. In 2001, there were 1,273 discharges, and in 2003 there were 787. Do the math, and it’s easy to see that more than two-thirds of the discharges since 1998 occurred on Bush’s watch.

I’m sure someone out there might find it amusing and funny to claim that those service members are cowards unwilling to fight the war on terror, but that would be a disservice to the estimated 50,000 service members who hide and lie about their sexuality on a daily basis in order to continue fighting for our country.

How can we as an electorate claim that Bush will be a stronger leader more capable of protecting America from terrorists when he so willingly casts aside qualified and patriotic soldiers? How can we claim a better capability to find and root out terrorists when the vital challenge of the language barrier is more difficult to overcome due to a shortage of interpreters only made worse by casting aside qualified gays and lesbians?

The true measure of leadership is doing what is in the best interest of the country. When John Kerry testified against the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, something he did during an apparently “nonexistent” Senate career, he knew that it would weaken our military. Republicans like to hold up distorted interpretations of Senate votes to say John Kerry has consistently voted to weaken our military, but in this case, who is really weakening our defenses?

Why then would Bush not use the bipartisan support after Sept. 11 to repeal this unwise Clinton policy? The Republican platform passed during their convention gives insight into their agenda by stating that homosexuality is incompatible with military service, in addition to stating opposition to discrimination laws, same-sex marriage and civil unions.

It’s easier to make an argument that homosexuals don’t deserve equal rights when there are no gay heroes in the public eye. If Americans knew the number of gays who died protecting them from terrorists, it would be harder to hold the divisive positions the Bush administration apparently supports.

This is why John Kerry, who welcomes the gay community into the American mainstream, is more qualified than Bush to protect our country. He passes the test of leadership.