To ensure that President Bush leaves the White House in 2005, one of the nine Democratic candidates needs to step up to the plate. They need to stress issues in areas Bush has had difficulty handling. It is true Bush has been faced with many overwhelming challenges during his presidency. Having to deal with 9/11, terrorist groups, the war in Iraq, and post-war issues have proven to be a difficult learning experience for Bush and the American people. We have seen the trial and error in his attempts to hunt down terrorist groups in Afghanistan, and watched, confused, as all military work was quickly diverted to Iraq. Under Bush’s plan, it is clear this process is going to be a long one. Our Democratic candidate needs to have a strong opinion and plan of action for postwar solutions.

Also, because most attention was diverted to America’s actions overseas, Bush’s actions have been disappointing on other issues that are closer to home. Bush seems to have little to no concern for the environment. According to www.democrats.org, he has cut budgets for environmental agencies, has allowed power plants to increase their amount of pollution, and has made it more difficult to add new names to the endangered species list. The economy has also suffered under Bush’s presidency. According to the same site, the federal budget deficit has increased from $29.2 billion to $54.2 billion in the last year. The number of jobs created has hit an alltime low during Bush’s term as well.

We need a president who can reduce our use of natural resources and allow us to catch up with the rest of the world. For example, the United States is behind other countries in its use of efficient vehicles. In other parts of the world, new cars are being put on the road that save on energy use, but America is still driving the biggest automobiles and guzzling gas on the road today.

Few of the Democratic candidates have strong opinions on the situation in Iraq. This needs to change in order to create a strong Republican counterattack. Most have focused mainly on homeland security. For example, Sen. John Edwards prioritizes strengthening America’s borders and having more extensive procedures for emergencies, according to his Web site johnedwards2004.com. Sen. John Kerry says on his Web site, johnkerry.com, that he will direct more attention from the National Guard and Americorps to national security issues. His plan is to train more first responders and have more equipment ready for use at any sign of trouble.

Sen. Joe Lieberman has shown to have the most focused plan for finding peace in Iraq. He has been working on a bill to lay foundations for democracy, meeting humanitarian needs and promoting prosperity (joe2004.com). Although most other candidates shied away from the issue of procedures in rebuilding Iraq, all believed that having international allies was especially important for Iraq’s future to be a success.

A strong Democratic candidate must be well-balanced in issues other than terrorist and postwar problems. Gov. Howard Dean’s environmental plans stood out in creativity from the other candidates. According to deanforamerica.com, Dean’s first action will be to bring the Environmental Protection Agency to the full attention of the cabinet. He sees environmental issues as being interwoven with all issues. The environment affects agriculture and other business progress; it also affects our health. Dean wants to embrace change, finding alternatives to the use of natural resources and creating new jobs in energy technology.

A stronger economy depends on more than tax cut proposals, which seem to be commonplace across the board of presidential candidates. To turn the economy around, it will require job openings and opportunities for small businesses. Something also needs to be done to cap the ability of large companies such as Wal-Mart and others from taking over entire business variety in towns and small cities. Sen. John Kerry’s proposal was striking in his confidence in economy ideas. Out of 3 million jobs lost during Bush’s term, Kerry believes his plan will replace all of them within the first 500 days of his administration.

His other economy-building strategies include renewing cities, training workers, getting financial help to states in need and supporting ways to help small businesses invest and expand.

It’s time to shift gears and pull away from the humiliating direction in which Bush has lead our country.

The Democratic candidates have creative ideas among them; however, in order to be a strong leader, one of the nine needs more creativity in their ideas across the board. We need a well-rounded president to create a well-rounded America.