When I was 5, I cried over a presidential election. The candidate my parents supported lost.

This morning I found myself in tears again. I will vote for Kerry. Kerry would be an improvement over Bush. Boss Tweed would be an improvement over Bush.

But John Kerry supported the war in Iraq. He voted for the patriot act. He supported Bush's No Child Left Behind bill. He has his excuses for all of these. But they boil down to the fact that he long ago abandoned his ideals to stay in office.

Kerry will make it easier to split the Democratic party. I wouldn't put it past the Bush/Rove slime machine to spread the idea that the difference between Kerry and Bush is the difference between 50% and half. Ralph Nader is raising funds for another run for the White House. Candidate Kerry's record will mean progressive Democrats will vote for Nader, or not vote at all.