Today is the big day. The day the politicians, pundits, and the world have been waiting for. It’s Election Day.

            This presidential election is the most important of our lives. I could ramble on about this fact, but if you haven’t figured it out yet, then you probably aren’t going to. Likewise, anyone who is still undecided probably is not going to vote. But just in case there is a chance that someone reading this is still undecided, and honestly wants to make a decision, I offer these observations.

            Four years ago, we had an election not unlike this one. The polls showed the race a dead heat, and both candidates were engaged in a harsh, unrelenting war of words. The election drug on for nearly a month after the polls closed. Finally, the Supreme Court had to intervene.

            As we all know, George W. Bush was the eventual winner. His legitimacy was questioned. Many observers predicted he would essentially be a lame duck for four years. How wrong they were.

            During the early months of his administration, President Bush worked hard to get his tax cuts, one of his greatest campaign promises, passed. Many pundits said he would never do it, but he did. He understood that tax relief was crucial to helping end the recession that began under his predecessor. The recession probably would have ended then, had it not been for that day none of us will ever forget.

            On September 11, 2001, Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijacked four airplanes, and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in rural Pennsylvania. It was a day completely free of partisanship, a day that we all came together in a way most of us had never seen.

            The tragedy of 9/11 was not a partisan issue. The people who died that day were Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Greens, Libertarians, apolitical. They were Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Agnostics, Atheists, and countless other faiths. They were innocent men and women doing their jobs, when their lives were ended prematurely by evil forces led by the terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

            President Bush quickly sprang to action. He consoled America, offering a reassurance that we would find and kill those responsible. He also went out of his way to protect peaceful Muslims living in the U.S.

            The war in Afghanistan was a war supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. Rightfully so, because it was the right war. The brutal, oppressive Taliban regime was removed from power, and the road to democracy began. Today, the terror training camps in Afghanistan have been closed, and the remaining Al Qeada and Taliban are reduced to hiding in caves, releasing videos occasionally.

            It was the second war that is the most controversial. The war in Iraq divided many Americans. Had Bush not invaded Iraq, he would probably be coasting to victory today. Bush knew that the road to democracy in Iraq would be long and arduous, but he understood that making tough calls is part of leadership. He worked hard to get other countries aboard, but he also knew what was best articulated by Margaret Thatcher: “Consensus is the lack of leadership.” The right thing is not always the most popular thing.

            President Bush guided our nation to war in Iraq with a strong coalition, and with the support of 77 U.S. Senators (John Kerry and John Edwards among them). Everyone saw the intelligence, and everyone recognized that Saddam Hussein was a threat. Everyone knew that he murdered over a million of his people.

            I realize that many of you opposed the war in Iraq. That is fine, you are entitled to your opinion and I certainly respect that. But I would ask these questions: If you are so against the war, why are you supporting Kerry? Do you not realize that he voted for the war? Do you not know that he actually wants to increase the number of troops in Iraq? Why are you supporting this man, instead of Ralph Nader, who truly is antiwar, and always has been?

            Osama bin Laden is still alive, as we all saw last week. He is still plotting attacks on our soil. The defining question of this campaign is which candidate can better protect us from terrorists. Since 9/11, we have had zero attacks on our soil, save for the “Beltway sniper.” Had anyone told me on September 11, 2001 that we would go three years with no further attacks, I would not have believed them. But such is the case.

            It is a crucial election. Do not take your vote lightly.

John Brown (www.johnnorrisbrown.com) is a senior in political science and history at the University of Tennessee @ Knoxville. Contact him at johnnyb325@aol.com. This column originally appeared in the November 2, 2004 edition of The Daily Beacon entitled "Voting should not be taken lightly in 2004 election", available here.