Tom Friedman (implicitly) endorses Kerry

(Apologies if this has already been diaried -- it's not in the last 50, and I was away from Kos all day yesterday canvassing/phonebanking.)

I don't know what to think about Tom Friedman.  On one hand, his occasional shilling for the neocon agenda pisses me off to no end (much more than, say, Safire, who has his head up his ass -- Friedman really should know better).  On the other, the man can write, and he occasionally comes up with a real winner.  Today's column is an example.  On the surface, the column is an endorsement of Bush Sr. for president (echoing Lincoln Chafee).  But if you read all the way through, it's pretty clear who he's really endorsing.

Highlights and more below the jump.

I am endorsing George Bush for president. No, no - not George W. Bush. I am endorsing his father - George Herbert Walker Bush.

The more I look back on the elder Bush - Bush 41 - the more I find things to admire and the more I see attributes we need in our next president.

Let's start with domestic policy. The elder George Bush was the real uniter, not divider, the real believer in a kinder, gentler political dialogue ... In 1990, the elder Bush sided with Congressional Democrats to raise taxes, because he knew it was the right thing for the economy, despite his famous "Read my lips" pledge not to raise new taxes.

On foreign policy, the elder Bush maintained a healthy balance between realism and idealism, unilateralism and multilateralism, American strength and American diplomacy. He believed that international institutions like the U.N. could be force multipliers of U.S. power ... The alliance that Mr. Bush, Brent Scowcroft and James A. Baker III built to drive Saddam out of Kuwait had so many allies it virtually turned a profit for America ... In short, the elder Bush understood the importance of acting in the world - but acting wisely, with competence and preparation.

Good stuff -- while it doesn't directly mention the actions of Bush II, the contrast makes a clear and convincing case that he has abandoned the ideals of his father's party.  But the last few paragraphs really drive the point hone:

So as we approach this critical election of 2004, my advice, dear readers, is this: Vote for the candidate who embodies the ethos of George H. W. Bush - the old guy. Vote for the man who you think would have the same gut feel for nurturing allies and restoring bipartisanship to foreign policy as him. Vote for the man you think understands the importance of facing up to our fiscal responsibilities for the sake of our children. And vote for the man who has the best instincts for balancing realism and idealism and the man who understands the necessity of using energetic U.S. diplomacy to make Israel more secure - by helping to bring it peace with its Arab neighbors, not just more tours from American Christian fundamentalists.

Yes, next Tuesday, vote for the real political heir to George H. W. Bush. I'm sure you know who that is.

Anyone who's been paying attention for the past year shouldn't need a translator for that one.

This is one to send to your old-school, Reagan/Bush I-supporting Republican friends in one last push to convince them that Dubya has abandoned the true ideals of the Republican party.