Upon his arrival in Washington more than twos decades ago, Mr Gore set out to master the intricacies of arms control and foreign policy. He broke with his party to support the war against Iraq in 1991. He was an advocate of military force in the Balkans, and today he calls for a more muscular approach to using American forces to protect the country's security interests and prevent genocidal conflicts abroad. We have expressed concern here that Mr Gore might sometimes be too eager to project power overseas. But it is also true that Mr Bush's repeated objections to using troops for peacekeeping and nation-building do not add up to a mature national-security vision. Neither does his promise to rely on his running mate, former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, and his likely secretary of state, Colin Powell. Mr Gore will have advisers, but he will not need a minder. He understands that to influence the allies an American president must lead from the front.Mr Gore has said that abortion rights are on the ballot in this election. So are other issues such as civil liberties, environmental protection and gun control. The next president may appoint up to five Supreme Court justices and thereby exercise a lasting impact on the daily lives of Americans. A court tilted by conservative Bush appointees could overturn Roe Vs Wade and assert a doctrine of states' rights that would take environmental protection out of federal hands. Ralph Nader and his supporters are not simply being delusional when they say there is no real difference between these candidates. They are being dishonest, and dangerously so. Mr Gore brings a lifelong record of protecting basic rights for women, minorities and gays, while Mr Bush has almost no record at all. The vice president has been the driving force in this administration's environmental successes. Mr Bush is for an unrealistic regimen of negotiating with industry on air and water problems and for letting oil companies loose in sensitive areas. Most citizens know that Mr Gore wins any comparison with Mr Bush on experience and knowledge. Yet many voters seem more comfortable with Mr Bush's personality. We do not dismiss this desire for someone who they feel does not talk down to them. But it is important to remember that the nation's prosperity, environmental progress and guarantees of civil rights and reproductive freedom took years to build. They could be undone in a flash by a pliable and inexperienced president driven by a highly ideological Congress. Mr Gore does have a tendency to be patronising and to exaggerate. But he has a career of accomplishment that can stand on its own without exaggeration. Voting for him is not a gamble on unknown potential. We support Mr Gore in the firm believe that he will go just as far in bringing ``honour and dignity'' back to the White House as Mr Bush, and that he will bring an extra measure of talent and conviction as well. His seriousness of purpose, his commitment to American leadership in the world and his concern for those less fortunate convince us that he will lead the country into a creative, productive and progressive era.
