What is at stake tomorrow?

I sit here in my living room, clicking away at this screen, having kissed my 17 month old son goodnight. Truth be told, He's yet to understand the kiss goodnight. To him, the kiss goodnight is the opportunity to show Daddy his newfound prowess at jumping to and fro on the bed. And what can Daddy say? Daddy is a sucker for such things. Is there a parent alive who can keep a straight face while watching a child fighting sleep so deliriously that he resorts to doing a drunken touchdown dance in gleeful gyrations? Just picture a guy who's just crossed the goal line, spiked the ball, and is treating himself and the fans to a running-in-place, knee-pumping victory boogie and you have a pretty good picture of what I just witnessed my little nut of son doing. Even now, he has yet to settle down as I can hear him in there with Mommy, making the silliest sounds and pronouncements his delirium can fathom. And if I know Mommy she's in there muffling a laugh just like Daddy would be.

I love them so.

And so it is with a bit of trepidation that I look toward tomorrow. For if tomorrow turns out badly, I will feel as if some deleterious threat just took a treacherous step closer to them. The excruciating anguish attendant to that step is that I cannot prevent it alone. I must rely on America to help me. For one day, I must look to America to stand with me to protect my wife and child. That is frightening both for my family's sake and for America's sake. Frightening for my family for the reasons stated above and frightening for America because, while the love of my family is obviously foremost, I'm not afraid to admit that I love America too. Therefore, I don't want America to let me down. I want, rather, America to rise in unison with me in protecting the things I most cherish.

I am anxious about tomorrow because I want my son to continue being silly and the purest miracle in my life. I want my wife to continue to smile and be the purest love of my life. While I don't expect these things to change no matter the outcome, I don't want the slightest erosion to occur in the defense of these things.

I want America to be my friend tomorrow and tell me that it wants these things too. I hope it will.

Don't get me wrong, however. If America chooses a path different than the one I would choose, I will take that path along with her. I will continue to kiss my wife and my child in America and we will make our way foreword with love and joy even though the road just turned a bit rough and rocky. We will continue to be forever grateful that America is ours.

If John Kerry were to somehow be elected tomorrow, he cannot destroy that. He too shall pass.

I pray that America has the courage to re-elect George W. Bush tomorrow. I pray that we will do the right thing.