John Kerry deserves to serve his country again by being our next president. He clearly won the first debate on several fronts.

We have overextended ourselves in the Middle East and have only given the terrorists the ammunition that they need for further attacks on our troops.

The war is not simply “hard work” as the president repeated. Our people are dying and are under constant fire.

In the meantime, the actual weapons of mass destruction were being assembled in North Korea, and President Bush has no idea how to deal with that issue. He has no idea what he will do in Iraq. He doesn’t know how to lead this country.

Kerry pointed out that he has a clear plan on how to win the war and begin to bring our troops home by inviting other countries back to the table.

Bush simply turned them away and now we have no support in this ongoing chaos.

We need a clear plan, and Kerry offered it during the debate.

“Bringing it on” was not a plan and has taken us down a destructive path that has tarnished our reputation in the world.

John Kerry is the only man who can restore our image on the international front, give our troops the respect they deserve and bring them home in a timely fashion.

That is more than “hard work.”

That requires thoughtful decisiveness because our future is on the line.

Kristine Kimball, Lewiston