Over the last several years, the Bush administration has used the tragedy of 9/11 to galvanize public support for what has been a series of failed and destructive policies. With the coming elections, however, Americans need to send the president and the Republican leadership a strong message that it is time for change.

By rejecting the politics of fear – the centerpiece of Republican campaign strategy – voters will have the opportunity to objectively review the progress made in the war on terror, the handling of homeland security and the status of other important domestic issues. Upon inspection, they will find a bloody mess in Iraq, a rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, vulnerable American ports and chemical facilities and a stagnant economy.

The list of Republican missteps is indeed long and should be a source of profound concern. This concern, however, should not be allowed to mutate into fear, no matter how serious our security and economic problems. Moreover, it is out of character for Americans to be afraid, just as it is un-American and unseemly for the president to use scare tactics to silence dissent and advance his faulty agenda.

On Election Day, the important question to ask is how the United States was placed in this despicable position. The answer – and our response to it – is clear. It’s time to hold our leaders accountable.

It’s time for change. It’s time, once again, to be unafraid.

Matthew Deschaine, Auburn