Friday, October 22, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

Lance Dickie / Seattle Times editorial columnist

Three reasons for cheer as the end draws near

Here are three humble predictions for an election now mercifully only 10 days away:

• Democrat John Kerry will capture the White House. The surprise will be the number of Republicans who help him win the presidency.

• Democrat Christine Gregoire will be elected governor, as voters recognize one of the best-prepared candidates in state history.

• Republican Rob McKenna's combination of intellect and temperament will attract Democrats to his side and victory.

Dismay at President Bush's war of choice in Iraq crosses party lines. Legions of people are upset by what were either grotesque errors of judgment or was delusional hubris leading up to the war. The failure to anticipate or plan for the bloody aftermath raises fundamental issues of competence.

One name illustrates the administration's attitude and failure: Gen. Eric Shinseki.

He was the Army chief of staff swept aside after he testified it would take hundreds of thousands of troops to keep the peace in Iraq. His advice was ignored by an administration that refused to acknowledge any deviation from its preconceived notions. It would become a familiar pattern.

Iraq is important, but I hear from traditional, conservative Republicans — many with a lot of gray in their hair — who are appalled by the deficits spawned by the president's unfettered spending and simultaneous tax cuts. Likewise, they are perplexed by the failure of an apparently neutered GOP majority in Congress to apply any political or fiscal brakes on the White House.

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For reference, the Seattle TImes is a Republican paper.