Take it from this former Nader voter: George W. Bush is the truly progressive candidate in Tuesday's election.

The 2004 presidential election is getting down to the wire and the Internet is abuzz with varying viewpoints. Among them are former or current Democrats who plan to vote for Bush. Even after the much-contested 2000 election, some former Gore supporters will be jumping ship this time around and casting their ballots for George W. Bush. But how about Nader voters who plan on voting for Bush?  

It turns out this is a subject I have some familiarity with, because the truth is, I'm one of them. I can hardly believe it in retrospect, but in 2000 I voted for Ralph Nader. No doubt I will incur the wrath of Nader-hating Democrats and fellow Republicans alike for admitting this embarrassing fact, but there you have it.

Why did I vote for Nader? Well, the fact that I was a liberal at the time had a little something to do with it.  Beyond that, disaffection with the Democratic Party combined with the visceral dislike of Republicans indoctrinated in liberals since their youth, made me turn leftward. I had already dabbled in far left politics, taking the courses in Marxism conveniently offered at my university along with stints in several leftist groups, none of which lasted very long. The Green Party offered a less extreme alternative and Nader, as their candidate, received my fall back support. Looking at it now, Nader's one trick pony anti-corporate platform and hostility for the U.S. and Israel are extremely unpalatable. But such were my politics at the time that I voted purely on emotion and even there, something was missing.

Readers who know me simply as a conservative columnist, may be surprised to hear all this. But it speaks volumes about just how much a person can change in four short years, or to be more exact three years, because it wasn't until the terrorist attacks of 9/11 that I awoke from my liberal stupor. And when I did, I looked up and realized that the president I'd always imagined for our country was staring me right in the face. George W. Bush was sincere, confident, down-to-earth, principled, compassionate, straight forward, tough, reliable, and most of all, had vision.

To a nation wounded by 9/11, Bush was the calm at the center of the storm. He not only rose to the occasion, but charted an ambitious new course for America and the world that was nothing short of revolutionary. No longer would coddling dictators and dismissing terrorist attacks be acceptable. Instead, America would lead the way in spreading democracy throughout the Arab and Muslim world. Instead of waiting for our enemies to come to us, we would take the fight to them. Now three years later, two tyrannies down, one election accomplished and one to go, anything seems possible.

That the world largely rebels against this revolutionary agenda is understandable. We're threatening the status quo and that's always a frightening prospect for those entrenched in the old ways. But in hindsight, it will be obvious who was on the right and wrong side of history.

As a former liberal who had always believed in opposing tyranny, human rights, and challenging corruption, Bush turned out to be a natural pick. Unlike the strangely conservative "progressives" I found myself surrounded by in San Francisco, Bush was the true radical. The left is fond of calling him a "radical" in fact, and in doing so, they hint at their own irrelevance. Who knew it would ever come to this, where conservatives and liberals have in effect switched places, but such is the upside down world we find ourselves in. And I know which side I want to throw my hat in with.

In going through a political transformation of this sort, I am joining the distinguished ranks of David Horowitz, Ronald Radosh, and the so-called "neocons," all of whom saw leftist politics for what it was: thinly veiled fascism. And unlike the classic liberals of yesteryear, today's leftists are willing to align themselves with anyone, as long as they threaten U.S. (and Israeli) existence. Which is why John Kerry, the quintessential hollow man who has consistently sided with America's enemies, will garner their vote. Nader supporters are few and far between this time around and most are backing Kerry in an "anyone but Bush" bid for the presidency.  But this former Nader voter will proudly cast her ballot for George W. Bush on Tuesday, the truly progressive candidate.