Here’s another good piece by Brendan Miniter on the decision facing America in tomorrow’s election: What’s at Stake.

In a tight electoral race it’s possible to imagine that there really isn’t much of a difference between the two candidates. One may be liberal and the other conservative, but it’s easy to assume that because each man speaks to a sizable portion of the electorate, either is just as likely to deliver peace and prosperity. It’s easy to imagine that after all the hot air is expended in Washington, life for average Americans outside the Beltway isn’t really going to change that much.

It would be a mistake to draw such a conclusion this year. Tomorrow’s election is the most consequential since Ronald Reagan sought re-election in 1984 and perhaps on par with the Gipper’s run in 1980. The reason for this is simple: Sept. 11. On that day this nation suffered the most devastating attack on its soil since World War II and was jarred into the hard reality of confronting the threat of our time. This confrontation has been long in coming, and now the electorate will weigh in on it.

It’s tempting to think that al Qaeda is a localized problem and, although a concern, not something that can seriously undermine our way of life. After all, if Israel can survive in the face of daily terrorist attacks, why can’t this nation as well? That, apparently, is what the Spanish electorate decided earlier this year. And it is one of the arguments of Michael Moore’s propaganda film “Fahrenheit 9/11.” But the truth is that America does not have such a “luxury.” America stands as a symbol to the world that a society based on liberty is indeed possible and, yes, preferable. Because of that, the threat we face goes far beyond the few attacks a collection of thugs could pull off. This is a battle over the future of liberty at home and abroad.