Andrew Busch explains that Kerry has a problem in the way he talks about Iraq, and a choice to make: "With seven weeks to go until election day, John Kerry remains unsure of how to respond to George W. Bush’s lead. Looking for an issue with which to gain traction, Kerry has begun arguing that the Iraq war has drained national resources away from pressing domestic concerns.
He is tapping into a potential source of real discontent, the concern by many Americans over the deficit and the ever-higher financial cost of the war. However, it is not clear that Kerry’s message will overcome the muddle in his campaign thus far.
Kerry faces two key questions. He must decide whether to continue and sharpen this line of attack or drop it and try something else. If he decides to continue, he must decide whether to emphasize that war money could have been spent on domestic programs or that it ballooned the deficit."
I believe that Kerry loses either way on this. If he keeps trying to make the case that the money is better spent here, there’s an easy way to deflate that...
Bush: "oh yah? Then why did you vote to authorize the war", or, "are you saying you will only fight the war against terror if it doesn’t cost too much?", or better still, "so, what price ARE you willing to pay for America’s security?"
More and more I think voters are realizing that Kerry wants to be president so he can fly AF1, or have power, or some self serving thing. The voters will reject this egotistical teenager and vote for the adult we have now.