Salon: Missing in Action (Kerry)

[kskiska]

As the war in Iraq spins out of control, why isn't John Kerry launching a frontal assault on Bush's failed policies?

As the war in Iraq seemed to spiral out of control -- with more than 30 U.S. soldiers and hundreds of Iraqis killed since the weekend, with the charred corpses of American citizens hanging from a bridge in Fallujah and Iraqi kidnappers threatening to burn foreigners alive, with Shiite and Sunni uprisings making a mockery of Bush administration claims that Americans would be "greeted as liberators" -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry traveled to Washington Wednesday to deliver a major policy address at Georgetown University. His subject: the federal budget deficit.

The subject was much the same for the Kerry campaign all week. This was the week Kerry campaign planners penciled in budget talk, and they weren't about to let the war bump them off message. For much of the week, the only hint of Iraq on the Kerry campaign's home page was a small-type link to a speech Kerry gave in Iowa when Saddam Hussein was captured four months ago. On Thursday morning, the Web site featured a waving American flag and a milquetoast comment from Kerry minimizing his differences with the president and honoring the sacrifices of fallen soldiers.

And even when Iraq fit into Kerry's budget message, the Kerry camp steered clear of it. Explaining the absence of Iraq funding in a budget analysis the campaign released this week, Kerry surrogate Sen. John Corzine said: "We wanted to make sure this wasn't focused on the debate about whether we should or shouldn't support our troops."

Iraq is exploding in Bush's lap, but Kerry seems to be the one running scared. Although Kerry has made sporadic comments about Iraq throughout the week -- in a radio interview Wednesday, he called the war "one of the greatest failures of diplomacy and failures of judgment that I have seen in all the time that I've been in public life," and on Thursday he repeated his attack on Bush's unilateralist approach to the war -- he has not made the war a centerpiece of his campaign. As a young naval officer just back from Vietnam, John Kerry had the courage to help lead the nation out of one misguided military adventure; as a U.S. senator and presidential candidate, why is Kerry so cautious, so careful, so tentative now?

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http://salon.com/news/feature/2004/04/09/missingkerry/index.html

[Gloria]

1. Because Wes Clark is out there explaining the difference between

a military and political solution.

However, it would be a helluva lot more effective if Clark was already named as the VP nominee. Right now, he looks like he's alone out there as an "analyst." Don't get me wrong...Clark IS effective...but his comments would get a lot more mainstream attention if he was talking as the VP nominee.

Kerry needs to get off the mark...Name Clark and have both barrels firing...or if it's not Clark, disappoint me now so that I can get over it in time for November....

[w13rd0]

6. Why pay for the ring when...

...you can get the boom-boom for free?

[dae]

11. Was that Plato or Plutarch? I always get those two confused. ;-)

:kick:;)

[still_one]

2. He has talked about the bush failure in Iraq

[IndianaGreen]

9. "a milquetoast comment from Kerry"

Kerry supports Bush's strategy of staying in Iraq until the situation "stabilizes." We could be in Iraq for as long as Israel has been in the Occupied Territories with nothing to show for it other than casualties and misery.

The only thing Kerry offers about Iraq that is different from Bush is that Kerry thinks he can do a better job as a colonial occupier than the Chimp.

That is not the sort of leadership we need to end the conflict and to bring the troops home.

[Merlin]

14. Indie, I disagree.

First, I assume you would agree that we cannot simply cut and run. That would be an even greater disaster than the one we've already caused.

Second, get out we must. I have no question Kerry agrees with that. None at all.

So that leaves the question of how we leave in such a way as to permit a stable Iraq, as much as possible, to be left in our wake.

Kerry is irrevocably committed to the exact opposite of the Bush unilateral approach. He has stated numerous times his support for going to the UN, turning over CONTROL to the UN and agreeing to participate in a multinational peacekeeping UN lead force that would remain in Iraq until asked to leave by a democratically elected Iraqi government.

This consititutes a significant difference from the status quo, and, imo, the only possible rational path to take at this point.

[lolly]

3. Possible strategy

AWOL isn't gaining anything on Kerry now, despite all the $ he's spent; as far as I can see from polls (I know, I know; they're not as reliable as they claim) the two are in a dead heat.

So, if they can stay in a dead heat for a few more months, with AWOL pouring out huge chunks of his massive war chest just to stay even, maybe Kerry is hoping he can start revving it up closer to the election and pull away?

[Gloria]

4. Possibly...but a campaign has to know when and how to spin on a dime

and take the opening, and go after Bush's policies. It can be done surgically, without descending to the level of what the Bushitas would do.

Which is what Clark is doing...but if Kerry is going to be a leader, he has to get out there and basically say what Clark is saying...which is a very clear analysis of the situation, nothing hysterical or as cheaply exploitive like Bush does.

If he can't do this now, to deliver a serious or possibly mortal blow to Bush, then I'm afraid the Bushies will somehow recover. They won't worry one bit about exploiting the situation if they can.

[jobycom]

5. He'd be stupid to say anything right now

What would be the point? From a leadership role, he would only add hope to the Iraqi insurgents that they were splitting our government. That would increase fighting, and cause more deaths, and Kerry could not do anything to change Bush's policies to fix anything anyway.

From a political standpoint, never bash your opponent when your opponent is beating himself about the neck and head with his own baton. Bush is taking an intense beating. Nothing Kerry says could make it worse for Bush. But it could backfire on Kerry. If Kerry were seen as opportunistic (and Bush would work hard to make him seem that way) people would turn against him. Nothing to gain, too much to lose. Don't give Bush anything he can put in a commercial later if things change. And if Kerry attacked Bush as a failed leader in Iraq, and tomorrow everything fell into place for Bush, Kerry loses big.

Kerry is playing it fine. Bush's foreign affairs policy is imploding and being exposed as fraudulent. So Kerry doesn't have to do anything. He's focussing on the economy instead. Sure, no one's listening, but it gives Kerry a chance to fine-tune his message. He's taking a page straight out of Clinton's playbook on that.

When the battles settle down, or when they become common enough that they aren't such shocking headlines, then Kerry points out Bush's failures and proposes his own plans.

There's a long way to go to November. The lead will change half a dozen times between now and then. If not, merry Christmas, but Kerry has to plan on it. All this is fuel for September and October, not now.

[jfxgillis]

8. Couldn't have said it better myself

The Salon article is juvenile and short-sighted, and it betrays a complete ignorance of the way the contemporary mainstream media works.

One story. Simple. In 10 second bytes.

All Kerry piping now would do is add static. It's probably WORSE for Bush that Kerry IS NOT adding to the caophony, if only because it deprives the Righty-media attack machine of an easy target.

[Jade Fox]

15. Yes! agree completely....

[WilliamPitt]

7. Never get in the way of a perfectly good train wreck

[fairfaxvadem]

10. Exactly what we were saying over a beer tonight...

Kerry is playing it smart using the old "Give 'em enough rope and they'll hang themselves."

They always do. Especially these crazy Republicans. Guess they didn't do much "pattern recognition" in their meetups over the years.

[Merlin]

13. Absolutely right.

People are drawing their own conclusions about Iraq right now. If Kerry became too vocal at a time like this, it would play into the Bush efforts to portray him as a sabateur of US troops--as they're trying to do to him re: his gutsy VVAW days.

There will be time...

[shoopnyc123]

12. Clark would be a good VP...

in light of what Kerry would inherit in the middle east. The next presidency will be a one note presidency.

[pacifictiger]

16. with Bush's "strategies"

of war president backfiring on him now, it is THE perfect time for Kerry to focus his energies on formulating and fine tuning his policies and gathering his team in preparation for a full frontal attack will both barrels blazing following the dem convention and "official" nomination. The bow that takes the time to draw back will shoot the arrow further.