Joe Klein has a good and tough column on Kerry this week. I too found Kerry’s recent attempt to make the fiscal case against the Iraq war almost comically awful. But then I find most things about the Kerry candidacy almost comically awful. But Joe makes a really good point about how Kerry should tackle Bush’s incompetence in war-management:
Bush has chosen not to fight in the Sunni triangle, and the war cannot be won until he does. “You can’t allow the enemy to have sanctuaries and expect to win,” John McCain told me. “You have to go in and dig them out.” Kerry could have challenged Bush: “Fight the war, Mr. President, or bring the troops home.” It would have been blunt, strong, simple-indeed, simplistic, just as Bush often is-but it might also have put the President on the defensive for a change. Kerry wouldn’t even have to say what he would do: he could legitimately argue that would depend on the situation on the ground in January. It would also, I suspect, reflect Kerry’s true feelings: that Bush has waged an incompetent war in Iraq, which he is in serious danger of losing.
The only trouble here is that this would sound far more convincing from someone (like yours truly) who has always been an enthusiast for a well-managed war to democratize the Middle East and rout terrorists in their lairs. Kerry has a credibility gap on this, to say the least. But it’s still the right message: Mr president, you have the courage to launch vital wars; you just don’t have the competence to win them. Get out of the way before we lose this battle – and make things even worse than before 9/11. (Hat tip: Noam).
The Dish 