Excellent Joe Klein advice-get succinct,/ lethal, response to platitudes

[papau]

http://www.time.com/time/election2004/columnist/klein/article/0,18471,699348,00.html

Bush's Iraq: A Powerful Fantasy(w/ virtue of unprovable clever distortion of reality)

By JOE KLEIN

"all of Bush's statements have the virtue of being either true, truish or unprovable. His argument is tight, concise and, so far, impregnable. It is also a clever distortion of reality."

(Painted as) "flip-flopping incompetent when it comes to national security. It will be hard for Kerry to change that impression. In fact, he has only one chance remaining, in the presidential debates.

I've never seen George Bush lose a debate. He is a brilliant minimalist. Kerry by contrast is all oratorical flab—although he did begin to show some signs of life last week in a solid speech to the National Guard convention, in which he blasted Bush's "fantasy of spin" about Iraq. It is a powerful fantasy, though. And it is easy to predict Bush's response to any Kerry criticism about Iraq: "My opponent is too pessimistic," the President will say. "See, what he doesn't understand is that the President of the United States has to stand firm. We can't show weakness. And we won't on my watch." Unless Kerry can come off with a succinct, and lethal, response to those vaporous but compelling platitudes, he will lose this election. "

[papau]

1. Bob Herbert & Leon Panetta beg Kerry to not play Hawk & Dove at same time

GET a MESSAGE - seems to be today's message

From the ABCNote:

Bob Herbert writes that if Kerry "tries to play hawk and dove at the same time" this week, "if he fails to draw convincingly a clear and distinct line between his approach to this great tragic misadventure and that of the Bush administration, he might as well fold his campaign tents and go home." Leon Panetta adds to the chorus of Democrats who say Kerry needs to choose a message and stick to it. "

[creeksneakers2]

2. Kerry has to risk losing the entire left

We are either going escalate the war in Iraq or lose it. Kerry has to say that we'll temporarily escalate it.

Kerry was doing a great job up to today hammering Bush for not being honest about how we are losing the war in Iraq. Even the Republicans have been deserting Bush. The problem with challenging Bush is, Kerry will be asked for better solutions. If Kerry doesn't have any, or comes back with that "we'll get help from other countries" line that nobody believes, he'll be finished.

If Kerry says we should pull out he'll lose everybody but the left. If Kerry says we have to send more troops, I hope the left stays with him. If we stay in Iraq and end up losing that will be the worst of all. Bob Herbert is absolutely right. Kerry has to decide.