Democrat Takes Off the Gloves on Iraq Debate

[papau]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-assess17sep17.story

Democrat Takes Off the Gloves on Iraq Debate
With public support for the war rising despite increased bloodshed, Kerry changes tack, saying Bush's strategy is headed for failure.
By Ronald Brownstein
Times Staff Writer

September 17, 2004

WASHINGTON — Sen. John F. Kerry's tougher tone in a speech Thursday highlighted his new effort to sharpen his differences with President Bush on the conflict in Iraq.

Kerry's changed approach may reflect both opportunity and necessity: It coincides with an upsurge in insurgent attacks across Iraq but also follows a tilt toward Bush in recent surveys on public attitudes about the war.

Continued turmoil in Iraq could reverse Bush's gains on the issue before election day, most experts agree. But the recent trend in opinion suggests the president is succeeding in his efforts to define the Iraq war as a critical step in the long-term struggle against terrorism. And that is increasing pressure on Kerry to more fundamentally challenge Bush on the Iraq situation.

"The president is winning the debate over Iraq, despite the conditions on the ground," said Ivo Daalder, a former National Security Council aide in the Clinton administration. "You have to go at the heart of the argument Bush is making: that Iraq is part of the war on terror. You have to make clear it has undermined our ability to fight the war on terror."

Those arguments, shared by some of Kerry's foreign policy and political advisors, appeared to be influencing a long-running dispute within the Kerry camp about how aggressively the Democratic presidential candidate should criticize the president over the conflict.

After focusing of late on the war's cost — which many in both parties consider a second-tier concern, both politically and substantively — Kerry now is more directly indicting Bush's strategy and suggesting it is headed for failure. <snip>

[CarolynEC]

1. Overdue, but entirely welcome now. Very encouraging. (eom)

[zbdent]

2. Boy, another subtle "liberal media bias" moment

Notice that the headline says an unnamed "Democrat" takes off the gloves?

Not "Kerry takes off ...", which would actually be specific. Hmm, under or over the fold, if it was even on the front page?

So much for the LA times being "liberal"!