After Sept. 11, It's Veterans Day (Krauthammer)

Washington Post ^ | 2/6/04 | Charles Krauthammer

[finnman69]

With John Kerry as their presumptive candidate, the Democrats may have won the war issue.

True, President Bush will make the case that his post-Sept. 11 policies are infinitely tougher. And Kerry certainly has given him an opening, saying that the war on terrorism is "primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation."

This is a hopelessly retrograde invocation of the anti-terrorism policies that brought us Sept. 11 -- finding, arresting and putting on trial individual miscreants, as we did the World Trade Center bombers of 1993 -- but it does not matter. War is more a visceral than an intellectual issue. Kerry holds the trump card. He's fought in battle. And acted heroically.

Kerry is where he is today not because of his message, his new-found populism or his newly relaxed face, but because in the same week Howard Dean angrily told a questioner/heckler, "You've had your say. And now I'm going to have mine," John Kerry welcomed onto his stage in Iowa a tearful war buddy for their first reunion since Kerry saved his life 35 years ago in Vietnam.

End of contest.

However much Democrats want to deny it -- and insist on talking about health care and budgets and tax cuts -- this is a war election, our first war election in more than a decade. Ironically, they may win because of it.

[finnman69]

Charles is right in that Bush will get nowhere attacking Kerry the person. His record on the other hand is the real target for Bush.

[mwl1]

This is the crummiest article by Krauthammer that I've ever read... tremendously disappointing from this otherwise brilliant man.

Wait until the American people learn what this "hero" Kerry did after the war and during his Senate career on national security matters.

This bravado from Kerry and McAullife on the war issue, on the gay marriage issue, etc., clearly signals that they are terrified of both.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Kerry is on record (what choice did Democrats have in '92 and '96? ) that service in the military must not be the issue.

What is and must be the issue is, policy--policy and leadership. Senator Kerry has a record of opposition to the military and the intelligence services, and a record of opposition to the Bush tax rate proposal which in retrospect was perfectly timed.

And Senator Kerry offers no proven executive leadership above the level of Lieutenant. No wonder Senator Kerry is overage in grade, not qualified for promotion.