What if It's Kerry's War?

Washington Post ^ | October 28, 2004 | Jim Hoagland

[NCjim]

In less than a week, Iraq could be John Kerry's war. If the Democrats win on Nov. 2, the president-elect must immediately focus on what a U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq would mean for the Middle East and for the United States.

Until then Kerry will have had little time, or incentive, to conceive of failure in Iraq as anything other than a vote-attracting cudgel to swing at George W. Bush. If Kerry and his team have done much deep thinking on Iraq -- particularly on a comprehensive strategy that takes into account the possibility of U.S. failure there -- that thinking has not emerged in their campaign prescriptions.

Like Wagner's music, the absence of clear commitments at this stage may not be as bad -- or in this case as damaging -- as it sounds. The Democratic challenger is not handcuffed to specific actions in Iraq as he is on health care or on naming Supreme Court justices. Kerry has room to jettison implausible campaign promises as Iraqi and international realities assert themselves.

But he must quickly fill the policy vacuum that he will then have created. He and Bush must immediately engage in a transition that allows Kerry to deal with Iraq and the struggle against Islamist terrorist networks. And Kerry -- a process guy in the jargon of Washington -- must above all keep his eye on context in the time of transition.

[stopillegalimmigration]

Ditto! I would not allow my children to serve in the military under Kerry - let him play liberal politics with his nutty peace loving base