They rarely go for the jugular. To chicken what the MSM will say. That is an issue that must be addressed.
It isn't even a matter of going for the juglar. It is about articulating their strengths. They were "chicken" in the sense that they were even afraid of bringing up national security, for fear of it being too close to unpopular Iraq positions. It was their job to articulate why the war is important -- not run from it.