| Two Iraqs Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John F. Kerry must have come to the realization last week that -- despite his best efforts to highlight issues such as health care and the economy -- voters see the 2004 presidential election as a referendum on the war in Iraq. Trailing in recent national and key state polls, Kerry apparently felt an urgent need to go on the offensive. So, with the help of new, big-name advisers -- former Clinton aides Joe Lockhart and Mike McCurry -- Kerry has sharpened the tip of his campaign spear, recasting his attack on President Bush's handling of the Iraq war and reconstruction in an attempt to put Bush on the defensive. On Monday, in unveiling his four-part plan for improving conditions in Iraq, Kerry condemned Bush's efforts, saying that "the president misled, miscalculated and mismanaged every aspect of this undertaking." The Post's Dan Balz wrote: "Kerry called the November election a choice between staying the course with failed policies and a change in direction that he said is urgently needed to prevent disaster in Iraq." Read More ![]() President Bush fired back the same day, saying that Kerry's latest remarks are part of the challenger's "pattern of twisting in the wind with new contradictions of his old positions." The Post's Jonathan Finer and Mike Allen reported: "Responding to Kerry's criticism that Bush's Iraq policy had resulted in 'a chaos that has left America less secure' and the Massachusetts senator's initial vote authorizing the president to go to war, Bush told the southern New Hampshire crowd: 'He's saying he prefers the stability of a dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy. I couldn't disagree more and not so long ago so did my opponent.'" Read More Monday's Salvos:
• Transcripts: Kerry's Speech | Bush'Transcript
Robin Wright's Analysis:
• Kerry's Ideas on Iraq Praised, Questioned: Experts Say Solutions May Be Unrealistic
U.N., Bush at Odds In an address to the General Assembly of the United Nations yesterday, Bush stuck to his somber but optimistic view of hard-won progress in Iraq. In his remarks he said: "Freedom is finding a way in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we must continue show our commitment to democracies in those nations. The liberty that many have won at a cost must be secured." Read the Transcript ![]() Later, Bush, with Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, spoke with reporters, The Post's Dana Milbank and Colum Lynch wrote: "Bush dismissed questions about two Republican senators' calls for a more candid assessment of the Iraq situation, and about a CIA report that warned that Iraq is in danger of further disorganization and possibly civil war. "'The Iraqi citizens are defying the pessimistic predictions,' Bush told reporters, adding: 'Iraqi citizens are seeing a determined effort by responsible citizens to lead to a more hopeful tomorrow, and I am optimistic we'll succeed.' "Allawi echoed Bush's buoyant theme. 'It's very important for the people of the world really to know that we are winning, we are making progress in Iraq, we are defeating terrorists,' he said. 'Unfortunately, the media have not been covering these significant gains in Iraq.'" Read More In a press briefing on Tuesday, Kerry issued a forceful and stern response, saying Bush "missed an opportunity of enormous importance" in his speech to the United Nations. "[Bush] does not have the credibility to lead the world. And he did not and will not offer the leadership in order to do what we need to do to protect our troops, to be successful and win the war on terror in an effective way," said Kerry. The Post's Dan Balz and David Snyder reported that later in the day: "Kerry ... sought to deflect criticism from the president that the Massachusetts senator's speech Monday marked another shift in positions and that Kerry believes that the world would be better off if Saddam Hussein had not been deposed. ... 'What the president needs to begin to do is address the realities of Iraq. The president keeps wanting to debate fiction or hypotheticals rather than debate the reality of what's on the ground,'" said Kerry. Read More Glenn Kessler's Analysis:
• Bush Stands His Ground, Sets Himself Apart
Recent Opinion:
• Post Editorial: Mr. Bush and Iraq
• David S. Broder: Questions We'll Wish We'd Asked
• Howard Kurtz's Media Notes: Campaign Lite
Continual Negativity CBS's docu-drama appears to have run its course to a widely anticipated end, at least with regard to the authenticity of alleged Texas Air National Guard memos regarding then-Lt. George W. Bush. CBS News anchor Dan Rather admitted that network has been duped with fake documents and revealed their source, a disgruntled Texas Democrat named Bill Burkett who once served in the Guard and has a self-admitted history of mental problems. Given the current climate, it should come as no surprise that the White House yesterday began publicizing a connection between Burkett and the Kerry campaign through CBS. The Post's Howard Kurtz reported: "The White House pounced yesterday on the disclosure that a CBS producer put the source of discredited documents about President Bush's National Guard service in touch with a senior adviser to John F. Kerry, saying this shows 'coordination' between the Democratic nominee's campaign and the '60 Minutes' report. "Joe Lockhart, the Kerry aide who called CBS's source, former Texas Guardsman Bill Burkett, dismissed the charge as 'a smear campaign' by Republicans. ... "The flap resembles recent charges by Democrats that the Bush campaign had ties to the anti-Kerry group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which led to the resignation of Bush's campaign lawyer, who had advised the group." Read More See Also:
• Questions Surround Man Who Provided Documents
The controversial SBVT have thrust themselves back into the spotlight with their latest ad attacking Kerry over his meeting with a Vietnamese delegation during peace talks in Paris in 1971. In the ad, which is airing in five battleground states and on national cable television networks at a reported cost of $1.3 million, the SBVT compare Kerry with Jane Fonda and say he met with "enemy leaders." The Post's Paul Farhi reported on the latest ad: "The meeting, however, was not a secret. Kerry, a leading antiwar activist at the time, mentioned it in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April of that year." Read More Debate Prep 101 The two campaigns agreed Monday on a series of national debates -- three for the presidential candidates, one for the vice presidential nominees. And so, as washingtonpost.com's Dan Froomkin wrote in yesterday's White House Briefing, let the debate spin begin: "The White House wants you to know that if there is one thing that Sen. John F. Kerry is better at than President Bush, it is debating. Boy, is he good. "With the two campaigns settled on a debate schedule that calls for the first face-off to take place next Thursday night, the name of the game now is diminishing expectations." Read More Debate Schedule:
• Sept. 30, U. of Miami: Bush and Kerry Debate Foreign Policy and Homeland Security
• Oct. 5, Case Western Reserve U., Cleveland: Cheney and Edwards Debate
• Oct. 8, Washington U., St. Louis: Bush and Kerry Take Questions in Town Hall Format
• Oct. 15, Arizona State U., Tempe: Bush and Kerry Debate Economic and Domestic Policy
See Also:
• 3 Debates for Bush, Kerry
Talking Points Live Terry M. Neal will chat with readers about the latest political news on Thursday (1 p.m. ET). Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion. Also, watch Neal's "Political Players" video series on Yahoo!, including his current interview with assault weapons ban sponsor Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.). Check back tomorrow for an interview with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). ![]()
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