Kerry camp sharpening war rhetoric
'Quagmire,' Vietnam era surfacing in attacks; GOP calls it 'desperate'
09:16 PM CDT on Sunday, September 26, 2004
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
PHILADELPHIA – Democrat John Kerry has slipped some loaded phrases into his campaign language in the last few weeks.
First, the presidential candidate started accusing President Bush of living in a "fantasy world" when it comes to Iraq, succumbing to "denial" about failed policies and a country out of control.
Then, the Kerry campaign labeled Iraq a "quagmire" – a term that reeks of unwinnable guerrilla warfare and humiliating embassy evacuations.
The tougher rhetoric reflects a number of things, analysts and Kerry aides say: disdain for Mr. Bush's policies; counsel from his inner circle to draw clearer distinctions between his views and the president's; a desire to frame the Iraq issue before the presidential debates; and, perhaps, to retool the campaign a bit.
Terry Holt, a senior adviser to the Republican National Committee, called the rhetoric a sign of a campaign in crisis. "With each passing day they get more harsh and desperate in their rhetoric. This is a cry for help from voters who realize that John Kerry's campaign lacks a coherent message," he said.
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"This is a cry for help from voters who realize that John Kerry's campaign lacks a coherent message"