Bush, Kerry Both Have Iraq Problems

[janx]

President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry have opposite problems when it comes to explaining the crucial decisions they have made about Iraq and national security. The president is reticent to the point of stonewalling, while the senator, who has put a strong claim on the Democratic nomination by winning Iowa and New Hampshire, almost drowns his judgments in a torrent of words.

Neither approach serves the country well -- with the most troubling questions centering on the president.

On Tuesday, in his first meeting with reporters since former weapons inspector David Kay declared that Saddam Hussein almost certainly did not have weapons of mass destruction on the eve of the Iraq war, Bush was asked three times whether he had reservations about the rationale he had offered for war and the intelligence on which he relied.

He never answered directly. Rather than deal with the weapons question, he fell back on the repeated phrase that Iraq was "a grave and gathering danger." Twice he said, "There is no doubt in my mind. ... I believed it then and I know it is true now."

(more at link): http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/2375477

[girl gone mad]

1. Kerry is going to have a difficult time..

with his Gulf War I vote, especially now that it's clear that war was largely responsible for putting an end to Saddam's WMD programs.

[sangh0]

2. It didn't hurt him in Iowa, where 75% of Dems are "anti-war"

Just keep repeating "IWR will hurt Kerry. IWR will hurt Kerry" and who knows? Maybe someday it will come true.

And it didn't hurt Kerry in NH either. So would you care to provide any evidence to support your interesting theory?

[janx]

4. It will make him unelectable in the GE.

Far too much baggage.

[eileen_d]

6. Never mind - misread

n/t

[Kahuna]

7. Exactly. Iraq war 1 = bad. Iraq invasion = good.

How does he square that? The repukes are giving him a pass right now, because they know they will have a field day with Kerry's inconsistencies in November. Kerry's national security credentials will not hold up and they know it. They fear him not.

[janx]

8. He can't square it. That's why he'll lose if he's nominated--

and that's only one of the reasons.

[sangh0]

3. Breaking News

The entire world has an Iraq Problem

[eileen_d]

5. Crap - you beat me to it!

More specifically: anyone running for president in 2004 has an Iraq problem! And sadly the U.S. will have the "Iraq problem" for years to come...