"Given the Democratic rumors about Bush reviving the draft, one can frame a rhetorical question that Kerry might pose Thursday night, even though debate rules don't allow him to directly question Bush: “This evening, all across America, mothers and fathers are asking this question: 'Mr. President, will you give us, your solemn assurance that there will be no draft? And can we have any confidence in that pledge, given all your other misleading statements?'”
Kerry and his strategists have made a gamble: confront the president on precisely the issue on which polls show the American people have more confidence in Bush.
Again and again, state and national polls indicate that by large margins, voters see Bush, more than Kerry, as a resolute leader who does not adjust his positions to suit changing public sentiment.
Having made his bet, Kerry seems to have little choice but to go for broke: use Thursday’s debate to break Bush’s image as a strong leader, try to convince Americans that Bush has put them at more risk of terrorist attack.
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