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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (49332)	9/20/2004 9:55:58 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 81568

Kerry's New Call to Arms - part 2 ________________ Newsweek Both sides see the Iraq debate as a test of character as much as a test of policy. But to Kerry, the war over the war has become personal, a chance to prove his mettle as a candidate and prove his point about the issues. Where Kerry was cautious about treading into the Iraq minefield, he's now become much more gung-ho. Kerry's aides say their candidate was galvanized by the Swift Boat vets' attacks on his character, by Dick Cheney's suggestion that he would weaken American defenses—and especially the vitriolic speech by the Democratic turncoat Zell Miller at the GOP convention. "He just is furious that there is this Orwellian world out there now where Bush is seen as strong on terrorism and strong on the war in Iraq when he's screwed both of them up fairly well," said one Kerry confidant. Other senior aides see Kerry's aggressive position on Iraq as a natural response to the Republican attacks. "They lied about John Kerry and tried to tell people he was unfit to be president," said one. "That more or less mandates a demonstration of strength from here to the election, and that's what they're going to get." For the moment, Kerry's show of strength depends heavily on the news. Democrats seized on a pessimistic CIA forecast of civil war in Iraq, while the violence in Iraq continues to spike upward. The death toll among U.S. forces rose to 1,029, while last week's clashes with insurgents, along with a series of suicide bombs, left more than 250 civilians dead. While the Kerry campaign points to the spiraling violence, the White House is embracing Iraq's new government. Bush's aides have carefully choreographed a series of events this week with Ayad Allawi, believing the presence of the Iraqi prime minister will make it harder to attack Bush on Iraq. At the United Nations as well as in Washington, the Bush team hopes Allawi can convince voters that he has his own "very cohesive plan to take down the insurgents," according to one senior administration official. Kerry's aides scoff at the notion that Bush can maintain his sunny mood with Allawi by his side. "The White House has consistently tried to cover up what has gone on over there in Iraq," said Joe Lockhart, Kerry's new communications strategist and Clinton's former spokesman. "They're going to do 'Fantasy Island' and we're going to do reality TV." If Kerry is more aggressive and focused on the trail, it's thanks to an almost entirely new team at the helm of his campaign. Chief among the new hands is John Sasso, the onetime campaign manager to Michael Dukakis, who has known Kerry for more than two decades and now travels aboard his campaign jet. Sasso helped shape Kerry's slogan about Bush ("W stands for wrong") and was instrumental in Kerry's attack on Bush for allowing the assault-weapons ban to end, Democratic sources say. They credit Sasso with instilling discipline in the often rambling candidate. "It's really about the candidate carrying himself with confidence and clarity," said one friend of Sasso and Kerry's. Sasso is "very calm, and that gives the candidate reassurance." As Kerry and Bush prep themselves for their TV debates (the first is scheduled at the University of Miami next week), their advisers are gaming out how Kerry can appear stronger and more trustworthy as a war leader. His aides are mulling over how to exploit Kerry's height advantage over Bush. "He's going to hang there for the handshake with Bush," said one senior campaign adviser. "Keep him long enough for everyone to get the shot." Meanwhile both sides are already playing the expectations game—as two talented debaters poor-mouth their own skills while making the other out to be a latter-day Cicero. Bush's aides are intent on projecting the president as a likable leader, setting Kerry the challenge of looking like "a person people can feel comfortable with." Kerry's aides believe that their man stands to gain more from the TV debates after a tough summer of attacks. "People will get an idea of who John Kerry is, and that's so much better than the cartoon," said one senior adviser. Even as they prep, both candidates know that events in Iraq could decisively change the course of the election. Some Democrats point to the Pentagon's fears of a Beirut-style attack on U.S. forces in Iraq, recalling the 1983 suicide bombing that left 241 servicemen dead. Administration officials have already suggested the insurgents could try to turn the election against Bush, just as terrorists tried to influence the outcome of the Spanish general election this year. No matter how much they want to win the 2004 election, neither side wants to see the insurgents' campaign in Iraq prove more effective than the political campaigns back home. With Tamara Lipper and T. Trent Gegax Previous: Page 1: Call it Like it is © 2004 Newsweek, Inc. URL: msnbc.msn.com