After weeks of attacks over who did what during a divisive war four decades ago, the presidential candidates are finally talking about the war dividing America today.
Supporters of Sen. John Kerry and President Bush welcomed the shift after so much debate over whether one deserved his Vietnam medals and whether the other fulfilled his stateside duty.
Democrats who watched Kerry’s lead evaporate last month were relieved, particularly with his fierce broadside Monday against Bush’s handling of Iraq.
“They can’t win if they can’t neutralize that issue,” said Bruce Buchanan, a Bush expert who teaches political science at the University of Texas. “That’s what the sharpening and leveling of criticism is all about.”
“Iraq is huge,” agreed Jim Slattery, a former Democratic congressman from Kansas. “[Kerry] should talk about Iraq every day. Iraq is the issue the people in this country care deeply about. If not properly managed, it could drag this country into a conflict that could last for a decade. It could last for a generation.”
Yet Republicans believe that any debate over Iraq favors the president, even as some GOP senators warn of administration missteps.
“We’re more than happy to have a debate about the issues of Iraq,” White House communications director Dan Bartlett told CNN this week.
Polls show the public still views the president as better able to handle the war. A recent Pew Research poll that showed the candidates neck and neck nationally still gave Bush a 12 percentage-point lead on who would best handle Iraq.
The war also provides a springboard to launch more charges of flip-flopping against the Democrat.
“The only thing that keeps Bush afloat right now is that Kerry is not a reassuring alternative,” Buchanan said.
WHERE ARE THEY?
Bush: Met with Iraqi President Allawi Thursday in Washington, D.C. On Friday, he’s scheduled to visit Janesville and Racine, Wis.
Kerry: Took the day to recover from a cold; on Friday, he’s scheduled to visit Philadelphia before an overnight stay in Boston.
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POLLWATCH
Who’s leading the presidential race, according to the latest poll information:
48% George W. Bush
2% Ralph Nader
45% John Kerry
5% Unsure
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HE SAID/HE SAID
“The United States and the Iraqis have
retreated from whole areas of Iraq. There are no-go zones in Iraq today. You can’t hold an election in a no-go zone.”
–John Kerry in Columbus, Ohio
“I saw a poll
that said the ‘right track-wrong track’ in Iraq was better than here in America. … I mean, the people see a better future.”
–President Bush