Iraq Is No Joke: Botched response is Kerry's fault, but war isn't

The Dallas Morning News | Editorials :

“Yes, Mr. Kerry botched the joke, and he botched the response, but -- let's be honest -- he didn't botch the war in Iraq. American troops are not stuck in a deteriorating situation there because a Massachusetts senator tripped over his tongue and his ego. The real issue is not what John Kerry says about our soldiers in Iraq; the real issue is rather what all of our elected officials in Washington intend to do about our soldiers in Iraq. That's the key question for voters as they go to the polls.”

The Dallas Morning News has got it exactly right. So, how did a clumsy joke about Iraq by a politician not even running for office this year trump everything else this week?

The story had all the makings for a political perfect storm: Iraq, our troops, a replay of the 2004 Presidential election, personal animosity between two powerful politicians, and enough ambiguity for spin machines to work overtime on both sides.

Republicans picked up on the gaffe, spun it for maximum effect and rapidly escalated it all the way to the President himself. When the President speaks, people listen.

Then, Senator Kerry, misjudging how Americans might interpret his own words, struck back at Republicans instead of apologizing to the troops. He could have used it as an opportunity to draw a distinction between his own real respect for the troops and the President's botched handling of this war and the consequent disastrous effect on our military. What could have been a one news cycle blip became a 72 hour self-sustaining chain reaction.

Score a big win for the Republicans in the final week of the campaign. But, in the end, it will likely have a bigger impact on the television ratings than the election results. After all, Senator John Kerry is so 2004. 2006 is all about President Bush and his lies and his misjudgments and his own exploiting the troops now to score political points. Americans aren't likely to forget that on November 7.