Out of Touch/Out of Time
September 23rd, 2004With about five weeks to go, it looks like this election will rest squarely on the shoulders of Iraq—as unlikely a place as ever to decide an American election, but war, as it seems, has its own political momentum.
The unrepentent Bush speaking to the UN this week acted as if he were still trying to pump up ditto-heads at the RNC convention and met with the harsh reality of that not being the case. Again, Annan criticized U.S. foreign policy whenever possible, building on top of Kerry’s poignant attacks. The reponse of the Bush team—paint the story with warm hues and hope everyone decides to use their government issued rose-tinted glasses.
Into the debates Bush will undoubtedly cast himself as the steady and sure optimist about Iraq. But this approach falls right into Kerry’s trap. As war tends to be more of a negative force in nature, and with many Americans feeling lukewarm at best about the costly prospect of democracizing a less than stable country, Kerry has a real opportunity here to portray himslef as he is in life—a realist, albeit a slightly pretentious one. I seriously doubt Karl Rove could find a way to counteract that sharp contrast in world outlook once it settles in with the American people. At best, he might concentrate on selling his man as the “not-so-out-of-touch-as-you-might-think” candidate.