Bush is beating Kerry right now because, despite Bush's bumbling, incoherent, embarrassing performance during his recent press conference, he was able to articulate a massively utopian but universally desirable vision: that of a free and peaceful, democratic Iraq. That singular vision serves as Bush's justification for our current sacrifice and even the perfidy that led to it.
John Kerry needs to coopt this vision, because it is not one that is unique to this President, or one that anyone can disagree with. It is not at all inconsistent for John Kerry to express the sentiment that Iraq must be free, democratic, and sovereign.
But then, Kerry must say the following 4 words to reawaken the public's attention to the truly tragic costs our troops are paying in blood every day:
"I hate this war."
He should then immediately follow those 4 words with another 4 words: "i love our troops." He can even add that he hates this war BECAUSE he loves our troops, or he can say that it's likely that "our troops hate this war."
These 4 words are not a prelude to the immediate withdrawal of the troops. We must stay the course, but we must have more foreign troops so that ours may return home safely. In fact, both parties agree that (aside from the reinstatement of the Draft) the only way out of Iraq is to have greater international involvement in the transition to a sovereign, democratic Iraq.
These 4 words are not an invitation to our "enemies" to attack our troops and they do not serve to demoralize or denigrate our troops in the field. Our "enemies" have not been cowed by our bluster and false confidence and our troops are not served well by leaders who deny the reality on the ground. Some might say "if Kerry hates this war, how can he support the troops?" Kerry can then use his veteran credentials to his advantage, as he can speak with authority on the experience of being a grunt in the middle of battle, and few true veterans of any war come back with fond memories of battle conditions. Our troops hate this war, as do many of the Iraqi people. This does not mean that they are dishonorable, or that the cause of a free Iraq is now not an important one. It is simply reality.
These 4 words are not a surrender on the greater War on Terror. It should be easy by now for the media and the public to recognize that our misadventure in Iraq was by no means a necessary fight against those who attacked us on 9/11.
Finally, those 4 words are not a signal that Kerry has forsaken the vision of a free and democratic Iraq, but rather represent the only way we can hope to achieve that dream: only by admitting our error to the world can we refocus the world's attention and sympathy on the necessary task that lies ahead: assembling an international force to stabilize the reconstruction.
Those 4 words will crystallize in the public's mind the fact that Bush, by comparison, loves this war and needs this war. Against those 4 words, Bush's determination to "stay the course" and the recent revelations of his reckless rush into war will sound foolish, sadistic, arrogant, and blind. Bush's claim to be a "War President" can be used against him, because in comparison to Kerry's humility, Bush will appear bloodthirsty.
By staking a position, "I hate this war," Kerry will align himself with the majority of Americans who agree with the ideals of the war but now regret the cost in lives and money. Essentially, Kerry can reframe his current position on the mismanaged post-war reconstruction into a simple, 4 word statement, that resonates with all voters, Republican, Independent, Democratic, and Naderite.
"This is no longer our war to win or lose," he should add.
"The only people who can, and must, win this war are the Iraqi people themselves, and we must stay the course and the world must join us in helping them win this war against the forces of anarchy, for themselves and for a free, democratic Iraq."