This is what
Bush claims Kerry is doing. And just how is Kerry betraying our troops? By telling the truth about the situation in Iraq, of course!
Republicans are gleeful about the "rhetorical corner" Kerry's "put himself into". It's the culmination of their very deliberate Swift-Boat Slime strategy: Smear his service, smear his anti-war protests, then make him into the Jane Fonda of 2004. How can John Kerry say the war is a mistake, they ask smugly, without also telling the troops they are dying for a mistake? This is highly disingenuous, obviously, since Kerry didn't get us into this mess; he's just trying to clean it up and make the best of a bad situation. Still, it makes for one of those killer soundbites.
Kerry has already expressed much solidarity with the troops, and he's done so convincingly. But he needs to take on the 'mixed message' meme directly now. The key thing to remember is, the servicepeople on the ground have eyes and ears: they know how bad things are in Iraq! Kerry should say something like this at some point during the next 2 debates:
Mr. President, I know what it means to fight for my country far from home and family. I also know how discouraging it can be when the mission is not clear. For those serving their country, the worst "mixed messages" come not from honest debate back home, but from realizing that the chaos you see all around you flies in the face of rosy pictures and wishful thinking handed down by your commander in chief.
Mr. President, our men and women on the ground know what is going on in Iraq better than any of us. They need and deserve honest assessments and a clear road map to victory. Telling them that everything's fine, repeating empty slogans like "stay the course", and putting the words of Bush campaign operatives into the mouth of Prime Minister Allawi doesn't fool them any more than it has fooled the American people here at home.
When I am president, our men and women in uniform can depend on me because I will never let them down. I will give them a clear plan for victory. I will restore America's credibility in the world so they will have help in achieving it. And I will respect the trust they have placed in us by always telling them the truth about where we stand.