Well, we've got a good idea how BushCo wants to frame the fight this year, and it's good news for Wesley Clark and John Kerry. Spending more than 1/2 of his State of the Union speech on the State of Iraq and the State of Afghanistan and the State of his dismal failure in the War on Terror President Bush has thrown down the gauntlet and dared the Democrats to face him on his terms.
Unless the White House economic forecasters truly have no idea what the future holds this seems like a miscalculation, or perhaps an inability to re-define their message given the surprise win of John Kerry in Iowa just yesterday. In my mind 'it's the economy stupid' would seem to only work in the President's favor. There's got to be a good chance of seeing real economic positives in the next two quarters (there's no where to go but up) by defining the presidential race by the troubles of America abroad the Bush Administration is playing to the strengths of candidates such as Clark and Kerry.
It's the War stupid. The way I see it this is good news for the Democrats. America is War weary already and we have two candidates with strong platforms to base their attacks on the jugernaught that is the Bush Reelection campaign. If all Bush knows is the deck of Aircraft Carriers and the Baghdad airport then people how fought and lost friends in the jungles of Southeast Asia will take him to the woodshed on his chosen issues.
The gauntlet has been thrown, and in response to Bush's Nomex flight glove both John Kerry and Wes Clark can thrown down the bloody iron gauntlet of a true warrior for the American people to see.
Bring 'em on.