As
David Broder puts it,
The factors that make President Bush a vulnerable incumbent have almost nothing to do with his opponent, John F. Kerry. They stem directly from two closely linked, high-stakes policy gambles that Bush chose on his own. Neither has worked out as he hoped.
- Mission Accomplished. It wasn't.
- We've turned the corner. We haven't.
Broder is very widely read in DC, and no amount of cognitive dissonance or minor blows landed by BC'04 changes the fundamentals. Iraq and the economy (especially job growth) are doing poorly and Bush is saddled with both issues. He can taunt Kerry all he wants, but the voters know who got us into Iraq and whether they have a good job.
I especially appreciate Broder's first line. It's sincere; he's not fond of John Kerry. Bush's biggest problem is the problem that's plagued him all his life: George W Bush. See Molly Ivins for details.
Update [2004-8-15 14:1:31 by DemFromCT]:
More CW links:
The uneasy Republicans
Kerry on a Roll -- But Risks Remain