QUESTION: Have you failed in any way to really make the case to the American public?
BUSH: You know, that's, I guess, if you put it into a political context, that's the kind of thing the voters will decide next November. That's what elections are about. They'll take a look at me and my opponent and say, let's see, which one of them can better win the war on terror? Who best can see to it that Iraq emerges a free society?
If that's the question Bush thinks that voters will be basing their decision on, we're in better shape than I thought.
Not because of how the voters will answer the question, but because the question itself cements in the minds of voters the unpleasant imagery and reality of a war that even its proponents concede has not gone all that well. And voters will be further reminded of the horror of 9/11. The associations with that tragedy and the controversies resulting from it are decidely negative.
Best of all, Kerry doesn't have to campaign on it. He can, and should, let Bush and the press go at it. He should concentrate on the economy, jobs, healthcare, environment, restoration of international relations. Maybe even try to make federal judgeships an issue (although no one has successfully done that yet).
