A Brief Word for Kerry

I would like to take this opportunity to pitch John Kerry and not just in a "at least he is not Bush" way. A lot of people, including our chief UK reporter Chris (nice use of the word Aposiopesis by the way) have told me that they expect nothing under Kerry, except that he not be Bush. I am here to tell you that John Kerry is the right man for this job and much like the Big and Rich CD I have on right now, he is going to surprise you.

The key to understanding why Kerry is the right man is that you have to understand the current mess we are in. We have two big problems in the world: Iraq and international terrorism. Iraq is the worse foreign policy mistake sense Vietnam. Go ahead, prove me wrong. Staying there is a slow disaster, and leaving could lead to a fast one. I don't have the answer. But trust me when I say that John Kerry, a man who both fought courageously in and against the Vietnam War is the guy you want looking for the answer. Iraq may be bigger than any President. But if you could find someone better to decide if we stay or go, tell me. Next comes terrorism. What we see in Bush is a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the terrorist threat. Terrorism today does not need a state sponsor. A Nation does not need to back a terrorist group for that group to hurt us. Bush(and his team) think that state sponsorship is the key to terrorism and so they attack states. Even if those states have no links to the terrorism we are trying to fight. John Kerry understands the nature of our foe. He wrote a book called the New War back in 1997. He understands that it is criminals without countries that we will be fighting in the 21st century. It will quiet, dirty, and tricky as hell. It's getting the German BND to kick down the right door in Hamburg, it's sending 10 guys with no U.S. flags on their uniforms to the right mountain pass in Pakistan and sometimes it's a busboy with a silencer at a cafe in Morocco. It means more Special Forces, better diplomacy, and good hard looks at intel data. John Kerry's whole life has been devoted to struggling with questions of when and how to use American power. He is the guy you want to make these choices. This election is not about choosing between the lesser of two whatever's. We have a real chance to put the right man in the right place at the right time.