SocraticGadfly: 8/1/04 - 8/8/04

August 06, 2004

If Kerry won't tell his "secret plan for ending the war," he could at least...

Come out and clearly say he will repeal Bremer's "100 Rules" if he is elected president.
They are, after all, illegal under international law and so such a statement would fit squarely into his alleged internationalism. In addition, to the degree Bremer's rules beenfit a complany like Halliburton, it would let Kerry take shots at Cheney.

But we haven't even heard this out of him.
I get the ever-more distinct feeling that, while Kerry is all too ready to slam Bush on anti-terrorism issues (and rightfully so, in many cases), he would love for Iraq itself to disappear.
He keeps repeating his Bush-lite mantra on the war itself, which simply won't fly with discerning antiwar voters such as this one. And eventually, the Bush campaign's carping about his "secret plan" may start to score points.

August 02, 2004

Franks unapologetic, Kerry still war-lite

In a Parade magazine interview associated with the publishing of his new book, Tommy Franks remained unapologetic about the conduct of either the Afgahnistan or Iraq campaigns.
In the latter, he stood by rejecting the Powell Doctrine of massive superiority. He then went on to, in essence, fault Iraqis in general for the early post-invasion looting, overlooking that we had cowed security forces into skedaddling, abdicating responsibility, etc.
The interviewer didn't really ask about Afghanistan, but I'm sure Franks being the good soldier and Midland, Texas good-old-boy he is, is falling on his sword on that one too.

Meanwhile, John Kerry continues the war-lite theme, saying he "hopes" to have the majority of troops out of Iraq by the end of his (first) term. WIth he and Edwards boxed in by their Senate votes, they can do little else.