The Vietnam War did not end for another seven years.
Much like Nixon, Democrats plan to use Bush's handling of war -- particularly what they call poor planning, the violence and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction that followed the lightning victory by U.S. and British forces -- as a broader metaphor for his competence to continue as president. While Kerry did not speak much about Iraq specifically, his speech was sprinkled with indirect references to the protracted struggle the United States faces in Iraq.
"The American people know that whatever you thought about going into the war, that there could have been a better way to go about executing it," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "Because of the lack of preparation and understanding as to what to expect, many more men and women have died and been wounded. . . . The administration will be held accountable for its policy."
The Bush campaign brushes aside those questions and focuses instead on the threat ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein might have posed to the United States before the war, implicitly contrasting Bush's certainty against Kerry's more protracted decision making. "When he [Hussein] continued to deceive the weapons inspectors, I had a decision to make: to hope for the best and to trust the word of a madman and a tyrant or remember the lessons of September the 11th and defend our country," Bush said Friday. "Given that choice, I will defend America every time."
While Republicans strongly favor Bush's decision to attack Iraq, Kerry also must energize a Democratic base that is deeply split over the war. Nine out of 10 delegates to the convention opposed the war, surveys indicated.
That balancing act was on display at the convention. Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, in his acceptance speech, said a Kerry administration would work for a stable, democratic Iraq, which he called "a real chance for freedom and peace in the Middle East." He also said Kerry would bring NATO forces into Iraq and win debt relief for Iraq from balking allies.
But unlike Edwards, Kerry did not say his goal was a stable, democratic Iraq. Instead, he spoke only of bringing allies into the coalition. "I know what we have to do in Iraq," Kerry said. "We need a president who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American taxpayers, reduce the risk to American soldiers. That's the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home."
Some experts, such as Robert Kagan of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, felt Kerry's language came very close to suggesting that he would pull the 140,000 U.S. troops out of Iraq. "I was a bit surprised," said Kagan, who strongly supported the invasion of Iraq but has been critical of the administration's postwar policy. "Edwards was pretty straightforward and clear about the commitment to Iraq. Kerry was far more tentative. He held out hope that he would get out."
His advisers, however, denied Kerry meant to leave that impression. "John Kerry has resisted left-wing pressure to set a date certain for withdrawal because he knows the consequences would be catastrophic," Holbrooke said. "But he believes . . . he will do better to create international support to deal with this problem."
Staff writer Charles Babington contributed to this report.
