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Speaking as a third-rate hack, I'd say that as a general rule articulacy is greatly over-rated. But, if articulacy is the measure, how come Kerry can't articulate an Iraq policy any of us can understand? By contrast, for an inarticulate man, Bush seems to communicate pretty clearly.

Steyn is too modest; he's a second-rate hack at the very least.
Kerry demonstrated that he is glib, but he doesn't have a program - for the very good reason that GWB would latch onto and implement any truly promising program the moment it was articulated.
What remains is mere criticism for the sake of criticism. Kerry is everywhere, and nowhere. As an inspection of a transcript of the "debate" would inevitably confirm.
But it is not true that we don't know what Kerry would do about Iraq. Kerry would alienate all the existing allies and not attract any new and effective ones. He would do a Mogadishu, and bug out, blaming Bush for having gotten us in in the first place. Bush may muddle for a long time in Iraq, but the casualty rate would allow is to go on indefinitely. Eventually the Iraqis will develop a government which its people respect.