I vote Bush....
President Bush must boost support for the War in Iraq. He needs to restore voters' confidence in his strategy to win the peace in Iraq. Experts predict, God forbid, that the death toll from the Iraq War will surpass 1,000 before the elections. Additionally, terrorists will probably intensify their destabilizing efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan before the elections, attempting to copy Al-Qaeda's success in Spain.
Bush should reiterate America's commitment to building a peaceful, democratic Iraq. He should list America's ongoing objectives and explain at what point (accomplishment not calendar based) our troops will begin to exit Iraq.
Kerry has capitalized on people's concerns over Iraq. Bush has to step up and reassure people that we will win in Iraq. He must go beyond justifying the war. He has to emphasize the importance of winning the war and convince naysayers that the Bush Administration has a strong plan to win the peace.
The Iraq war will be the focal issue in the campaign. Bush has won points painting Kerry as an indecisive flip-flopper. But the election is a referendum on Bush's actions, therefore Bush must convince voter's that he has a successful strategy for stabilizing Iraq.
President Bush should say for example,
Forces will exit Iraq once:
-Elections have been held
-Iraqi forces ably-trained
-Basic infrastructure (oil, water, electricity, etc.) secured
-Iraqi government proves ready to defend and run Iraq
and says US troops not needed.
What do y'all think? I'm just worried that Kerry will seize and capitalize on any pre-election Iraq/Afghanistan turmoil as a reason to fire Bush. I might be over-worrying, but remember what happened in Spain. I'm just suspicious Kerry will shamelessly exploit any increased Iraqi/Afghan violence to his own political advantage.