Chasing the Wind

Kerry has been saying lately, “I have been consistent all along on Iraq. I would have done things differently.”

I’ll tell you this – I follow politics daily, and I have no idea what Kerry’s plan is. He says he’s going to be tough on terror, he wouldn’t go into Iraq, Saddam had to be removed, we did it the wrong way, we must pass a global test first… blah blah blah. After all this time, I can’t figure out his position. “I am against the war I voted for, I would have done things differently but we would have had the same result only better” is the best I can come up with.

I understand George Bush’s plan. Kerry’s attempted to make Bush look like Bush is the one flip-flopping, but that’s a goofy strategy. Everybody knows what Bush’s strategy is: mow terrorists down with tanks. Bush is steadfast and unmoving on this point, and it’s precisely because Bush doesn’t flip flop that the anti-war left hates him.

Bob Woodward of the Washington Post decided to put these concerns to rest. He planned to interview George Bush first, then Kerry second and let Kerry rebut point-by-point what Bush did.

Here’s how that plan went:

At the end of last year, during 3 1/2 hours of interviews over two days, I asked President Bush hundreds of detailed questions about his actions and decisions during the 16-month run-up to the war in Iraq. His answers were published in my book “Plan of Attack.” Beginning on June 16, I had discussions and meetings with Sen. John Kerry’s senior foreign policy, communications and political advisers about interviewing the senator to find out how he might have acted on Iraq — to ask him what he would have done at certain key points. Senior Kerry advisers initially seemed positive about such an interview. One aide told me, “The short answer is yes, it’s going to happen.”

In August, I was talking with Kerry’s scheduler about possible dates. On Sept. 1, Kerry began his intense criticism of Bush’s decisions in the Iraq war, saying “I would’ve done almost everything differently.” A few days later, I provided the Kerry campaign with a list of 22 possible questions based entirely on Bush’s actions leading up to the war and how Kerry might have responded in the same situations. The senator and his campaign have since decided not to do the interview, though his advisers say Kerry would have strong and compelling answers.

Huh. “The senator and his campaign have since decided not to do the interview, though his advisers say Kerry would have strong and compelling answers.”

I still don’t know what Kerry’s plan is, but I can be assured Kerry has strong and compelling answers. Whatever they are.