... back to AFGHANISTAN, to finish the job, find Osama bin Laden, and bring to justice the people who attacked us on September 11, 2001.
The significance of the message is that it speaks positively of what President Kerry WILL do, without needing to blatantly state what is already crystal clear:
- George Bush has NOT "finished the job".
- His failure to do so means that we are NOT safer (as countless "heightened security alerts" keep reminding us).
- Bush has shifted key resources AWAY from the fight against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
- The war on Iraq and the War on Terror are NOT one and the same.
The Republicans have successfully made Iraq a part of the "War on Terror". We have been seeking a way to divorce them -- and recently, have been having a bit more success doing so. But a large percentage of Americans STILL believe that invading Iraq was a logical and necessary next step after defeating the Taliban.
This proposal -- which, to be clear, I think is good policy as well as good politics -- helps make the case that Bush took his eye off the ball, and made us less safe as a result. And it does this while telling and reassuring the American people that John Kerry will keep his attention focused on defending America from the real enemy, because there is no higher priority for an American president.