Discuss “What's wrong with Kerry?”

The 2004 presidential election is the Democrats' big chance! A controversial Iraq war has polarized the country more than any event since Vietnam. Voters are put off by Bush's hard-headed Texas style and disappointed by the economy. With war and the economy the two main issues in the race, the Democrats need to convince voters that their candidate can handle the problems better. Given all the ammunition that Bush has provided the opposition, this should not be too hard a job.

Unfortunately, Democratic strategists have overlooked the simplicity of this task. They thought that contrasting their candidate's decorated military service with Bush's wobbly Air National Guard service was a good idea, but that turned into a mistake when it became evident...