John Kerry had had two full years to articulate a concise position on Iraq and
a clear alternative strategy that offered a successful and more immediate resolution
to the war. He couldn't do it.
Even during the three presidential debates, the senator gave answers that left
uncommitted voters in focus groups both confused and mystified. His critique of the
current administration's failures clearly did political damage, but the electorate could
not define exactly what he would do differently. What Mr. Kerry did not realize was that
referencing "a plan" roughly two dozen times over 90 minutes is different than actually
having one. In a post-September 11 world, voters simply could not elect a president whose
position on the nation's most salient issue was unknown, even to himself.