Once Again, My Political "Strategery" Advice

Offered for free (its approximate value) for Messrs. Kerry, Edwards and the Democratic Leadership.

The 9/11 Commission is bi-Partisan. The 10 Members of the Commission are going to be out there selling their ideas for reform.

Kerry and Edwards are already on record as supporting much of what the Commission stated. In my review of the Report (and its still not complete) the recommendations (which I have read) are sound.

The one area that polls show Bush sliding in, but still ahead of Kerry et al in is in dealing with terrorism.

We have an idea of how the Bush Administration and the GOP Congressional Majority will respond to the report:

The Pentagon and the C.I.A., Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and some in Congress already oppose the commission's call for a new national intelligence director to supplant some of the functions of the director of central intelligence. President Bush himself praised the report as "very constructive," but top White House officials remained coolly noncommittal on specifics.

So Democrats, adopt the reforms as our own. The 9/11 Commission has a lot of clout right now, it is viewed as a work of both parties done in harmony. Take advantage of it, adopt its policy recommendations as things you WILL do. We know that the GOP will NOT do so.

While the Commission members are stating they will not actively campaign for anyone, that doesn't mean their pronouncements will not have political weight.

This has the advantage of making GOP attacks toward Democrats seem cheap and baseless, even to many who would be their supporters; second, it forces Bush to argue POLICY, and he may be many things, but articulate and a wonk he most certainly is NOT.

It is a winner IMO, a big fucking winner of an issue -- with the extra benefits of being sound policy that is most decidedly not a classic wedge issue.

Do It!