The nuisance of terrorism
Here's what John Kerry said about terrorism:
We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance. As a former law-enforcement person, I know we're never going to end prostitution. We're never going to end illegal gambling. But we're going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn't on the rise. It isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life.
Here's how the Bush campaign spun it:
John Kerry's characterization of terrorism as a 'nuisance' shows that he doesn't recognize the threats facing this country and does not have the vision and determination needed to defeat terrorism.
That second quote is from Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. They have created a television ad making the same point. The question arises, is the Bush campaign leadership too stupid to understand this simple statement from Kerry or are they intentionally mischaracterizing it?
The sad part about this (and just about every other issue in this Rovian campaign) is that there is a real difference between the candidates that is worth discussing. What Kerry is saying is that thinks that we have allowed terrorism to become too large a part of how we Americans define ourselves and that our goal should be to get back to the point where terrorism is like organized crime -- irritating, not all-consuming. Bush thinks that the only way to defeat terrorism is to constantly be on the offensive and to consider it as part of every policy decision that he makes. This is a huge difference, one where both sides have legitimate points to make. But is Bush willing to engage in a real discussion about it? No, the only he can win voters is to mischaracterize what Kerry has said. Pathetic.