Rat writes:

I thought about Cheney's "pre-9/11 mindset" comment today. Clearly, this is yet another example of Republican projection. Here's how it works:

1) President "I voted against the 9/11 Commission before I voted for it" Bush has a flip-flop problem. Solution: Kerry's a flip-flopper.

2) Bush was a pussy during 'Nam. Solution: Kerry, a decorated war hero, is, in fact, a sis boy.

3) The War President doesn't have a plan for the war? Solution: Kerry's unacceptable because he doesn't have a war plan.

All good stuff. But Kerry will return us to a "pre-9/11 mindset"? The "pre-9/11 mindset" is epitomized by the Bush Administration itself, a place where terrorism just isn't a top priority -- a Cold War mentality. (A minor contrast: Clinton held daily terrorism briefings, which implies, at the very least, concern).

Thus, it's insane for Cheney to assert that Kerry represents the potential for the "pre-9/11 mindset." The Iraq War and the Administration's funding priorities demonstrate that Bush hasn't escaped the very "pre-9/11 mindset" it professes to worry about. Minimal funding for homeland security, and a real war to make sure we can't pay for what we need. In short, the best way to avoid the "pre-9/11 mindset" is to vote against the guys that invented the concept in the first place. (Then again, you could also vote for Kerry because he's a good man.)

From Salon:

But part of the problem is still Kerry himself. Even with prepared remarks running through a teleprompter in front of him, Kerry frequently strayed Thursday with what are becoming trademark tangents -- elaborations and explanations and qualifications that must strike him as important or interesting but which invariably distract from his central points.

Yes, the problem is Kerry himself. Kerry's ability to speak in actual sentences about the complicated problems we face is a definite problem. See, Kerry "strays" on "tangents," and worst of all "elaborates" with "explanations." Clearly, this is just another example of the "nuance" we have learned to expect from the "patrician" "Senator from Massachusetts" who fails to "clear brush" on a "Crawford ranch."