Beaching the Swiftboats

I am still not enthused by either candidate, but I have been thinking how Kerry could extricate himself from the Swiftboat swamp. I herewith offer a draft of a new stump speech for JFK.

What Kerry SHOULD be saying:

Let us talk, you and I, about the real issues facing our country today. Four years into a new century, we are faced with challenges at home and threats from abroad. Thirty years after the close of a war begun to bring a foreign country into the freedom we enjoy here, we are again at war in a distant land and culture.

Our country faced great divisions and disillusions over the ten years of involvement in Viet Nam. Let us build on those sad years as lessons in the limits of power. Let us consider our place in the world, and remember that we are not alone on this planet. We are one country among 268 nations. We are slightly less than 300 million in a world population of over six billion. Our system of government, our vibrant mix of people and our economic success have made us the last superpower surviving from the century just past. With this great power comes greater responsibility. We must take seriously the roles other countries, other peoples should play in decisions affecting a rapidly more interdependent world.

This country should not have gone to war in Iraq without a consensus of a wide range of countries. Dismissing the arguments of so many of our allies before acting unilaterally makes it more difficult now to tackle the problems not just in Iraq, but in the world. Iraq is torn by factional violence, as is Afghanistan. The spread of terrorist networks into Iraq fuels these problems, just as the stubborn persistence of the Taliban keeps Afghanistan in turmoil.

Our great strength as a nation and a people stem from our liberties and from our just society. Combine this strength with our military power, and extend to the family of nations equal partnership and the respect of consultation, then we will face our challenges with whole-hearted assistance from freedom-loving peoples around the world.

We cannot go back to the time of decision before invading Iraq, any more than we can roll back the years to a time before Viet Nam. We must honor the commitment we undertook in overthrowing Saddam, just as we must work toward a stable and peaceful Afghanistan. Both of these commitments must involve the world at large, through the United Nations and through individual partnerships with other countries. Peace and freedom cannot be imposed with smart bombs and high-tech weaponry. Cooperation and dialogue lead more surely to our goals than "going it alone." Life in the twenty-first century resembles in no way our national myth of the strong, lonely hero taking on evil single-handedly. "Bring it on" is a tag line from melodrama, not a prescription for a healthy country in a healthy world.

So, let us talk, you and I. We have much to talk about over the next two months, we need communication, we need to build consensus without rancor. I ask your careful consideration of the issues facing this nation, and the world. I am confident that we can make the world a safer and better place, and our own country again a light to nations struggling to be free.
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Hmmm... not yet ready for prime time. But better than endlessly discussing the minutae of ancient battle reports.