10.25.2006

Stay the course: Mark Kennedy promises more war


In his newest TV spot, Minnesota Senate candidate Mark Kennedy delivers a "stay the course" message on Iraq--a mantra even George W. Bush appears to be jettisoning--wearing crisp-pressed khakis in an idyllic country setting amid the somber swell of classical music. When Kennedy, a man who never served in the US military, tells of the "harsh reality" of the war (that if the US leaves, the country will become a "breeding ground for new attacks on America") he seems pretty far removed from said realites. He fails to mention the sacrifices of those who are there fighting or, worse yet, offer a single new idea on how to resolve the deadly conflict.


Kennedy seems to be banking on a tone of principled determination in the spot: he's the man tough enough to deliver truths that "may not be what you want to hear." It's a bold strategy--standing unequivocally for an increasingly unpopular war, even as the president admits that Vietnam (the 1968 Tet Offensive, to be precise) might be an apt metaphor for this point in the conflict--but it offers nothing to suggest his determination might yield positive results in Iraq. He rejects diplomacy outright, and chides opponent Amy Klobuchar by saying "securing the peace is a lot harder than wishing for it." But he offers nothing other than wishes for peace himself--and more war.

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