The Hiller Instinct: Picking a President

The war in Iraq is the mother of all campaign issues in this election...dividing the nation more than the candidates, who share the same goal, but disagree how to make it happen:

Sen. John Kerry, (D) Presidential Nominee
"I believe that we have to win this. The president and I have always agreed on that."

But that is the end of their agreement.

President Bush draws a straight line from September 11th, through the war in Iraq, and to the war on terror. That lets him defend invading Iraq, even though no weapons of mass destruction have been found there:

President George W. Bush
"Saddam Hussein was a threat because he could have given WMDs to terrorist enemies. Sanctions were not working. The United Nations was not effective in removing Saddam Hussein.

Kerry counters that the war in Iraq is not the war on terror...because it wasn't Iraq or Saddam Hussein who launched the attack on America.

Sen. John Kerry, (D) Presidential Nominee
"The right war was Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan. That was the right place."

Both candidates have "plans" for improving the situation in Iraq. Kerry stressing diplomacy; Bush continuity.

Sen. John Kerry, (D) Presidential Nominee
"I have a plan to have a summit with all of the allies, something this president has not yet achieved..."

President George W. Bush
"We've got a plan in place. The plan says there will be elections in January, and there will be. The plan says we'll train Iraqi soldiers so they can do the hard work, and we are."

Homeland security is the domestic side of the war on terror. Since 9/11, Americans have become accustomed to inspections and inconvenience, and special events--like political conventions--looking like military outposts.

President George W. Bush
"We're doing our duty to provide the funding. But the best way to protect this homeland is to stay on the offense."

Kerry says bush isn't spending enough.

Sen. John Kerry, (D) Presidential Nominee
"This president thought it was more important to give the wealthiest people in America a tax cut rather than invest in homeland security. Those aren't my values."

A new poll finds support for the war increasing...a majority of Americans saying the invasion of Iraq strengthened the war on terrorism. But a majority also believe what they were told before the war about weapons of mass destruction and links to Al Qaeda was "misleading." Conclusion: neither Bush nor Kerry has won the war of words over the war in Iraq.