But we painted three more schools this week…

Yet another of a seemingly endless series of suicide blasts and shooting attacks against Iraqi government targets, particularly the police and security services, resulted in the deaths of at least 59 in Iraq yesterday.
I suppose at some point, if enough Iraqis end up wounded or dead amidst the intramural violence (that WE unleashed) there won’t be enough left on the street to cause still more violence. Say this much for Saddam: he kept the trains from blowing up on time.
Still, though, as recently as a few days ago, I heard some apologist for the Bush Administration (quite possibly the President himself) rail against the press for failing to cover “the good news” in Iraq, such as our domestic (to Iraq) infrastructure projects. You’ll forgive me if I insist (even as the Administration seeks to shift over $3 billion in infrastructure earmarked money to security and related projects) that schools and bridges mean nothing if you are too afraid of being blown up or shot to even set foot outside your house.
Meanwhile, stateside, while Senator Kerry tries to hammer home… domestic issues… like unemployment, health care, budget deficits, the environment, tax fairness and the like… the President insists that the ONLY relevant subject is toughness on national security. And given the President’s (extremely dangerous) sudden resurgence in the national polls (just weeks after I frankly wrote him off for dead), the voters would seem to agree with him on this.
Certainly, if he has not done so already, Senator Kerry needs to fire any and all staff members of his who ever had anything to do with either of the Clintons or their minions. Next, he must immediately assume that former President Clinton’s advice to him, to IGNORE national security and defense and foreign policy issues and focus on health care at a time when stupid Americans are afraid of being blown up by brown-skinned foreigners (and many INTELLIGENT Americans are rightly concerned of said brown-skinned foreigners getting their hands on NUCLEAR WEAPONS) would, most assuredly, result in his defeat. Cynics would argue that Clinton wants a George W. Bush victory, and after four more years of Bush’s combination of fundamental corruption and incompetence, assuming we have a country left, it will be softened up for the next restoration. The Hillary Clinton restoration, as only a Clinton can save us. (You don’t LIKE HILLARY? THEN VOTE FOR KERRY NOW TO ASSURE THAT SHE REMAINS A SENATOR.)
Sorry: Kerry has nothing to apologize for on national security, and this is no time to start shying from this issue. You steered your damned swift boat into enemy fire: take this election there. Announce YOUR plans to crush Al Qaeda, take the battle to terrorists wherever they may be found, reduce nuclear arms proliferation, and protect this nation, and do so without at any time using the words “our allies”, “the United Nations”, “Vietnam”, or even “NATO”. If this can only be done by embracing the Bush agenda on the war on terror– then adopt it. (You’re stuck with it anyway, having voted for the damned war.)
National security (and fear of terrorists killing our children) is the 800 lb. gorilla in this room. Take it on. Steer into enemy fire and take this battle, Fightin’ John. We’ll save American lives, and ultimately, probably save Iraqi lives too.