Kerry's Mission: Show He Can Lead - WSJ

WASHINGTON -- Can John Kerry persuade Americans he is qualified to be commander in chief? If he doesn't, he won't win in November -- no matter how badly things are going for the current commander in chief. But polls continue to show that Americans wonder about the likely Democratic challenger's toughness when it comes to handling a national-security challenge -- even as their concerns about President Bush's policies in Iraq grow.


(snip)

Mr. Kerry's challenge is made tougher because of the Democratic Party's long-time vulnerability on national security. That historical baggage hangs particularly heavy in the first presidential election since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

(snip)


Mr. Bush's campaign has responded by feeding voter doubts about Mr. Kerry's qualifications... The effort appears to have had some success. When a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll asked registered voters this week which candidate would do better at "keeping the country safe," Mr. Bush won by a resounding 44% to 26% (See the latest poll results). By 46% to 38%, Mr. Bush was deemed better able to handle the war in Iraq, even as pluralities also said Mr. Bush's decision to go to war in the first place wasn't worth it, and that developments there have been "worse than expected."

The same poll showed Mr. Kerry holds a big advantage over the president on issues like the economy, health care and the environment. But as long as national-security issues remain in the forefront, he will be challenged to make voters comfortable enough with his handling of those issues to pay attention to other areas. Here's a detailed look at his strategy to do so:

(snip)

Thus, the candidate's first big bet of the general election campaign: a $25 million advertising campaign focused heavily on his military background. The spots don't just talk about Mr. Kerry's own service. They note that his father was an Army Air Corps pilot -- and that Mr. Kerry's life began "in an army hospital." One piece works the following words and phrases into 60 seconds: "decisions he made," "saved our lives," "risked his life," "in combat," "tough," "fought," "leader in the fight," "decisive" and "lifetime of service and strength."... Mr. Kerry's image-makers also play up his athleticism, unusual for a 60-year-old man and describe him as "a man's man." Throughout his candidacy, Mr. Kerry has made a point of appearing before news cameras shooting doves with a rifle, riding a Harley Davidson, piloting a helicopter, playing hockey with retired Boston Bruins.

(snip)


Write to Jacob M. Schlesinger at jacob.schlesinger@wsj.com

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB108388318887504579,00.html