"Cut 'n' Run Kerry"

Hugh Hewitt points us to a transcript of this interview Katie Couric did with John Kerry. The following exchange is rather revealing.

Couric: The Bush campaign is planning to spend the final days of this election saying, "you are weak on terrorism." Dick Cheney has talked about the fact that you voted against the first Gulf War [and] Saddam Hussein would still be in power, he Soviet Union would still exist if it (laughter) were up to you. You voted against intelligence funding after the first world trade center attack in '93. You don't have the record to be a Commander-in-Chief and this weakness invites more terrorism.

Sen. Kerry: Now let me just look you and America in the eye and tell you this. Unlike Dick Cheney and George Bush, I put my life on my line for my country when it counted. I fought for this nation and I defended it as a young man and I will defend America as President of the United States.

There it is again. "Vote for me because I was in Vietnam!"

Also this from the same interview:

Couric: How important is capturing Osama bin Laden, especially given the fact that Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi is considered the most dangerous man in the world at this point in terms of killing Americans in Iraq? A story Sunday morning [reported] about 50 Iraqi soldiers were killed [and] he is taking responsibility.

Sen. Kerry: Osama bin Laden is the world's number one terrorist and criminal. He was allowed to escape and regroup and reorganize. He's now in 60 countries around the world and he is the beacon for Zarqawi and for others. This administration had a chance to capture and kill him and they made the wrong choices and allowed him to escape. I will do a better job of focusing on the real war on terror, which was not in Iraq. The priority is Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and Zarqawi.

Note those last two sentences. The real war on terror was not in Iraq . . . and Zarqawi is a priority, and he's been in Iraq since before the war. So . . . er . . . I'm confused by the nuance here.

The interview also had this very telling statement from the Senator:

I believe I can get our troops back from Iraq in a way that does honor to their service.

What does he mean? Consider that John Kerry's template for everything is Vietnam. I don't know how anyone else took that, but the message seems clear: he's gonna cut and run. Only this time he's going to try to put a positive spin on retreat. It won't be John Kerry before Congress calling our soldiers mass murderers this time. Instead he'll say they're honorable for leaving. Sorry, Iraq! You're on your own! We're bravely leaving you to deal with the terrorists who don't want you to have a democracy.

I don't think John Kerry wants them to have a democracy either.