Kerry's war or anti-war?

I sort of disagree (how's that for a strong stance) with the idea that John Kerry would lose the election if he were anti-war. If the whole party as an opposition party had been anti-war then they would have been sitting today with public opinion on their side (as polls for quite awhile have shown that Americans are now essentially equally divided as to the Iraq War). As well, the Democrats would have had plenty to say about Iraq, (rather than the slight difference with George Bush) that leaves nothing for Kerry to say.

If Kerry wins he will need to do an almost immediate turnaround from his current position (which is what, maybe I'll be able to get our allies to help and we can get out) and former positions (he voted for it) for him to prove anything to me. He will have to do the opposite of Johnson and Nixon and begin withdrawal as soon as possible. I've heard nothing to that affect from Kerry and if he is disguising his real position, watch the media blast him if he does pull the troops. That would be a political bombshell, a progressive shock and awe.

The media (force fed by the right) will infer that Kerry is a coward if he withdraws the troops. His entire four years will be spent defending the news coverage from Iraq, anything and everything that appears to go wrong because Kerry chose to "flee" Iraq. If Kerry has any chance of dealing with this constant attack from the right, he will indeed need to give himself most of that four years to have Iraq fade from media memory. Kerry will have to perform a brave act and act fast, otherwise Iraq just festers politically for him and ties his presidential hands. Johnson and Nixon both brooded over Viet Nam and how to look like we won, even in defeat.

I've wondered if President Kerry might play politics with the Iraq War. Might he leave Iraq to swing in the wind until the mid-2006 elections and use withdrawal as a dominant political issue? It wouldn't surprise me. By then the American people will mostly be on the side of withdrawal and Kerry could lable the right as "out of touch" with the public. Such a scenario is not beyond possibility as Bush and the Republicans used going to war in Iraq as a mid-term 2002 dominant election issue.

I feel like I'm left with mere faint optimism going into election day. It's obvious at this point that Kerry is the only shot at kicking out Bush, so after Nov. 2nd I'm left with cross my fingers and toes and wish for Kerry come January 2005 to announce that progressive shock and awe, withdrawal from Iraq. He needs to move quickly in order to not leave soldiers wondering when the withdrawal is to happen and why must they continue fighting prior to withdrawal.

John Kerry must not follow in the footsteps of George Bush, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson. Kerry must be a new president.