Killing Them Softly
 
From Josh Marshall:
 
Among Democrats, the rejection of this president is so total, exists on so many different levels, and is so fused into their understanding of all the major issues facing the country, that it doesn't even need to be explicitly evoked. The headline of Susan Page's piece in USA Today reads: "Speakers offer few barbs, try to stay warm and fuzzy." But the primetime speeches were actually brimming with barbs, and rather jagged ones at that. They were just woven into the fabric of the speeches, fused into rough-sketched discussions of policy, or paeans to Kerry.
 
That's quite true. Bill Clinton, without referring specifically to Bush -- in fact, earlier in the evening he called him a "strong man" who "loves his country" -- issued the most salient, scathing critique of the Bush presidency to date.
 
Their opponents will tell you to be afraid of John Kerry and John Edwards, because they won’t stand up to the terrorists—don’t you believe it.  Strength and wisdom are not conflicting values—they go hand in hand. John Kerry has both. His first priority will be keeping America safe.  Remember the scripture: Be Not Afraid [emphasis added].
 
How long before Karl Rove has Bush standing before a background that reads "Making America Stronger & Wiser"?