On Monday, Michael Tomasky wrote a great piece on the American Prospect website arguing that Republicans do well in presidential elections because, knowing they lose on the issues, they focus on character.  The article made a big splash, and a number of bloggers argued against it. 

Mark Schmitt of the Decembrist, however, got it right.  He argued that "It's not what you say about the issues, it's what the issues say about you."   According to Mark, the Kerry Campaign needs to “start trying to choose some issues that really emphasize whatever it is that they want to say about Kerry as a person that contrasts him to Bush.”   

Not only do I think Mark is right, I think the Kerry campaign understands this—and began to connect Kerry's character and the issues yesterday.  The “character issue” Kerry needs to emphasize is Bush's handling of Iraq.

But what is Kerry’s character?  According to the campaign myth, Sen. Kerry is a man who would never short change those he led, and a person who would never send his men in where he would’t be willing to go himself.  The key incidents of his Vietnam service echo these traits.  Kerry went back to save a comrade in the water and in a later incident turned into an ambush and jumped on shore to personally kill the VC attacking the boat.  Indeed, even the key endorsement of the International Association of Firefighters can be seen as playing into the “band of brothers” theme.  The campaign's theme song, Springsteen's “No Surrender“ is also geared to this campaign meme.

So far, Kerry’s problem on Iraq is that its really hard to argue that anyone could put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.  Most Americans realize that the Iraq situation is grave and don’t think anyone can really fix it. Yesterday, Kerry began to argue that the real issue on Iraq isn’t how to fix it, but whether President Bush has leveled with the American people and shortchanged the soldiers and Marines forced to fight this war.

[H]onoring your service with our thoughts and prayers is not enough.  Especially when right now, in so many ways, we’re shortchanging our men and women in the Guard. . .

[I]n our democracy, which you defend, it is so important to have a truthful conversation about the choices we face in our nation. . .

Right now, our troops over-stretched and over-extended and the Guard and Reserve have been called on to fill the gap. As President, I pledge to you that I will end the backdoor draft of our National Guard.   

Subtly, Kerry began to bring the character issue to the fore—and linked it directly to the issue at hand.  This was a direct attack on the President's so-called “leadership qualities,“ the only real leg Bush can claim to stand on.

The way I see it, this is a matter of values and priorities – and on these issues, President Bush and I couldn’t be more different.  I believe that America’s security begins and ends with our men and women in uniform – with every member of our armed forces who stands guard at the gates of freedom.  I will be a President who goes into the Oval Office every morning knowing that it is my job to help you do yours. . .And you deserve no less than the best.

And there’s something else we owe you and all the men and women serving right now in Iraq.  We owe you the truth. True leadership is about looking people in the eye and telling the truth – even when it’s hard to hear.  And two days ago, President Bush came before you and you received him well, as you should.  But I believe he failed the fundamental test of leadership.  He failed to tell you the truth.  You deserve better.  The Commander in Chief must level with the troops and the nation.   And as president, I will always be straight with you – on the good days, and the bad days. 

Two days ago, the President stood right where I’m standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq.  He did not tell you that with each passing day, we’re seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings.  He did not tell you that with each passing week, our enemies are getting bolder – that Pentagon officials report that entire regions of Iraq are now in the hands of terrorists and extremists.  He did not tell you that with each passing month, stability and security seem farther and farther away. 

. . .   But that is the truth – hard as it is to hear.    You deserve a president who will not play politics with national security, who will not ignore his own intelligence, while living in a fantasy world of spin, and who will give the American people the truth about the challenge our brave men and women face on the front lines. 

 . . .So when it comes to Iraq, it’s not that I would have done one thing differently than President Bush – I would have done almost everything differently.

And when you compare Bush and Kerry as people, the nexus of character with this issue presents a stark contrast.  Kerry volunteered for Viet Nam.  Bush, it is becoming more clear, avoided facing the very fate he sends American soldiers and Marines to daily.  Kerry would do well to play these themes subtly and often.  Doing so would highlight the central aspect of this race: Kerry must campaign against lies about his record, while Bush must campaign against the truth of his.