PRESIDENTIAL RACE Kerry, Bush chip away at each other's strengths

Politicians try to turn opponents' strengths into weaknesses.
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
WASHINGTON -- Not so long ago, few imagined President Bush on the political defensive over national security. Or John Kerry forced to explain his Vietnam experience.
Yet here they are, both candidates facing challenges to their supposed trump cards, as opposing campaigns practice one of the oldest tricks in the political playbook: Going after a rival's strength.
Campaign aides and analysts say that, in the end, Bush will probably benefit from his experience as commander in chief, and Kerry from Vietnam. But aides to each think they can at least narrow the margins, important in a race where every vote may count.
"The election is tied -- there's very little growth opportunity for either side," said pollster John Zogby. "So how do you win? You've got to start chipping away and dampening enthusiasm for a candidate."
Underlying weaknesses
Campaign officials said that in many cases they don't mind the attacks, saying their strengths remain exactly that. But political analysts and opponents say that the attacks are based at least in part on some underlying weaknesses.
"For Bush, the foreign policy situation has deteriorated," said political analyst Stuart Rothenberg. "[Kerry] has got to spend time defending himself, rather than keep the focus on Bush."
That reflects another motivation: disrupting the opponent's strategy.
Aides in both parties noted that Kerry recently spent nearly a week dealing with controversies over the disposal of military ribbons and medals, unable to keep the heat on Bush even as bad news poured out of Iraq.
On the heels of two military victories in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush and his Republican Party entered the campaign with huge leads over Democrats on national security issues, according to numerous polls.
More recently, however, the president has faced uprisings in Iraq; the continuing failure to find weapons of mass destruction there; and the still unsuccessful hunt for Osama bin Laden. Then came reports, replete with gruesome pictures, of abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
Safety issue
In campaign appearances, Kerry has said the Bush administration has not made the nation as safe as it ought to be. Arguing that he would do a better job, Kerry often cites his Vietnam experience, saying it gives him perspective on the gravity of war.
He referred to that experience again Thursday as he indirectly criticized Bush's handling of the prisoner abuse case. He pledged that as president, he would "know what is going on in my command."
Kerry and his surrogates have also seized on the investigation of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, arguing that the administration ignored terrorism and failed to heed signs that could have prevented the attacks. Some pointed to former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke's book and testimony about the months before the attacks.
Meanwhile, Bush supporters raise questions about Kerry's Vietnam experience, the centerpiece of his campaign.
Working against Kerry
A group of Vietnam veterans pledged to work against Kerry for comments he made as a war protester. Members said Kerry allegations of massive "war crimes" and "atrocities" tainted all of those who served.
Others have challenged the first of Kerry's three Purple Hearts, saying shrapnel barely left a scratch on his arm.
The Kerry campaign also got thrown off stride with a flap about ribbons and medals.
With the help of Republicans, a videotape from 1971 surfaced in which Kerry said he threw away many of his medals during an anti-war protest. In previous years, he said he kept his medals but threw away his ribbons and other soldiers' medals. More recently, Kerry said he used the terms "ribbons" and "medals" interchangeably back in those days.
Bush aides said that they honor Kerry's service in Vietnam but that equivocal statements about ribbons and medals reflect a long-term tendency to change positions. Bush supporters cite Kerry's vote to authorize the Iraq invasion one year and his opposition to a wartime budget the next.
Both campaigns realize that, in the end, they are unlikely to turn a strength into a weakness. Kerry aides find it laughable that any Republican would challenge Kerry's service in Vietnam, especially when stacked against Bush's duty in the Texas Air National Guard.
Bush supporters, meanwhile, said that they are happy to have the focus on national security, given what they call Kerry flip-flops on the Iraq war. They also think that in difficult times, voters will opt for Bush's steadfastness in the war on terrorism.