Senator Kerry's toughest challenge:

[BOSSHOG]

to convince the American People that george bush is smart enough to know that he lied and that what he has done is evil. Too many Americans think that bush is just a cute little simpleton that "deserves" their vote because he is honest. And that if mistakes happened, well darnit they are not george's fault.

[redqueen]

1. Convince Americans that george is really smart?

Wow, now that IS a challenge.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Exactly my point - Catch 22 multiplied

because bush's base doesn't want him perceived as smart. Then he just might have to take responsibility for the bad things they give him a pass for. Must be nice to live in bizarro world.

[Sparkly]

3. Interesting "either/or"

You bring up a good question that goes to the heart of a lot of issues: Is Shrub incompetent, or a liar? It's one or the other.

Did he know (about 9/11 warnings, about Iraq not seeking uranium from Niger, or fill-in this blank with other) and deliberately lie? Or did he not know, which begs the question, why didn't he know?

You are right that the RNC should not get away with portraying him as the poor hapless little leader of the free world who was misled by evil underlings, or who was the victim of the Clinton administration. That's why the "buck stops here" no-excuses message is so important.

But if you ask a freeper whether Bush is incompetent or a liar, you will get an excuse, usually involving Clinton.

[IronLionZion]

4. some people think his incompetence is for show

that secretly he knows exactly what is going on and is so damn clever that he can pretend to be a dumbass to get away with truly evil shit.

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. I think there's an element of truth to that

I don't think Bush is as dumb as he appears on tv. But something tells me he's no Einstein in private, either.

[HFishbine]

7. Remember, he likes being misunderestimated

Sure, he's an insensitive, intellectually lazy doofus and probably has attention deficit disorder, but he's not an idiot.

[rocktivity]

5. The American people are ALREADY convinced

that Bush is an incompetent at best and a scheming traitor at worst. The problem is they won't admit it, and they won't until they can feel "safe" doing it. Kerry's mission is cure them of their denial. Nobody likes admitting they've been had, especially if it means that people have died in vain. We're way past wondering if Bush is dumb or evil--it is now undisputable that he's just plain bonkers. To use Bush's very words, Kerry must make it politically and morally impossible to continue to trust a powerful madman.

:headbang:
rocknation

[cally]

8. Watch his 'commedy routine' at the

Press dinner. He made jokes about everything we talk about. He knows exactly what he's doing.

I think his supporters know that. They bring up Yale to prove how smart he is and then excuse him. I don't think it will be that hard to tip it to an understanding that he is not stupid. He's just intellectually lazy.