Kerry and his advisors.

Newsweek describes John Kerry, "preparing to accuse the president of failing to tell the truth about 'the mess in Iraq'" and seeking the advice of Wesley Clark:

Kerry knew from Vietnam what it felt like to face the bullets without the support of the folks back home. So how, one of his senior staff wanted to know, would Kerry's attacks go down now with the troops in Iraq? "Look, the soldiers are debating it themselves on the ground," Clark reassured Kerry's inner circle. "They're coming back and they're incredibly critical. You have to call it like it is."

Great distinction from Vietnam, General Clark!



At the Newsweek link there is also a handy chart listing Kerry's "Old Guard" and "New Guard" advisors and their strengths and strategies. Newsweek writes of the "Old Guard": "By stubbornly sticking to an 'accentuate the positive' strategy, the Kennedy cadre dug Kerry a hole in the polls." Don't blame the candidate, of course, Newsweek. No reason he'd have an idea about what to accentuate, let alone actual beliefs he might want to express. He was just standing by while those terrible Old Guard advisors were digging a hole for him.



That Old Guard was really bad, so let's click on the "New Guard":

This group of Clinton-era veterans and Kerry loyalists are seasoned fighters who know from experience how to handle Republican attacks. They'll have their hands full, though, with Karl Rove and his take-no-prisoners tactics.

New Guard to the rescue! If they fail, though, we've got the excuse ready to go: Karl Rove is just awful!