The Essential Question

I have heard this idea discussed by journalists and political commentators for weeks now. It's becoming clear that it's not enough for Senator Kerry to say, "Vote for me because I'm not Bush." Instead, he must answer the more essential question which is, "Yes, it's true you are not Bush, but what will you do differently?"

Jim Gereghty at The Kerry Spot links to a New York Observer Article, "Bush's 10 Mistakes." I think some of the points are more credible than others. In general I probably agree more with criticism on the President's domestic policy then on his foreign policy. But either way, Geraghty's comments speak to the aforementioned "essential question":

[A] column like this reveals that a serious challenger to Bush could have pressed the president on any one of these issues. Instead, Kerry's campaign has been, "I served in Vietnam, Halliburton is the embodiment of evil, I'll make the French like us again, stop attacking my patriotism, the Patriot Act is evil, I served in Vietnam, the United Nations is a serious institution worthy of respect, I served in Vietnam, we'll never win in Iraq so I'll pull us out as quick as possible, and did you know I served in Vietnam?"

Vietnam? Really?! I had no idea...