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# Posted 12:56 AM by Ariel David Adesnik

SOMETHING ABOUT KERRY IN CAMBODIA: The whole thing seems pretty pointless. Kevin Drum has the details. I think conservatives would gain more ground by hitting Kerry on actual issues that matter. In fact, that's probably why the President himself is bearing down on Kerry's concession on Monday that he still would've voted to authorize an invasion of Iraq in spite of what we now know about pre-war intelligence failures.

In an earlier post, Kevin asks:

Does John Kerry sometimes straddle difficult issues in an effort to please multiple constituencies? Sure. So do all politicians. Kerry's real problem, though, isn't that he straddles more than anyone else, but that he does it badly. When he explains his positions, he sounds like he's straddling...

So what explains Bush's reputation as a straight shooter? Two things.
First, he has a pair of signature issues on which he's been as resolute as a bulldozer: Iraq and taxes. On these two issues, both of which have widespread support among both his conservative base and voters at large, Bush has been steadfast.

Second, and more important, his rhetoric is simple and uncompromising and most people are surprisingly willing to uncritically accept his speechwriters' words as a reflection of his real self.

Reason is one is solid but I don't buy reason two. Opinion polls show that Americans don't think Bush is all that honest in spite of his "simple and uncompromising" rhetoric. What it comes down to is that foreign policy is the big issue in this campaign and it's the one on which Kerry wants to straddle the fence.

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