NEWSVIEW: Iraq May Be Main Election Issue

Sunday, May 15, 2004

(10:57 PM ET)

By Tom Raum

Associated Press Writer

Tom Raum has covered Washington for The Associated Press since 1973, including five presidencies

Voters must first decide whether Bush deserves re-election before determining whether Kerry is a qualified alternative, Kohut said. That could give high importance to this fall's televised debates.

An armed militiaman patrols Sadr City, a suburb of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, May 15, 2004. American forces clashed overnight with armed supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr in Sadr City, a poor neighborhood in Baghdad where support for the radical Shiite cleric is strong. Two militiamen, including a police lieutenant who had joined al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, were killed, witnesses said.

Image Credit: Karim Kadim -- AP

WASHINGTON -- AP
The turmoil in Iraq is changing the political equation for President Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry. While the war is eroding public support for Bush, it is also making it harder for Kerry to define himself for voters or promote his domestic priorities.

Strategists from both parties had suggested the election probably would come down to a few states, perhaps turning on different issues in different states.

Some analysts now are suggesting the race could broaden into a national referendum on Bush's Iraq policy.

As president, Bush has the ability to drive Iraq news coverage; for example, his decision to send his embattled defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld to Iraq for a surprise visit last week.

With fewer options as the challenger, Kerry has called for Rumsfeld's resignation and accused Bush of running an ``extraordinarily mismanaged and ineptly prosecuted war.''

Those in Kerry's camp have expressed delight at recent polls showing Bush's approval rating at the lowest of his presidency. But Bush's drop in the polls has not translated directly into a surge for Kerry.

Also, the Massachusetts senator has had to walk a cautious line as he decides how hard to go after Bush as commander in chief without risking a backlash.

Kerry already has drawn criticism from Republicans who accuse him of politicizing the prisoner-abuse issue.

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Dan