The Economist on Election 2004

The British magazine looks forward to November in this article titled: “America’s Angry Election.” Here’s the concluding paragraph:

Mr Bush will come under fierce questioning about those missing weapons of mass destruction and the failure to plan Iraq's reconstruction. Any Democrat, but particularly Mr Dean, will have to explain what he would do differently. The campaign may well be nasty, brutal and long. But it will also drive to the heart of issues that matter for the whole world.

“Fierce questioning?” Doubtful. Most Americans will look beyond the WMD issue to the mass graves and view the liberation of Iraq (and the capture of Hussein) as a critical step against state-sponsored terrorism if only for the message sent to countries like Syria and Saudi Arabia.