Hide and Seek

A lot of pundits seem to think that Bush's efforts tonight will involve trying to pin Kerry with another catchphrase. Could it be the "You can run but you can't hide" thing he test-drove in St. Louis? I sure hope so.

Here's why: It comes with a ready-made rebuttal. George Bush has spent this entire campaign running from his record, but he can't hide reality from the American people. He went to war recklessly and with no plan for victory. (Indeed, he portrayed victory as the problem in the last debate, complaining that the American forces won too quickly.) The floundering economy is so bad that the numbers don't tell the story anymore--because thousands of people have given up hope and stopped looking for work, thus removing themselves from the unemployment stats that Bush will no doubt tout tonight. And the tax cuts that have been the Bush solution for every problem that ails us have instead ruined our financial footing and threatened the stability of programs like Medicare and Social Security. That's the Bush record: A messy and needless war, an economy that makes ordinary Americans give up, and fiscal irresponsibility that puts the future of today's taxpayers and their children in danger. Bush can try to run from it, but Kerry must not let him hide.