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the republicans are having problems with kerry's voting record already. i've heard him be attacked for some votes with the "more liberal than ted kennedy" line, and i've also heard the "he voted with bush so bush was right" line.
the real picture of a lengthy voting record like kerry's is too hard to nail down into an easy sound bite. that is a problem for the RNC spin machine, who excel in branding and creating easily remembered tag lines and slogans.
you could say that kerry has soft on defense, for instance, but his voting record is mixed. he has voted strong on some defensive measures, but has actively challenged other defense programs. rather than just say he is soft, one needs to look at the programs he's opposed and ask if they were actually good for the nation's defense, or if they were good for the defense contractor.
i find it quite interesting that kerry's strategy has not been to attack the war on terror, but to attack bush for not having done enough.
of the other potential candidates, i perceive him as less liberal and certainly more old school. most of the means of character attack are the same areas where bush is vulnerable, like ivy league and skull and bones, family fortunes, special interests, etc. the RNC will have a hard time pinning him without pinning bush in the process.
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