Rove to Kerry: Who's Better on Terror?

John,

The polls clearly show that W is way ahead in people's belief that he will keep America safer. They are responding to his aggressive swagger and his "no permission slip" rhetoric.

Let's face it: America will not hand over the keys to a new President "mid-war" unless they believe you can take over without missing a beat.

Your job is not to convince the people that you have the swagger of W. Rather, your job is to convince people that you really understand the dangers of a post 9/11 world, and that your plan is not to shy away from this immense responsibility.

How to do this:

1. Tell Americans about the differences between how you'd lead the war on terror vs. how Bush/Cheney lead the war on terror.

2. Get all the retired Generals that support you on the talk show circuit to demonstrate the superiority of your strategy.

3. Get angry every time Bush/Cheney accuse you of being weak on terror:

"How dare they accuse me of being weak on terror when I am the only man in this race to go to battle for this country!"

"They accuse me of having a 'pre 9/11' foreign policy outlook. Apparently, they don't know how to read, because my plan for the war on terror is clearly outlined on my website and on the bookshelf in their local bookstore."

"My opponent seems to think that invading Iraq before capturing Bin Ladin was a strong, bold decision in the war on terror. Too bad most Americans believe it was the wrong decision."

"They accuse me of being weak on terror. Let me remind you that President Clinton successfully stopped the first major terror attack on American soil on New Year's of 2000. Let me also remind you that the Bush Administration ignored warnings of a 9/11 attack. Let me be very clear: I will never ignore any terror warnings like the Bush Administration did in 2001. I will never treat any threat lightly, and I will never invade countries that do not pose a real threat to this nation."

Beat the drum, John. W is failing on the war on terror, and it's your responsibility to show Americans the truth. It's going to be easy, because they already kind of know it. You just have to convince them that their doubts are well-founded.