I couldn't have said it any better myself -- Slowly but surely, Kerry is getting his message organized and to the point: "It's terrorism stupid."

Less than a week before the first presidential debate, Mr. Kerry took aim at what has long been considered Mr. Bush's greatest political strength since 9/11 - the perception that he would do a better job keeping the country safe from future attacks.

"Let me be as blunt and direct with the American people as I can be,'' the Democratic challenger said at Temple University. [Leave this part off next time Kerry. It adds nothing. Who would expect you to be anything other than blunt and to the point? Well, actually America would until lately. Don't emphasize this by reminding us.]

"The invasion of Iraq was a profound diversion from the battle against our greatest enemy - Al Qaeda - which killed more than 3,000 people on 9/11 and which still plots our destruction today. And there's just no question about it: the president's misjudgment, miscalculation and mismanagement of the war in Iraq all make the war on terror harder to win.

"Iraq is now what it was not before the war - a haven for terrorists. George Bush made Saddam Hussein the priority. I would have made Osama bin Laden the priority. As president, I will finish the job in Iraq and refocus our energies on the real war on terror.''

Yes! Yes! Yes! You're getting there buddy. Keep it up.

More in a 9-25-04 N.Y. Times article entitled "Kerry Promises to Refocus U.S. on Terror War."

(For that part of the title to this post on "It's terrorism stupid," see my 9-2-04 post entitled "All right JFK, the battle lines are drawn. W has thrown down the gauntlet. W's battle cry: It's terrorism stupid. What are you going to do?" where I told Kerry to quit talking about Vietnam and engage "the" issue as set by the incumbent, and in the process, beat him at what he says is his game -- "It's terrorism stupid.")