Score it a big E in the scorecard for John Kerry. I believe that Kerry's embrace of the "foreign leaders want me to beat Bush" line is both bad politics and bad policy, and I'd recommend that the Senator get off of this tack immediately.
It's no surprise that Americans don't want leaders from other countries to tell them how to vote; frankly, it rankles. Sure, Kerry has some international support - particularly in Europe, where both governments and citizens want a return to full diplomatic enagagement. President Bush's diplomatic record is one of dismal failure.
But Kerry is making a serious mistake in using overseas governments against President Bush. Spain's new prime minister, Josi Luis Rodrmguez Zapatero, is not exactly a model of fortitude, creating a poor example of creating a winning scenario in brutal terrorist bombing - "you attack us, we withdraw." And Americans from the days of Washington traditionally recoil from international meddling in domestic politics.
No - Kerry needs to confront the security issue head on, on American soil, with an American point of view and a willingness to reconnect to the world. Claiming foreign support for his election campaign is a big mistake.
