Hawks for Kerry?

Michael Totten outlines a hawkish case for Kerry (and promises a later liberal case for Bush). It's not what I would say on a number of fronts. In particular, the idea of hawkishness per se as a position is, I think, dangerous and wrongheaded. Still, I would agree in a Tottenish spirit that one of several things to be said in Kerry's favor is this: George W. Bush, thanks to his many misdeeds, currently lacks the credibility to gain foreign or Democratic support for any significant venture. Even if he outlines an idea that sounds good, most of the world and around half of the US public have learned the lesson that he is not to be trusted no matter what he says. In a time of peril, it's simply unacceptable for the country to be led by a man who, no matter what, will (rightly) not have the confidence of the world. A second Bush administration promises to bring us further polarization at home and further isolation of the USA abroad.