Vietnam War 'fixation' endures

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This is the second of three reports based on the new book "Misunderestimated: The President Battles Terrorism, John Kerry and the Bush Haters" (Regan Books) by Bill Sammon, senior White House correspondent for The Washington Times.

President Bush's top advisers think Democratic opponents and the press have an unhealthy obsession with the Vietnam War that threatens to dominate the re-election campaign against Sen. John Kerry.

White House political strategist Karl Rove said the Massachusetts Democrat and Vietnam veteran is trying to use his service to negate the president's national-security credentials.

"He's blatant about it," Mr. Rove said of Mr. Kerry in a lengthy interview with The Washington Times. "He says: 'Our Democratic Party has appeared weak on defense, and I can deal with that by demonstrating that I was a war hero in Vietnam.' Which he was. I mean, the guy served with honor."

But, the president's most trusted political adviser added, "This is a guy who opposed every major weapons system we used to win the war on terror. This is a guy who, after we were struck in '93 at the World Trade Center bombing, said: 'Let's cut the intel budget.'

"This is a guy who says the war on terror is primarily a law-enforcement and intelligence matter. It ain't. It's a war."

The press, meanwhile, raced to brand that war -- first in Afghanistan and then in Iraq -- a Vietnam "quagmire." This mentality exasperated Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, a two-tour veteran of Vietnam.

"The press is fixated on Vietnam," Mr. Powell said in an interview. "Everybody says, 'Powell and all those generals still suffer from Vietnam Syndrome.' No, I don't."