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Morning coffee musings. . .

The New York Times this morning has a general story about the campaign. Usual "here's what happened today" sorts of stuff, with an emphasis on the fallout of the Spanish terrorist bombings. A few lines from a Kerry speech to the International Association of Fire Fighters www.iaff.org popped out at me:
Mr. Kerry, in his address to the firefighters' union, showed again that he was unwilling to be pre-empted by President Bush on security issues. He said the times demanded "truly dedicating ourselves to homeland security, not using it as a political prop."

Mr. Kerry asserted that President Bush and his aides had even demanded that the Department of Homeland Security regularly set up "photo opportunities" to show Mr. Bush in flattering settings.

"Ladies and gentlemen, America doesn't need leaders who play politics with 9/11 or see the war on terror as just another campaign issue," Mr. Kerry said a moment later. "Our nation's safety is too important. And if I am president, we will work toward victory in the war on terror, knowing that those on the front lines of this battle are heroes, not political props."Times political coverage
Sure, we know Bush has been photo-oped all around the country, but now it has been revealed what the true role of the Department of Homeland Security is -- to set the stage for the War President! Seriously, I'd like to see this point hit home a bit more often. Kerry should pound home points concerning the war on terror every single day. And he should emphasize the need for regular and dependable pay for our heroic soldiers abroad and not just use them as political props.