Response by Rick Thigpen

With the President running for reelection based on his role as commander-in-chief and success in protecting national security, his current stream of problems in Iraq poses huge political challenges. A significant number of voters have changed their opinion since January about whether we are on the right track. Also, there is a significant increase in the number of voters who now think that going to war in Iraq was a mistake. Clearly the success of the war effort will have a huge impact on voters’ opinion of this president. Ironically, the effort to get to the bottom of what really happened before 9-11, led by former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, is one of the main obstacles to the President’s spinners who use national security as a reelection theme. This is just another example of how even New Jersey Republicans are out of step with the conservative wind blowing in Washington. As confidence in the President’s leadership continues to decline in New Jersey, it seems clear that George W. Bush will never carry this state.

Comment by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Academic Associate, Rick Thigpen (J.D., Columbia University Law School). Rick is a former Executive Director of the New Jersey Democratic Party and now a partner in The Strategy Group and is a campaign coordinator for the Essex County Democratic Party. Rick Thigpen, Esq. can be reached at (609) 394-0888.