Sharp shift of direction under Kerry

IF Senator John Kerry is elected, his presidency is likely to bring a sharp shift in White House direction — along with pragmatic backpedalling on some of his boldest campaign promises.

Sharp shift of direction under Kerry

From his ambitious health-care proposals to his pledges to add 40,000 troops to the military and 10 million jobs to the economy, Kerry has a multitude of multi-pointed plans, and he talks optimistically about making them reality.

Yet Kerry, a four-term senator, has been around Washington long enough to know how hard it is to get things done in an era of divided government, high budget deficits and war. Already, he has scaled back his child-care assistance and national service plans due to tight dollars and his pledge to follow a "pay-as-you-go" style of governing.

Kerry talks openly about the limitations he would face as president. Asked recently what he would do to stop genocide in the Sudan, Kerry told a TV interviewer he'd do "everything possible," but he added that "our flexibility is less than it was" because of the demands from US commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders are at large, and Kerry's plan to "win the peace" in Iraq contains many question marks.

"His governing will be dictated by events that are imposed upon him, regardless of how he wants to govern, and the critical one will be Iraq," said Marc Landy, a political science professor at Boston College. Landy's shorthand description of Kerry's approach to Iraq is "Bush without the swagger," following through on US commitments while trying to get more support from other nations.

Kerry's goal of beginning a drawdown of US troops within six months and completing it in four years is dependent on the willingness of allies to shoulder more of the burden anything but a sure thing. But he can sweeten his pitch for more international assistance by dangling a share of the reconstruction dollars that Bush has largely reserved for American companies.

Stylistically, the shift from Bush to Kerry would be dramatic. Where Bush is prone to short, simple declaratives and a Texan's folksy mannerisms, Kerry is a reserved New Englander known more for meandering deliberation and a self-described tendency toward "Senate-speak." Nevertheless, former campaign manager Jim Jordan says the senator is sure of himself when making decisions on policy. "Although he is indisputably one who possesses progressive instincts, he's very rational and very practical. I think he would govern much like Clinton did."

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