Here’s how I see tonight’s debate for John Kerry. This is going to be one of the biggest nights for him in the entire campaign. He must effectively counter the President’s charges that he is a “flip-flopper” with something equally pointed. I hope that in the debate prep they were able to craft a response that is just as short and simple, “no I’m not” is not going to cut it.

In addition, he should avoid his Vietnam service like the plague. People are tired of hearing about it and most people have made up their mind about it one way or the other. It is not an asset at this point. I doubt the President will bring it up on his own and I will be extremely disappointed if there is even one question from the moderator on the issue. Let’s move on.

There will certainly be a number of questions on Iraq and the War on Terror. Kerry must differentiate himself from the President in some tangible ways. What would you differently Senator, and please don’t say everything? No one wants to hear you say you would do the same things in a different way and you need to nail down specifics on how we bring other nations to our cause. You can’t turn back time.

Finally, and most importantly, don’t let the President run away from his record. He has a record of mistakes, miscalculations and outright lies. Call him on them . Because of the debate format you may not be able to confront him directly, but you can put the issue on the table. The President made the decision to go into Iraq, he is responsible for the events that have unfolded since. Your position on Iraq has been consistent, but that doesn’t even matter. What matters is that the President made the decision to prosecute the war in this manner and you would have done it differently. Talk about what you would have done, compared with what has been done. It will be difficult in the time you have, but it can be done.

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