On the hullabaloo being whipped up by the Bush campaign about Kerry's explanation of the Iraq vote: Kerry voted to authorize the use of force. That's all. It was a vote that Bush insisted at the time wasn’t necessary anyway because, as he saw it, he already had the power to do whatever the fuck he wanted with whomever the fuck he wanted. Contrary to what some people believe, without a credible (i.e. authorized) threat of force, diplomacy is handicapped. In voting to authorize the use of force, Kerry was providing the President with a necessary precondition to the successful execution of diplomatic efforts to avoid the application of force. If you're sailing into a port well known for its dangerous shoals and hidden reefs and your captain asks for a map, do you give him a map? Of course you do. You give him a map even though you've been sailing with him for years and it is obvious that he fully intends on moving with full sail straight into the port without regard for the dangers that lurk beneath the surface of the sea. You give him a map even though he will probably rip the hull open on a coral reef. You give him a map knowing full well that when you're both paddling for shore on a sheared masthead, he'll be blaming you for having voted to authorize his use of the fucking map.