Reply #1: I really think the Democrats should have all continued using Kerry's words

[karynnj]

as their view and continued saying it even after he lost, making their common view. In addition to being corect, it is infinitely more hopeful and positive than the Republican view that it will forever be a black cloud hanging over us. In 2004, too many people were still too traumatized to break away from fear and accept that we could move, as other countries historically have, to that point. (Think Ireland or Spain (Basques) etc)

Kerry was there before anyone - likely because he had already worked on these ideas for a decade - and in his book, "The New War" spoke of globalized crime - including non-state terrorism, which he saw as a subset of this - and what the world had to do. The international drug rings and the Russian MAFIA were covered. (Sad, that given that Bill Clinton didn't mention it when describing Kerry's achievements when discussing the 1996 race.)

Had we continued pushing that idea - it would have helped when people like George Will said Kerry was right in 2006 - it would have backed the Democratic policy. We would have gone a long way by now in at least neutralizing the issue by now. I wonder if it was a case where it is likely the Clintons didn't want to give Kerry credit for anything because they feared he would be in the race in 2008.