A great essay by author Orson Scott Card, on the essential dishonesty of the Kerry-Edwards campaign: Is Iraq a ‘Mess’? Who Is Recruiting for Osama? (Hat tip: Nancy Block.)

Here’s the reality check. The mess in Iraq is caused by murderers, rebels, thugs, and self-righteous fanatics. For Edwards to say that the mess is “because of” President Bush and Vice-president Cheney is so monstrously false that it offends not just common sense but common decency for a candidate for such high office to utter such an unspeakable charge.

The murderers are the ones who are guilty of murder. The messmakers made the mess. Our President and Vice-president have been doing their job: sticking to the mission they embarked on and seeing it through to a successful conclusion.

And there is no sign whatsoever that Kerry or Edwards know how to make a decision at all, let alone how to stick to a decision and respond to the unpredictable events that always come up in military matters.

It’s as if Kerry and Edwards thought that if they were in power, America’s enemies would consult with them to find out what script to follow. But they won’t.