The Conservative Revolution 331Bank and the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s resistance to Palestinians’ de-
mands for a separate and inde pendent state. The killing of both Israelis
and Palestinians grew worse. Hamas, a militant terrorist group in Pal-
estine, sworn to Israel’s destruction, organized car bombings in crowded
Jewish communities. Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, ordered
a massive strike to kill off the Hamas leadership. At first the Bush ad-
ministration tried to duck from any involvement in the dispute, but it
later reversed itself and joined with the UN in attempting to work out
a peace agreement by which a Palestinian nation would be formed and
Israel recognized by Arabs as an inde pendent state in the Middle East.
Negotiations at times seemed to go forward, but at other times they
verged on collapse. When Ariel Sharon suffered a severe stroke, he was
replaced by Ehud Olmert. And the killing just went on and on.
As the presidential election of 2004 approached, Democrats
found themselves in a difficult situation. They could not oppose the war
without appearing unpatriotic but they also knew that the war was
poorly planned and executed. Furthermore, they feared being seen as
lacking support for the troops in the field. And in finding a candidate,
they needed someone who could provide the kind of leadership expected
in a President, especially during wartime. As the primary season got
under way, Vermont’s governor, Dr. Howard Dean, took the lead among
several possible Democratic candidates by opposing the war and attract-
ing large financial contributions via the Internet. But after a slow and
shaky start, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts pulled ahead because
of his heroic exploits during the Vietnam War. Indeed, he had been
wounded twice in that war and decorated for bravery. To many Demo-
crats he appeared to be the leader they needed to bring the Iraqi war to a
swift conclusion. Kerry was nominated for the presidency, along with
Senator John Edwards of North Carolina as Vice President.
During the campaign Kerry and Edwards insisted that Bush’s tax
cuts had benefited the wealthy at the expense of the middle and poorer
classes of Americans. They also offered a program to protect Social
Security, prevent outsourcing of American jobs overseas, improve
funding for education, and insure better health care for all citizens. But
the only real issue Americans responded to was who could best provide