Instapundit has been running fine commentary on the developing story of Kerry's turn to a more hawkish position on Iraq —— stating that he would have gone to war knowing all we know now, even without he discovery (so far) of WMD.

Here is my take:
 
Kerry did not get the expected bounce from the selection of Edwards and the convention that would put him over the top;
 
The increase in threat warnings has only heightened security as an issue, and Kerry is perceived as too    soft on this issue;
 
The recent 'poor' job growth (really just salaried jobs as reported in a survey of employers — overall employment as revealed by a survey of households has grown robustly) figures have taken the onus off of Kerry regarding the detailing of his plans to rev up the economy;
 
The Swift Boat Vets and others who are challenging  Kerry's accounts of his heroism during his 4 month tour in Vietnam are taking some of the luster off his perceived "wise warrior"  persona;
 
Nader, who is a threat to Kerry collecting votes from the leftists in the Democratic Party, seems to face mounting problems getting his name on ballots throughout America. Thus, Kerry does not have to worry about losing votes to Nader by being more supportive of the Iraq efforts.
 
Prediction: as these developments continue, he will move even more to hawkishness

Posted by Ed   8 10 04