A preview of the RNC

It may look more like an anti-Democratic convention than a pro-Republican one:

"The time for subtlety is over," said longtime Republican strategist Ken Khachigian. "It should be an aggressive attack. Our speakers really have to paint the picture of Kerry as he is and not as he thought he was. And that means talking about the years in the Senate that he chose to ignore at his convention."

No doubt they will be quick to mention this story from the Washington Monthly.

Two decades ago, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was a highly respected financial titan. In 1987, when its subsidiary helped finance a deal involving Texas oilman George W. Bush, the bank appeared to be a reputable institution, with attractive branch offices, a traveler's check business, and a solid reputation for financing international trade. It had high-powered allies in Washington and boasted relationships with respected figures around the world.
All that changed in early 1988, when John Kerry, then a young senator from Massachusetts, decided to probe the finances of Latin American drug cartels. Over the next three years, Kerry fought against intense opposition from vested interests at home and abroad, from senior members of his own party; and from the Reagan and Bush administrations, none of whom were eager to see him succeed.

By the end, Kerry had helped dismantle a massive criminal enterprise and exposed the infrastructure of BCCI and its affiliated institutions, a web that law enforcement officials today acknowledge would become a model for international terrorist financing. As Kerry's investigation revealed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, BCCI was interested in more than just enriching its clients--it had a fundamentally anti-Western mission. Among the stated goals of its Pakistani founder were to "fight the evil influence of the West," and finance Muslim terrorist organizations. In retrospect, Kerry's investigation had uncovered an institution at the fulcrum of America's first great post-Cold War security challenge.

Back to the convention, many conservatives has decried the fact that so many moderates are speaking at the RNC. Of course, the hope is to appeal to the middle of the electorate. But before you get fooled by the lipstick, remember the pig(my emphasis):

Marc Racicot, the campaign's chairman, repeatedly reminded conservatives that two of their own – Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney – top the ticket. "I don't think you probably can find any better or more articulate spokesmen for conservative principles than the president and vice president," he said.