"Mr. Bush we trust your judgment and ability " Anyone who could actually believe that is clearly so detached from reality that they have no business in public life.
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An anti-war candidate would simply state they would end the war within days of taking office, by beginning an immediate withdrawal of troops.

But the crucial thing isn't ever what they say, its what they actually do. There've been plenty of cases of politicians going back on those kind of promises after being elected - and some cases the other way, where a candidate elected on the understanding they would continue a war have promptly set about ending it after being elected. (De Gaulle in Algeria is one case in point.)

A wise politician in the present war would set about withdrawing regardless of what they might have said in the election as part of their attempt to get elected. (Machiavelli would have understood this.)