In the closing days of the 2004 presidential campaign, The New York Times and “60 Minutes” reported that U.S. forces had lost track of hundreds of tons of dangerous munitions in Iraq. The story quickly dominated media coverage, and Democratic candidate John Kerry decided to devote the final stretch of his campaign to slamming President George W. Bush over the issue. “Our country and our troops are less safe because this president failed to do the basics,” Kerry said on the stump, citing “incredible incompetence” in the Bush White House. “My fellow Americans, we can’t afford to risk four more …