Kerry Haters

KerryHaters was first to blog on the Christmas-in-Cambodia lie, way back on May 21. Too bad the elite media hadn't cast their net widely enough. They'd have had a scoop long ago.--Hugh Hewitt

Our friends Pat and Kitty at Kerry Haters deserve the blog equivalent of a Pulitzer for their coverage of Kerry's intricate web of lies regarding Vietnam.--Crush Kerry

Saturday, April 24, 2004

HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR AMERICA

AP/Photography Plus via Williamson Stealth Media
Former Arizona Cardinals saftey Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Friday. Tillman, who served with the Army Rangers, walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract in May 2002 to volunteer for combat duty.

Articles and photos of Pat Tillman are posted at Pat Curley’s blog Brainster. Pat Curley is from Arizona and was hit hard by this news. He said the whole state has been walking around in a fog. Stop by and leave a message. He’d love to hear from you.

- Kitty, 8:20 AM

WHAT KYOTO AGREEMENT?

Another picture of that SUV he doesn’t own.

KERRY GETS AUDI-TED: ‘One day after John Kerry stressed the importance of buying American cars to keep American jobs, records show that his wife owns a pricey imported German Audi.
The green 2001 Audi Quattro is registered to Teresa Heinz Kerry at their townhouse in Boston's posh Beacon Hill …
That news comes the day after Kerry reluctantly admitted, on Earth Day, that his family owns a gas-guzzling Chevrolet Suburban SUV but blamed it on his wife, saying: "The family has it. I don't have it."
Kerry added that it's important for his family to buy American and vowed to protect American autoworkers' jobs. Next week, he's launching a "jobs tour" that will take him through the industrial heartland, home to many autoworkers. …
A Quattro goes for anywhere from $30,000 to $85,000, depending on the model.’

Chevy Suburban SUV. German Audi. And there’s more:
Kerry's SUV habit fuels a `trust' gap:‘At last count, there were eight ``family'' cars and SUVs, including the 1995 Suburban (15 mpg highway, 12 mpg city), a 1993 Land Rover Defender (12 mpg highway, 10 mpg city), a 1989 Jeep Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 16 mpg city), a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Audi Allroad (21 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser (25 mpg highway, 20 mpg city), a 1985 Dodge 600 Convertible (26 mpg highway, 23 mpg city), and a 2002 Chrysler 300M (26 mpg highway, 18 mpg city). Kerry, however, only owns up to the latter two.
Then there's the 2002 Harley Davidson (his), two powerboats (one his, one hers), a power inflatable 2001 Novurania (his), and a Gulfstream II private jet (hers)’

Hat tip to Dreadnought (via Lucianne.com) who linked this info.

- Kitty, 8:15 AM

AH, TO BE SO CHERISHED

STAY IN PITTSBURGH: Teresa Heinz Kerry, Sen. John Kerry's vivacious wife, was a major asset on the campaign trail during the primary elections but has run into backstage criticism since then -- particularly in Philadelphia last week.
Mrs. Kerry asked Rep. Bob Brady, master of ceremonies at the event, whether she could introduce Gov. Edward Rendell (who in turn would introduce the prospective Democratic presidential nominee). The candidate's wife then launched into a 10-minute speech about her early life in Mozambique and on the iniquities of George W. Bush, but forgot to introduce Rendell.
After the event concluded, Brady told a Kerry aide: "Next time you come to Philadelphia, leave her in Pittsburgh (Mrs. Kerry's hometown when she was married to the late Republican Sen. John Heinz)."

- Kitty, 8:10 AM

See You All Tomorrow!

Kitty's got the helm of the SS Kerry Haters!

- Pat, 6:22 AM

The Assassination Game, Part Dix-Sept

The New York Times finally acknowledges the story, apparently (I found the article in the Gainesville Sun, under a NYT byline).

When questions were raised last month about whether a 27-year-old John Kerry had attended a Kansas City meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War where the assassination of senators was discussed, the Kerry presidential campaign went into action.

It accepted the resignation of a campaign volunteer in Florida, Scott Camil, the member of the antiwar group who raised the idea in November 1971 of killing politicians who backed the war. The campaign pressed other veterans who were in Kansas City, Mo., 33 years ago to re-examine their hazy memories while assuring them that Mr. Kerry was sure he had not been there.

John Musgrave, a disabled ex-marine from Baldwin City, Kan., who told The Kansas City Star that Mr. Kerry was at the meeting, said he got a call from John Hurley, the Kerry campaign's veterans coordinator.

"He said, `I'd like you to refresh your memory,' " Mr. Musgrave, 55, recounted in an interview, confirming an account he had given to The New York Sun. "He said it twice. `And call that reporter back and say you were mistaken about John Kerry being there.' "

Such little-noticed moments in Mr. Kerry's past including his decision at age 26 to meet the Vietcong emissaries to the Paris peace talks are coming under new scrutiny now, as Mr. Kerry finally makes the presidential run that his comrades in arms, and in the antiwar movement, half-mockingly predicted decades ago.

In an interview about his antiwar activities, Mr. Kerry said that he knew nothing of attempts by his campaign to tinker with the past and that he disapproved. "People's memories are people's memories," he said, adding that he had no memory of the Kansas City meeting.

I'd say it's pretty smart of him not to start comparing memory gaps. And the bit about "little-noticed moments in Mr Kerry's past" is a classic bit of smoke from the Grey Lady. The moments are little noticed because the NY Times and ABCNNBCBS have studiously ignored this story, which has been covered exhaustively here at Kerry Haters.

- Pat, 6:18 AM

Kerry's Supporters

Who ate his brain?

- Pat, 6:13 AM

Nuancy Boy, Or Liar?

The Boston Herald examines the SUV flap and comes down on the side of the latter.

Kerry has now closed the distance between nuance and flat-out deception.

And that's without mentioning the other gas-guzzlers this candidate and his family enjoy, all the while posturing about reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil and fuel efficiency.

At last count, there were eight ``family'' cars and SUVs, including the 1995 Suburban (15 mpg highway, 12 mpg city), a 1993 Land Rover Defender (12 mpg highway, 10 mpg city), a 1989 Jeep Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 16 mpg city), a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee (20 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Audi Allroad (21 mpg highway, 15 mpg city), a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser (25 mpg highway, 20 mpg city), a 1985 Dodge 600 Convertible (26 mpg highway, 23 mpg city), and a 2002 Chrysler 300M (26 mpg highway, 18 mpg city). Kerry, however, only owns up to the latter two.

What's the old gag? Don't do as I do, do as I say.

- Pat, 6:10 AM

Kerry the Airsock

Dick Cheney spoke about the International Man of Mystery yesterday in Kansas City.

“These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds, saying one thing one day and another the next,” Cheney said at a stop in Kansas City.

- Pat, 6:07 AM

You Will Know Him By His Defenders

A bunch of Republican Congressman used their one-minute speeches in the House to denounce Kerry on the 33rd anniversary of his condemnation of US soldiers.

But guess who stuck up for Nuancy Boy?

Democrats immediately jumped to Kerry's defense, one calling the GOP effort "a sneak attack."

And Congressman Jim McDermott wasted no time focusing on the president's record while in the Texas Air National Guard.

Yep, that's Mesopotamia McDermott, the guy who flew to Baghdad before the war to denounce the president and state that we had to take Saddam "at his word."

- Pat, 6:05 AM

The Likability Gap

Jill Zuckman talks about the John Kerry we know and hate.

- Pat, 6:00 AM

Friday, April 23, 2004

Kitty-Only Blogging Tomorrow

I will be out of town until sometime Sunday afternoon. Kitty, it's all yours!

- Pat, 9:55 PM

NO REGRETS. NO CONTRITION.

THE SLANDER THAT MADE JOHN KERRY A STAR: ‘Thirty-three years ago today, a young, unknown political activist named John F. Kerry sat down before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and unleashed a bitter verbal broadside against the war in Vietnam - and, with particularly harsh invective, against the young Americans who were fighting it.
Kerry charged that U.S. soldiers routinely committed the most gruesome of atrocities - "not isolated incidents, but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command."
The allegations electrified Washington - and made Kerry a national celebrity.
But the charges were slanderous lies.
…
‘On "Meet the Press" last weekend, Kerry maintained that while his "words were honest," they were nonetheless "a little bit over the top."
No regrets.
No contrition.
And, certainly, no apology.
"A little bit over the top"?
….
‘To date, John Kerry has never disavowed the Winter Soldier Investigation - or apologized for his role in propagating its notorious falsehoods.
Kerry has tried to explain away his slanderous charges by suggesting they were spontaneous - prompted by the heat of his anger over the war.
But it is now known that Kerry's speech was in fact carefully crafted by Adam Walinsky, a one-time Robert Kennedy aide and speechwriter - who also coached Kerry in how to deliver it for maximum emotional impact.
That is, for utmost political effect.’

- Kitty, 7:50 PM

Now Here's a Shock

CBS reports that creator and producer of 60 Minutes Don Hewitt, is "leaning toward voting for presidential candidate John Kerry."

And here I thought he and Leslie Stahl were big Bush supporters!

- Pat, 5:28 PM

Reel Stuff

Stop Hanoi John Kerry has a new film up about the Winter Soldier travesty. Turn down the volume on your speakers before loading if you're at work.

- Pat, 2:51 PM

Even the Kids Can't Help Giggling at the Ketchup Queen

- Pat, 2:19 PM

Talking Points Meme

Joshua Micah Marshall tries valiantly to spin the President's higher poll numbers away.

The article contains one huge gaffe:

Former commanders in chief may have faced reverses in prosecuting the cold war — John F. Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs, for example, or Ronald Reagan at Reykjavik.

To a liberal like Marshall, Reykjavik was a reversal. To conservatives, Reykjavik was the moment that the Soviets realized their system was doomed.

- Pat, 12:37 PM

Should Kerry Embrace the Flip Flops?

Mickey Kaus suggests that strategy.

What's more appealing to swing voters--a prevaricating liberal who sees the other side and who might well come around to the center, or a doctrinaire liberal who'll never change? Kerry's stuck with the flip-flop label anyway (because it fits). He might as well get the good out of it. Maybe all he really needs to do is give undecided Bush-doubters some hope. When you've got a lemon ...

Hard to tell whether he's being tongue-in-cheek here. RCP says no way he can start showing off his sandals and offers a half-hearted suggestion:

...find a theme or issue where he can say he's delivered on a promise. Not only will this help to diffuse the flip-flop label, Kerry can also contrast it with the promises he says George W. Bush has broken. Surely Mr. Kerry can find a promise he's kept to use in his defense. Or can he?

Aye, there's the rub.

- Pat, 12:32 PM

Krauthammer Hits the Nail on the Head

Why is Nuancy Boy sinking in the polls? Charles Krauthammer knows:

The answer is simple: Americans are a serious people, war is a serious business, and what John Kerry is offering is simply not serious. Americans may be unsure whether Bush has a plan for success in Iraq. But they sure as hell know that going to U.N. headquarters, visiting foreign capitals and promising lots of jaw-jaw is no plan at all.

- Pat, 12:22 PM

Now He's Copying Newt Gingrich!

Kerry today released his "Contract with America's Middle Class". First it was Ronald Reagan and the Misery Index, now it;s Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America. You think he's going to announce a "secret plan" to end the war, a la Richard Nixon next?

- Pat, 11:51 AM

Kerry Haters Continues to Evolve

I noticed this morning that our blog has now been promoted to a Flippery Fish in the Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem. The next step is to move out of the water and become a Crawly Amphibian. Thanks to those who link to us!

- Pat, 11:47 AM

Tribute To Tillman at Brainster's Blog

I put up a little tribute to Pat Tillman at my other blog, and I intend to update it several times during the day. I live in Arizona, and the whole state seems like it's walking around in a fog today. However, this event just confirms how absolutely important it is that we stop John Kerry. Kerry Haters can't wallow in the grief of this moment.

Thank you, Pat. You're one of the great ones!

- Pat, 11:27 AM

A Moment of Silence

Pat Tillman, NFL player, Ranger, HERO. RIP

- Pat, 8:43 AM

Kerry's Wife Destroying the Planet

Kerry did another flip flop, claiming that he did not own an SUV, then fessing up that perhaps the Ketchup Queen did.

"I don't own an SUV," said Kerry, who supports increasing existing fuel economy standards to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 in order to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil supplies.

Kerry thought for a second when asked whether his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, had a Suburban at their Ketchum, Idaho, home. Kerry said he owns and drives a Dodge 600 and recently bought a Chrysler 300M. He said his wife owns the Chevrolet SUV.

"The family has it. I don't have it," he said.

This is the guy the Democrats thought was electable? I'm beginning to think they would have been better off with the Vermonster!

Update: Reader Conservanatrix pointed us to George W. Bush's blog, which has a link to this article:

Q: What kind of vehicles does your family drive?

A: We have some SUVs. We have a Jeep. We have a couple of Chrysler minivans. We have a PT Cruiser up in Boston. I have an old Dodge 600 that I keep in the Senate. ... We also have a Chevy, a big Suburban.

Note that this was when he was interviewed by a Detroit newspaper, two days before the Michigan primary. Then he was happy to tell the interviewer about having "some" SUVs and a Suburban. Absolutely pathetic.

- Pat, 8:37 AM

Repubs Joking about Kerry's Meetings With Foreign Leaders

The Washington Times reports that Republicans are having a field day with The International Man of Mystery's interview with Tim Russert, particularly the part where he claimed to have met foreign leaders in restaurants in New York.

"I just want to make sure Senator Kerry understands that just because you go into an International House of Pancakes does not mean you are meeting with foreign leaders — unless of course you are referring to their Belgian waffles, stuffed French toast or German pancakes," said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida Republican.

Way to go, Mario! Never heard of you before, but that is a keeper!

- Pat, 8:26 AM

More Attacks on Kerry's Patriotism

The Boston Globe, which is owned by the New York Times, has become part of the VRWC, as Hugh Hewitt notes. It's launched another unfounded attack on the man who defines patriotism with every fiber of his being. Or maybe it's just reporting the facts?

Vietnam combat records posted on John F. Kerry's campaign website for the month of January 1969 as evidence of his service aboard swift boat No. 94 describe action that occurred before Kerry was skipper of that craft, according to the officer who said he commanded the boat at the time.

On the site, the Massachusetts senator is described as the skipper of Navy boat No. 94 during several actions in late January 1969.

However, Edward Peck, who was the skipper of the 94 before Kerry took over, said combat reports posted by the campaign for January 1969 involve action when he was the skipper, not Kerry. Peck, who was seriously wounded in fighting that took place on Jan. 29, 1969, said he believes Kerry campaign aides made a mistake in claiming Kerry as skipper of the 94 at that time.

- Pat, 8:21 AM

Why Bush is Winning and Kerry is Doomed

Howard Fineman will switch the roles at least twice before the election, but here's a nice article on why Bush will kick Ol' Horseface back to the barn. Favorite reason is at the end:

Kerry, of course. John Kerry is durable, unflappable and determined. He works to be in the right place at the right time, and often is. He has no illusions about his own star power or charisma. He is a wooden campaigner, and his 20 years in the Senate have left him unable to see that bragging about legislative maneuvers is the last thing you want to do. Kerry explained to supporters recently that he’d voted for the $87 billion before he’d voted against it. In his mind, evidently, he was merely explaining (with a mordant sense of humor) how the Senate works. But now that line is the centerpiece of a BC04 attack ad. Kerry told financial supporters in New York the other week that his objective, for now, was to “preserve my acceptability.” That’s a pretty low standard — but one he won’t meet if that is his only goal. So far, his strategy has amounted mostly to: Vote for me, I’m not Bush. That’s not enough, especially if Kerry is seen by most voters the way the BC04 ad portrays him: as a flip-flopping manipulative insider.

- Pat, 1:24 AM

Or Is He From Atlantis?

David Halbfinger of the NY Times (!) continues to provide those amusing little stories about Nuancy Boy that make life for a Kerry Haters poster a delight:

After a quick spin down the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet in Johnny Nunez's boat the Fishing Magician — and reminiscing again about his days as a swift-boat skipper in Vietnam — Mr. Kerry spoke about the erosion he had just been exposed to. ("See these trees along here, huh?" Mr. Nunez had said from the wheel. "They're falling in.")

But first he was moved to do a little connecting with his audience.

"We have a lot in common," he said. "You may not think that automatically, because I come from a little state a little north of here.

"But we're both fishing people," he added. "We're both people of the sea."

- Pat, 1:11 AM

Vampire Theory Returns

What else are we to make of this comment?

Just because Bush is doing better does not mean he's going to win," said independent pollster Ed Sarpolus in Michigan, where Bush has held his ground against Kerry despite lukewarm job and favorability ratings.

"You have to understand that for the last 30 days, John Kerry's been invisible," Sarpolus said.

- Pat, 1:07 AM

Caption this Picture!

Captain Ed has a weekly photo contest, and I thought I'd rip off his idea. Errr, I mean try something similar, well, actually the same thing. Hmmm, rip off his idea covers it. This is an incredibly dorky photo that seems to beg for a funny caption and yet I can't think of one. "I am the Borax, I speak for the clouds!" was the best I could come up with.

- Pat, 12:42 AM

The Other Side's Talking Points

Tony Norman has the company line down for Kerry's war record.

The reporter, a rather intense guy who kept his blinking to a minimum, wondered aloud about the "double standard" that allowed news of Bush's wartime hemorrhoids to grace the front page of The Washington Post while questions about the extent of Kerry's "alleged" wartime injuries elicited only minor interest from the media.

Note that the attention is focused immediately on the reporter--intense and blinking like a speed freak. Then we get BIG NEWS--Bush had wartime hemorrhoids! Who knew? I gotta admit, the liberal media missed its big opportunity to make lots and lots of gags about Bush and... what's that? Oh, it's a joke? Ha.

The reporter was concerned that despite Kerry's numerous confirmed kills of Viet Cong and his exceptional acts of bravery in the field, there were "legitimate" questions about whether the extent of his injuries in the war had been exaggerated.

I gotta admit, the left has really improved their act. The Viet Cong, according to the left in the 1970s, were legitimate revolutionaries just trying to bring the glory of communism to their fellow South Vietnamese. Nowadays having numerous kills of Viet Cong is groovy? Hey glad to hear you guys have finally come around. It would be more convincing though if you started feeling the same way towards the scum that are killing our young men in Iraq, instead of referring to them as "The Resistance".

- Pat, 12:39 AM

Is It Slander or Libel?

The NY Post can't quite decide which Nuancy Boy committed:

Kerry charged that U.S. soldiers routinely committed the most gruesome of atrocities - "not isolated incidents, but crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command."

The allegations electrified Washington - and made Kerry a national celebrity.

But the charges were slanderous lies.

John Kerry (news - web sites)'s 1971 testimony slandered an entire generation of soldiers," writes military historian Mackubin Thomas Owens, who led a Marine infantry platoon into combat in Vietnam.

"He said in essence that his fellow veterans had committed unparalleled war crimes in Vietnam as a matter of course - indeed, that it was American policy to commit such atrocities," Owens writes.

The libel served Kerry well.

- Pat, 12:10 AM

Thursday, April 22, 2004

TRICK or TREAT

Nader: Now More Than Ever: According to James Glassman, Nader is the only true anti-war candidate, which can only spell bad news for Le Fraude.
‘Supporters of John Kerry are kidding themselves if they think Ralph Nader won't hurt their candidate. In fact, he may hurt Kerry in 2004 more than he hurt Al Gore in 2000. …

‘In 2000, Nader received 2.7 percent of the vote. The latest Gallup Poll, taken April 5-8, gives him 4 percent. A Newsweek poll of 18-to-29 year-olds found 12 percent backing Nader, "at the expense of John Kerry." And Democrats have to be worried about a survey in New Hampshire last month that found Nader with 8 percent.’

And even if the war goes badly, ‘the beneficiary, ultimately, may be Bush.’

- Kitty, 9:15 PM

THERE HE GOES AGAIN!

Order this button here.

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU APRIL 22, 2004 17:09:25 ET XXXXX

KERRY ABORTION FLIP: ADVOCATED 'STATE ISSUE'

**Exclusive**

Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry will attend a rally for women's abortion rights in Washington, DC on Friday.

At the rally, Kerry will ask attendees to join him in the fight by getting involved in his campaign.

But the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal: Kerry claimed in an interview he was "opposed to abortion" and how its an issue "that should be left for the states to decide."

MORE

Kerry told the LOWELL SUN in October, 1972: "...It's a tragic day in the lives of everybody when abortion is looked on as an alternative to birth control or as an alternative to having a child. I think that's wrong. It should be the very last thing if it has to be anything, and I say that not just because I'm opposed to abortion but because I think that's common sense."

Kerry declared: "I think the question of abortion is one that should be left for the states to decide."

In 1975, SUN reporter John Mullins outlined how Kerry believed there were larger issues than abortion including "how to put people back to work, how to reduce crime and how to keep institutions from breaking down."

"'I think liberals spend too much time pushing issues which just aren't relevant to the mass of people,' Kerry said, including among such issues abortion, the death penalty and amnesty."

Developing...

Okay, so that interview was given 32 years ago, and people CAN change their minds, right? Yes, but we're talking about John Fraud Kerry, the one who's single-handedly bringing back the flip-flops not as a fashion statement, but as a political one. Le Fraude will say anything to keep his "political viability."

- Kitty, 8:36 PM

College Daze II

The Village Voice notes Kerry's university tour snooze-fest.

These five Northeastern college appearances were designed to inspire 30 million young adults to make the difference for Democrats in this presidential election. The press release promised "high-profile entertainment."

But on Wednesday at Harlem's City College, as hundreds of students and more than 50 members of the media waited over half an hour to hear Kerry, they listened to the cocktail-party stylings of a light jazz quartet. "It's all right," a slouching young man with a nose ring and ponytail commented. "It's keeping me awake." That was more than could be said for the rest of the program.

Somehow, Kerry's proposals for free Geritol apparently failed to rouse the collegians.

- Pat, 3:52 PM

The Advantage of Pre-Printed Signs

Let me guess--the guy with the mustache who can't spell and doesn't know when to use an apostrophe is from Texas?

Hat Tip: Best of the Web Today, via Captain's Quarters.

- Pat, 3:25 PM

Kerry Running For Leader of a Farce?

CNS News reports that at a 1971 speech to West Virginia's Bethany College, Nuancy Boy made the following comments:

"Our democracy is a farce; it is not the best in the world."

and

"There is a disbelief in the American Dream. People are questioning if it is really a dream or if the dream still exists."

- Pat, 3:18 PM

Hanoi John?

Kerry Haters has the proof!

- Pat, 1:27 PM

And Now, A Little Culture

Those of you fortunate enough to listen to Hugh Hewitt (the Voice of Reason in the West) on the radio daily will be familiar with Tarzana Joe, who started out as a caller and became a regular feature of the show as its poetry correspondent. He recited a very amusing poem on the air a few days ago and has been kind enough to grant us permission to print it here:

Meet the Candidate

I'm an average man with a master plan
I'm a warrior, like Attila
And I'll lead the songs of the cheering throngs
From my humble Tuscan villa.

I'm the People's Choice with a noble voice
That will never stam-- or stutter
I don't like to boast but if I eat toast
Well, you know, it won't melt butter.

Yes, I stand tall and will never fall
And can never be defeated
Unless (boo, hoo) I get run into
By some "expletive deleted".

Any fool can see my philosophy
Is transparent as a tissue
I stand by my quotes, you can track my votes
On both sides of every issue.

I can think of ten strong foreign men
And I think you all should heed them
It's just a shame I can't name their names
But they're begging me to lead them

It's been just that way since my natal day
When the stars shone round about me
It's unclear to me how the framers
Got this nation built without me

When the Supreme Courtees
Spoke of obscenities
They said, "When you see 'em, You'll know 'em"
I'm John Forbes Kerry
And I've approved this poem.

Thanks Joe!

- Pat, 1:14 PM

Links Update

Added a link to Travels With Kerry under News Links. Is the Botoxicated Brahmin coming to your state? Click on the map to find out what John F'ing's proposals would do to your local economy.

Hat tip to reader Conservanatrix. (Every time I type that I have to look at it three times to make sure I got it right. I know I will blow it some day, so apologies in advance!).

- Pat, 12:57 PM

Kerry's Medals Raising Some Eyebrows

Kerry's been releasing some of his military records. Here's a pdf of his Silver Star Here's a pdf of his Bronze Star.

Now, here's the eyebrow-raising part. The signature under Secretary of the Navy for both those medals appears to be that of John Lehman (the signature is tough to read). But Lehman was not Secretary of the Navy at the time Kerry served. He was Secretary of the Navy from 1981-1987. The Secretary of the Navy at the time Kerry was in Vietnam was John Chafee. The signature certainly does not appear to be that of Chafee--the first letter of the last name appears to my eyes to be an "L".

Just a thought here. Kerry was widely reported to have thrown his medals over a fence at the Congress back in 1971 in the infamous Dewey Canyon III protest. However, years later, a visitor to his Senate office saw the medals proudly mounted on the wall. When asked about this Kerry reportedly claimed that he had thrown his ribbons, and the medals of some other soldier. Is it possible that Kerry in fact did throw away his medals, and then requested replacements years later?

Any Kerry Haters out there got anything signed by Lehman or Chafee so that we can check this matter further?

Hat Tip to Lucianne.com Poster Seadog (for spotting Lehman's signature) and Rob Roy (for the link to the bio of Lehman).

- Pat, 11:24 AM

The Condensed Kerry

Slate has a great condensation of the Boston Globe's new bio of Mr Ed, in which they pull snippets of information from Kerry's life story. Some really interesting stuff there. For example, many Vietnam vets feel Kerry betrayed his country with his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Maybe it runs in the family?

Page 7: Kerry's great-great-great-great-grandfather, the Rev. John Forbes, wasn't French, but he was a Tory. In 1763, the British made Forbes, a Scot, "minister of St. Augustine, an important post in the British control of East Florida. … When the American Revolution unfolded, Forbes remained loyal to the British Crown."

Kerry as McGuyver?

Page 105: Some Hogan's Heroes-style antics: Kerry and Jim Rassman decide to toss grenades into "a huge rice cache that had been captured from the Vietcong and was thus slated for destruction. … Rassman escaped the ensuing explosion of rice, but Kerry was not as lucky—thousands of grains stuck to him."

This appears to be an expanded version of a long series of stories that the Globe did on Nuancy Boy back in 2003.

- Pat, 9:45 AM

More Funny Stuff

The Kerry Campaign made the mistake of allowing people to go on their website and make their own "testimonials" to their support of John Kerry. Screen shots of some of the more amusing ones can be found here. I especially like the one from supporter S.H.

Hat Tip: Esoteric Diatribe.

- Pat, 8:04 AM

Google Bomb Working--Keep It Up!

Kerry's Campaign site now comes up pretty regularly as the #1 result on Google for the word waffles. This was a plan hatched by the Esoteric Diatribe blog and inadvertently helped on by the media which covered it as a story and spread it further. Great job!

- Pat, 8:00 AM

Full Court Press

The New York Times weighs in with an editorial chiding Kerry for his attempts to keep secret his war records, his medical records, and his wife's tax returns.

What's going on here? Isn't the New York Times part of the liberal media elite? Why are they getting on Kerry?

It's pretty simple really. Yes, the Times is liberal, and they will show it in countless ways. For example, don't expect the doyens of the press to go through Kerry's tax proposals and point out that nothing like 98% of the people will get a tax cut under the Kerry proposal, or to point out (as Hugh Hewitt has) Nuancy Boy's proposal to get on his knees and beg forgiveness from the world.

But they will get on him for one thing--withholding information. The press relies on information, and they don't like people who won't give it to them. The most obscene word in the English language to an editor at the Times is "stonewall". That's the real message of this paragraph:

One of the few sources of comfort for voters in this endless presidential campaign is that there is time to learn what they need to know about the candidates before the conventions in late summer. As the newcomer to the national election stage, Mr. Kerry has more to tell, and more to lose by not doing so early enough that any questions can be asked and answered before his nomination. Why delight critics, and irritate supporters, with a bout of stonewalling that's hardly worth the fight?

What supporters is Kerry irritating? Why, the editors at the New York Times, of course!

- Pat, 7:45 AM

The Apologist

Hugh Hewitt bends, folds, staples and spindles Kerry in the Weekly Standard, calling him the "International Man of Apology" (new nickname!).

One thing such a move would be sure to do is embarrass and outrage the American public. "Literally, formally rejoin the community of nations?" What can that mean except that Kerry believes that: (1) The United States and its many allies have been acted unlawfully in liberating Iraq from Saddam; (2) the French, Russians, and Chinese should have a veto over American foreign policy; (3) an apology is in order for exposing the massive corruption of the oil-for-food program; and (4) we should be sorry for having disarmed Libya of its nuclear ambitions and mustard gas.

Link added to Claudia Rosett's backgrounder on the oil for food program or UNSCAM as it is now being called. Claudia has done some amazing reporting on this issue. It's not Kerry-related, but it's an important story, long enough to print out and read over lunch. And after you've read that, check out her column in the National Review on the ties to terrorism. If it turns out that terrorists were being funded with Saddam's money as this piece indicates, Kerry's kaput.

Update: Friends of Saddam (what, no picture of Kerry at the top of the blog?) is now blogging on the UNSCAM situation.

- Pat, 7:20 AM

There's No Place Like Home

Bob Novak points out that Kerry's wife's wealth has saved his bacon on more than one occasion.

Kerry’s net worth, according to his official disclosure submitted in 1995, ranged from a plus-$34,995 down to a minus-$130,000.

In January 1995, Mrs. Heinz paid $1.7 million cash for the shell of a town house on Boston’s tony Beacon Hill, and restoration brought its value to nearly $3 million (though that figure is much higher today). She then transferred ownership of half the house to her new husband, and the mansion became the engine financing Kerry’s campaigns.

Kerry borrowed $900,000 against the house to help finance his 1996 reelection campaign (and flip flopped on a promise to limit spending during that campaign). Last year, with his campaign floundering, he borrowed $6.4 million against his share of the house and was able to hire the guns that brought him a comeback win in Iowa.

That's another brewing scandal, by the way. How does Kerry borrow $6.4 million with an annual income of less than $200,000? He made more in 2003 because he sold a painting that his wife had apparently given him a half interest in. Has the house really jumped in value so much that he can borrow that amount against his share?

- Pat, 6:53 AM

My name is Kerry, John Kerry, and I was in Vietnam.

The Fraud always talks about his service in Vietnam as though he were the only one. Both Conservanatrix and Gayle tipped us to an article called The Un-Kerry, which Pat posted below. It’s about John O'Neill, the other swift boat commander, who debated John Fraud Kerry on the Dick Cavett show back in 1971.

Now you can watch a clip of that debate on The Cavett Show here.

- Kitty, 3:47 AM

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

That Part Over There Reminds Me of Vietnam

Kerry moments before he started screaming "Down, down, down!"

- Pat, 11:00 PM

Kerry AWOL?

Hugh Hewitt points out that there are four separate gaps in the fitness reports made available by Kerry for periods ranging from ten days to over three months.

"Under the standard applied to Bush, Kerry was AWOL four times."

Love it!

- Pat, 10:42 PM

More On John O'Neill

The National Review has a superb article on John O'Neill, the other swift boat commander, who debated John Fraud Kerry on the Dick Cavett show back in 1971.

I'm not going to summarize the piece, just want you to hear a few facts about O'Neill before you go read this excellent article:

Young Ensign O'Neill chose to serve aboard a minesweeper, the Woodpecker. His fellow classmates had a good laugh. A minesweeper? Not exactly the most glamorous gig in the Navy, and an especially odd choice for a man whose class standing was so high he could have breezed into pretty much any posting he desired. But O'Neill's motive was nothing to laugh about: Mindful of the "family tradition of service," he says it was "important to me not to sit out the war" — and he supposed that he had a better chance of seeing action on one of the smaller boats than he would have cooling his heels aboard an aircraft carrier.

[After debating Kerry]

Well, the offers to do more TV appearances came rolling in, but O'Neill decided to pack his blue serge suit and go home. He went to the University of Texas Law School, and graduated first in a class of 554 with the third highest score in its history...

[How he came to agree to be interviewed by National Review]

As he recuperated in an intensive-care unit after donating a kidney to his wife, Anne (now well on her way to recovery), a television story about Kerry leading the pack galvanized O'Neill.

Get the picture? This guy is a real hero, not some dandy taking Super-8 movies reenacting his war exploits, but the kind of guy who got the job done. Read it.

Hat tip to reader Conservanatrix.

- Pat, 8:20 PM

Where Was Kerry in 1969? Begins With a V? Vienna? Vermont? Something Like That.

It's become a joke how often Kerry brings up the subject of Vietnam, and in what contexts. Listen to this story:

Standing at the bow of a 25-foot power craft called "Fishing Magician" inspecting coastal erosion in southern Louisiana reminded Kerry of his days as commander of a Navy "swift" boat 35 years ago.

"I looked out at the shoreline and I commented that parts of it looked a lot like the rivers and coastline that I went through in Vietnam," the Massachusetts senator said.

He told about 100 supporters sweltering in the heat on the banks of the Mississippi that he had spent a lot of time "in a habitat that looked a little like this" as a young Naval officer. He said the 50-foot gunboat he commanded was built "right here in Louisiana."

In his interview with Tim Russert, he brought it up not more than five minutes into the program, on a question about Iraq. Enough, John! We know that you were in Vienna for four months, 35 years ago. Errr, Vietnam.

- Pat, 6:19 PM

Big News--Kerry Haters Now a Two Person Blog!

You've probably noticed a lot of posts lately with a hat tip to Kitty. Well, you won't see that any more, because she has agreed to join me in posting directly to the blog. Kitty's a great blogger, as the many of you who've come here from her site are already aware. Her first post is already up. It's my hope and belief that she will bring a different perspective to the blog, hit the stories I'm missing and improve the experience for my--oops, OUR readers.

Nuancy Boy's gotta go it alone against a tag-team now!

Welcome Kitty!

- Pat, 4:58 PM

FLIP VS. FLOP
As reported a while back on Page Six of the NY Post:
THE Republican National Committee has turned to boxing promoter Don King to lend his voice to an online game poking fun at Sen. John Kerry, reports The Washington Times. Visitors to the RNC's Web site can play "Kerry vs. Kerry," a boxing match in which the presidential candidate fights himself. "Ladies and gentlemen," King's voice-over booms. "Welcome to Kerry versus Kerry, the battle for the Democratic Party. In one corner, hailing from Massachusetts - 350 votes for higher taxes, votes to eliminate important intelligence funding - Sen. John Kerry. In the other corner, also hailing from Massachusetts . . . Sen. John Kerry."

- Kitty, 4:29 PM

It's a French Sailor

This Yahoo caption under a photo of Kerry in uniform cracks me up:

This is a copy of the photo of John Kerry that was included in paperwork when he enlisted in the Navy that was released Wednesday, April 21, 2004, in Washington. Records of Kerry's Vietnam War service show a highly praised naval officer with an Ivy League education who spoke fluent French and had raced sailboats.

The military records mentioned his sailboat racing experience?

- Pat, 4:09 PM

Kerryhaters About To Live Up to Its Name?

Kerryhaters is plural right? And yet only one person's been posting here so far. That could be changing shortly--stay tuned!

- Pat, 3:37 PM

People, People Who Need Calendars...

(Via Lucianne) The Irish Examiner is reporting that Barbra Streisand is planning on hosting a fund raiser for John Kerry.

The star, who has made no secret of her contempt for the policies of the Bush administration, is apparently pulling out all the stops and has persuaded her Hollywood friends and colleagues to pitch in to make it a massive success.

It is likely to take place at the star’s Malibu estate early next year.

- Pat, 1:03 PM

Kerry's Performance Ranking Disastrous?

That's the conclusion of some of the folks over at Free Republic to this report.

Remember, these rankings were highly inflated, with at least 60% of the officers having perfect rankings in all 16 categories. Most of the others would receive one ranking less than perfect in one category…. and their careers were effectively over.

Lt. Kerry received only 6 of 16 rankings in the highest category. The remaining marks for “Judgment” was one step down and 9 of the 16 other marks were two steps down. When ranking these Efficiency Reports arithmetically, when one “down point” could end a career, Kerry had 19 “down points.”

I'm not qualified to comment on that issue. The point being made seems reasonable, and the remarks by other military guys on the thread seem to back up this assessment.

Hat tip: John F Kerry Sucks

- Pat, 12:14 PM

Abandoned Brothers

Don Bendell, A Vietnam vet, talks about Kerry and the way his anti-war activities shaped America's attitudes towards the soldiers of his generation. Best observation:

To see how transparently opportunistic this is, it's worth asking what he has done for his Band of Brothers in his 19 years in the Senate.

Not a hell of a lot, it turns out. I looked up his record on veterans issues since becoming a Senator on the Library of Congress website, and the results were predictable. In this presidential election year, Kerry proposed one veterans-related bill and signed on to six others. However, in the previous 18 years, he sponsored a total of only four veteran-related bills, and one amendment (all of which went nowhere) and he refused to co-sponsor any others.

Note: I stole the title from the AmSpec on this one. It cannot be improved upon. And Kitty gave me the tip.

- Pat, 11:16 AM

My Monitor Just Melted

Crush Kerry has the info on "the hottest Kerry Crusher out there." Be sure to click through to Gabrielle's own website. Note: Both are work-safe, but turn up the air-conditioning!

- Pat, 10:15 AM

Kerry's Favorite Footwear

The official George W. Bush site has a great collection of Kerry's flip flops.

Feel free to flip on over to Kitty, who pointed this out--she's no flop!

- Pat, 10:02 AM

Well, I Question His Patriotism

Jonah Goldberg tackles Kerry head-on.

Professional liberals have invested a vast amount of time and energy popularizing the notion that the worst thing in the world is to question the patriotism of someone to your left. I agree that it's not very nice, especially if it's unfounded. But I don't think questioning someone's patriotism is any worse than questioning their decency.

but before that, he does have this qualifier:

Now, I don't really think Kerry's unpatriotic.

As others have pointed out, questioning Kerry's record is not the same as questioning his patriotism. Do I believe that John Kerry thinks America is not the greatest country in the world? Sure. Do I believe that he doesn't like the American military? You betcha. Do I believe that John Kerry wants to apologize for America's invasion of Iraq? Of course he does.

So where does the notion come from that John Kerry's still patriotic? That he served in the military? Hey, I appreciate the military as much as anybody. But Benedict Arnold served in the military. Nobody's going to claim he was a great patriot.

Hat tip to Kitty.

- Pat, 9:54 AM

Charity Begins at Home, Part Deux

The Florida Times-Union takes Kerry to task for his lack of charitable giving.

The question Kerry still needs to answer, however, is why he isn't as generous with his own vast personal wealth as he is with tax money forcibly extracted from everyone else.

Update: Kerry Crushers has a good title for this: Short Arms, Deep Pockets.

- Pat, 8:34 AM

John McIntyre Gets It

The first site I go to in the morning is Lucianne, and the second is Real Clear Politics. Both of them have great links to articles, and informed commentary. The difference is that Lucianne is cooperative, combining the efforts of many, while RCP appears to be the work of two guys. Lucianne works because it gives you everything, RCP works because it is focused.

At first, I spent most of my time at RCP reading the dozen or so editorials they link to daily. But lately, I've been reading their daily blog more and more, and checking out the state polls. They do a really good job on both.

Today John McIntyre has a great blog entry on why Bush is moving ahead in the polls lately. Read it all, but here are a few highlights:

What many partisan Democrats and political observers in the media still don't quite understand is that the more the political conversation is about Iraq, al Qaeda, bin Laden, terrorism, 9/11, etc....the more it helps President Bush and the Republicans.

When the Richard Clarke/ September 11 Commission news cycle failed to take down the President's numbers, the press turned their attention to the chaos in Iraq and suggested that that was where the President was really vulnerable. So after all the recent bad news from Iraq it is shocking for them to see fresh new polls that actually show the President gaining support.

The pattern that is beginning to emerge is the press is simply incapable of accurately handicapping this race because they have an inherent, ideological opposition to President Bush and his approach to the War on Terror that is completely out of whack with the majority of the American people.

- Pat, 8:24 AM

Troubling And Mistaken

That's how the WaPo describes yet another of Kerry's flip-flops.

Mr. Kerry contends that he has not shifted his public position. But there are major differences between what he said in December -- right after Saddam Hussein's capture, when Mr. Kerry was seeking to discredit dovish Democratic challenger Howard Dean -- and his remarks last week, which followed several weeks of bad news from Iraq and growing public disenchantment with the course of the war. Where once he named democracy as a task to be completed, and the alternative to "cutting and running" or a "false success," Mr. Kerry now says democracy is optional. Where once he warned against setting the conditions for an early but irresponsible withdrawal of U.S. forces, now he does so himself by defining the exit standard as "stability," a term that could describe Saudi Arabia or Iran -- or the Iraq of Saddam Hussein.

- Pat, 8:12 AM

News from the South Poll

Dr David Hill, from The Hill Newspaper (that's gotta be a little confusing!) has the scoop on Florida:

The poll’s cross-tabs showed that Kerry has several notable problems. First, he’s losing 18 percent of the state’s Democrats to Bush. By comparison, Bush is losing only 7 percent of Republicans. Kerry’s problem with his base is also evident in the minority community, where 11 percent of blacks said they plan to vote for Bush.

This above-average defection of African-Americans to a Republican in Florida refutes the notion being pushed by some black leaders that their community is eager to nail Bush come November.

But the most encouraging minority result is for Hispanic voters. Only 36 percent of Cubans and other Hispanics plan to vote for Kerry. Should former Bush administration Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez win his U.S. Senate primary to join Bush on the ticket this November, Kerry could lose even more Hispanic support. (Disclosure: The author polls for Martinez.)

Go Mel Martinez!

- Pat, 8:02 AM

Those Foreign Fans

Mark Landsbaum runs through Kerry's overseas supporters. I'm telling you, these guys are the most crooked, lying....

There’s little nuance here. These international endorsements come from the cowardly, the evil and the vile. A socialist retreating in the face of terrorists, a Communist dictator insinuating nuclear showdown and an anti-Semitic hatemonger aren’t likely to have Americans’ best interest at heart when picking sides in the U.S. presidential election.

- Pat, 7:55 AM

Don't Come Any Closer, Or I'll Karate-Chop You!

Another guy who doesn't seem to like being up close and personal with the Botoxicated Brahmin.

- Pat, 7:34 AM

Kerry Front-End Loaded?

David Shribman points out that the Democrats may have put Kerry in a tough position by letting him seal up the nomination so quickly. Now he has to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune alone, at least until he selects his running mate.

This is reasonably true, but the advantage Kerry has is that he's raising tons of money with no other Democrats competing with him (unless you consider that kook Kucinich competition). Shribman suggests Gephardt as a running mate. Dickie boy's not a terrible choice, but he's not the kind of guy that's going to get Flipper a lot of positive press if picked. We all know Gephardt; he's as dull as dishwater.

- Pat, 7:30 AM

Nuancy Boy Tries the Limited Hangout

Kerry just refuses to learn, doesn't he? He's made "some" of his military records public, according to the WaPo, but here's the key:

The documents included declassified reports that show Kerry had shrapnel wounds in his left thigh after his boat came under heavy fire on Feb. 20, 1969, and later suffered shrapnel wounds in his buttocks and contusions on his right forearm from a mine detonation near his boat on March 13, 1969. Details about the wounds involved in Kerry's first Purple Heart were not made available.

Of course, the first Purple Heart is the controversial one, the one his commander said looked like it had been made with a fingernail, and did not come from enemy fire.

Note: Hugh Hewitt said on the radio that Kerry is now claiming that the Navy reassigned him after his third wound, that he did not request the reassignment. This appears to contradict what Kerry has said in the past. Yet another flip-flop from the Sandalista!

Update: Kate O'Beirne has more.

- Pat, 7:19 AM

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Help Out a Good Guy

A friend who runs Rambling's Journal needs a little hand. Michael's a great blogger, one of my daily visits. I do this site for free, so if you enjoy things here, why don't you stop over there and drop a twenty in his Paypal account.

- Pat, 10:48 PM

Meet the Cuomo Aide, VIII

MR. RUSSERT: Your wife said recently--a few years ago--that you had bad nightmares, which were very frightening, about Vietnam. Do you still have nightmares?

SEN. KERRY: No, I don't. I don't, but I did for a period of time.

Now, let's put this in context. Kerry's wife was married to Senator John Heinz until his untimely death in a helicopter accident in 1991. Supposedly they became friendly in 1992, and they married in 1995. Let's say they began sleeping together in 1992. That's over 22 years after Kerry got back from Vietnam, and he's having nightmares about it? And he only spent four months actually in Vietnam (although he served 6 months on a frigate away from any combat).

Here's a bit from a Karen Tumulty profile of Teh-RAY-zeh in Time Magazine:

Asked if he still had nightmares of combat, Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, said he hadn't. His wife said otherwise, and mimicked him having a flashback. 'Down, down, down!' she screamed.

- Pat, 9:45 PM

Meanwhile, At Perry White's Newspaper

The Berkeley Daily Planet (!) approves of Kerry's tax plans. At least, that's what I get out of the article, which sounds more like it was written by the Bizarros.

- Pat, 9:18 PM

What Party Does Kerry Belong To?

Judson Cox does a good job of showing that it's not the Democratic Party of Jackson and Roosevelt and Kennedy.

In 1971, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry said, "I think that politically, historically, the one thing that people try to do, that society is structured on as a whole, is an attempt to satisfy their felt needs, and you can satisfy those needs with almost any kind of political structure, giving it one name or the other. In this name it is democratic; in others it is communism; in others it is benevolent dictatorship. As long as those needs are satisfied, that structure will exist." And April 14, 2004, "I have always said from day one that the goal here . . . is a stable Iraq, not whether or not that's a full democracy. I can't tell you what it's going to be, but a stable Iraq. And that stability can take several different forms." - (LA Times)

The Democratic Party has changed since the time of Jackson, Roosevelt, Truman and even JFK, but shouldn’t a Democrat at least believe in Democracy?

Read it through to the end--the last quote should send a chill down your spine.

- Pat, 9:08 PM

We Have a New Nickname

This one comes from a political satire site:

The New-Wonk of Nuance!

Okay, so it's not quite up there with Nuancy Boy or DYKWIA. It's still pretty clever.

- Pat, 9:00 PM

A Better Swift Boat Commander

CNN has the story of the guy who took over after Kerry left his troops behind and went home with his three purple hearts.

"I saw some war heroes ... John Kerry is not a war hero," said John O'Neill, a Houston lawyer who joined the Navy's Coastal Division 11 two months after the future senator left Vietnam. "He couldn't tie the shoes of some of the people in Coastal Division 11."

"His allegations that people committed war crimes in that unit, and throughout Vietnam, were lies. He knew they were lies when he said them, and they were very damaging lies," said O'Neill, adding that other former sailors from the same unit also plan to come forward to take on Kerry, whose Vietnam service has figured prominently in his campaign for the White House.

Read it all. Nuancy Boy's not getting away with his claim that "The words were honest, but, on the other hand, they were a little bit over the top."

- Pat, 8:55 PM

Wooo-Hooo! Welcome Hugh Hewitt readers!

I just commented last night that Hugh Hewitt is my favorite radio talk show host and whom do I find this afternoon in my referring pages? This is really cool!

If you haven't checked him out, he's on in a few minutes. I've been listening since the days when folks were expected to have a Dimaggiotti (listened to 56 consecutive shows). Now, of course, I'm approaching a Ripkenotti.

While I encourage you to browse the site for awhile, please also check out the Blogger Royalty at the right, especially Kitty Litter. She's got some great anti-Kerry stuff, and she has really been supportive of my blog.

- Pat, 3:04 PM

Hillary--It Ain't Me, Babe!

Senator Hillary becomes the first Democrat to announce that she's not interested in becoming first mate aboard the SS Kerry-tanic.

- Pat, 1:33 PM

Kerry's College Tour a Bust

That's the underlying message of this article by Peter Canellos, although he does get some Bush-bashing in.

''Thank you, Wildcats -- there's a lot of energy here," Kerry said enthusiastically.

But there wasn't much energy. The audience was shepherded into a tiny portion of the cavernous field house, separated by the kind of blue curtains used to mark space at a high school science fair. Some students left after the warm-up act, the college band Guster.

Advance staff did everything but put former New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen in a letter sweater to convey an atmosphere of collegiate fun, but Kerry wasn't playing along.

The crowd cheered after a stray reference to Iraq, but the candidate veered away. By the end, he was vowing to preserve Social Security until today's students retire, a promise that seemed to strike most of the kids like a math assignment: How many more years until Social Security kicks in? Forty-six or 47?

Kerry's college tour was billed as, Change Begins With "U". I guess the "U" is intended as a pun on "University" and "You", but it reminds me of the old joke about what the "N" on Nebraska's helmets stands for: Knowledge.

Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt.

- Pat, 8:28 AM

Ten Questions for Kerry

A Vietnam vet wants some answers.

- Pat, 8:21 AM

The Smart Guy is on the Left

Ever notice how many pictures have Kerry clinging just a little too tightly to somebody? The most famous ones are the photos with Teh-RAY-zah as the clingee, but there are plenty others. Lieberman looks obviously uncomfortable.

- Pat, 8:05 AM

A Miserable Index Part V

You know a liberal is pathetic when even Derrick Z. Jackson pans him!

Further evidence of how the Kerry folks are relying heavily on the ABB game was the campaign's recent ''release'' of something called the ''Middle-Class Misery Index.'' By the time you get done reading it, you'd think we're in the second Great Depression.

The ''index'' smacked of the very elitism that sunk Al Gore against Bush in 2000. Even though it is a political statement, the Kerry people propped it up by using terms usually reserved for sober university studies such as ''Key Findings,'' and by calling itself a ''report'' and an ''analysis.''

Citing drops in family income, tax cuts, and the rising prices of health care, college tuition, and gasoline, Kerry says Bush has the ''Worst Record of Any President Ever.'' As Democrats are fond of saying, no president has watched so many jobs disappear (2.6 million) since Herbert Hoover. ''Today we are 7 million jobs short,'' the press release said.

The index had lots of numbers for what Bush has done wrong on jobs. But when the release says, ''John Kerry has a comprehensive agenda to restart job growth there were no projections of how many jobs his plans would create.

Kerry complained that on Bush's watch, public university tuition, because of the fiscal crisis of the states, went up on average 13 percent. Kerry promises $50 billion of tax cuts for college. But there was nothing in this press release about how he would convince the colleges from raising the tuitions.

Hat tip to the George W Bush Blog, which now has a daily morning read, via Instapundit.

- Pat, 7:57 AM

Meet the Cuomo Aide VII--As Predicted Here

Kerry has refused to release additional records relating to his military service and medical history according to the Boston Globe.

Kerry, in an interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press," was asked whether he would follow President Bush's example and release all of his military records. "I have," Kerry said. "I've shown them -- they're available for you to come and look at." He added that "people can come and see them at headquarters."

But when a reporter showed up yesterday morning to review the documents, the campaign staff declined, saying all requests must go through the press spokesman, Michael Meehan. Late yesterday, Meehan said the only records available would be those already released to this newspaper.

"He is releasing all military records he has released to The Boston Globe," Meehan said in a telephone interview. In a follow-up e-mail, Meehan said it was those particular records to which Kerry was referring on "Meet the Press."

Kerry has not released the formal evaluations from superior officers, although his campaign has given a letter from a commanding officer that recommended him for service aboard Navy patrol boats and also reports for the Silver and Bronze stars that laud Kerry's actions in combat. By comparison, retired Army General Wesley K. Clark released hundreds of pages of his records during the Democratic primary campaign, including all evaluations of him by his superiors.

Can we say the obvious here? Botox Boy has something to hide in those records and he's desperately trying to keep them from becoming a story. If he would lie to Russert about making them available, there's obviously some fire there.

- Pat, 7:35 AM

Pathetic Kerry Can't Even Get the Conspiracy Theories Straight

Maybe I should cut the commenters at Kerry's blog some slack. How can they be expected not to engage in bizarre conspiracy theories, when their hero, John F'ing Kerry does the same? Here's what Nuancy Boy told a crowd in Florida:

"Last night ... it was reported that in the Oval Office discussion around whether to invade Iraq that the president, the vice president (Dick Cheney), the secretary of defense (Donald Rumsfeld) made a deal with Saudi Arabia that would deliver lower gas prices," Kerry told a town hall meeting in Lake Worth.

"But here's the catch," he said. "The American people would have to wait until the election, until November of 2004."

Kerry was referring to Bob Woodward's appearance on 60 Minutes Sunday. However, even Woodward could not let this stand.

"I don't say there's a secret deal or any collaboration on this," Woodward told CNN's "Larry King Live" Monday. "What I say in the book is that the Saudis ... hoped to keep oil prices low during the period before the election, because of its impact on the economy. That's what I say."

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who appeared on the program with Woodward, said his characterization of Saudi policy was "accurate."

"We hoped that the oil prices will stay low, because that's good for America's economy, but more important, it's good for our economy and the international economy," he said. "This is nothing unusual. President Clinton asked us to keep the prices down in the year 2000. In fact, I can go back to 1979, President Carter asked us to keep the prices down to avoid the malaise."

Captain Ed, whose post alerted me to this, has quite a bit more.

- Pat, 7:15 AM

Monday, April 19, 2004

More Insanity about Israel at Kerry's Blog

Check out these quotes:

In the meantime, please explain to me why a single Israeli security firm had responsibility for security at the airports involved in the 9/11 hijackings; why 5 Israeli agents were photographed jumping up and down and clapping while the tower fell; and, why an Israeli telecommunications firm located only 2 blocks from the WTC was evacuated two hours before the attacks. Is it possible that Cheney and Israel conspired to stage the attack on the US to justify going to war with the eventual goal of going into Iraq? It would explain why they hid Dumbo behind schoolchildren and NORAD was on stand-down.

Just a few questions I'd like you to answer.

Posted by MarchedwithKerry at April 19, 2004 08:28 AM

A debate ensues with people asking for backup to these ridiculous charges. Hilariously, MarchedwithKerry produces more ridiculous claims (like the "fact" that the Ecstasy trade in the US is controlled by the Israelis) and bogus websites and yet the people who are calling him on this assure him that they don't think he's an anti-Semite(!).

- Pat, 10:59 PM

Meet the Cuomo Aide VI

"And what I've promised to do--and I have a plan. George Bush has no plan except tax cuts that take place seven years from now for the wealthiest Americans. My plan is to give 98 percent of all Americans a tax cut now."

Okay, this is really tricky. I have to admit, I was a little taken aback by the promise to cut taxes for 98 percent of all Americans. Sounds too good to be true, especially coming from a liberal, right?

Right. So I went to Kerry's website and found a press release entitled: Kerry Offers Middle-Class Three Times As Much Tax Relief As George Bush.

Sounds pretty good, so I read on:

John Kerry recognizes the struggles of the middle-class. He offers real solutions to help families keep up with rising costs in education and health care, like $50 billion in tax cuts for college tuition and $177 billion in tax cuts to make health care affordable for all Americans.

Hmmm. I don't have kids in college, and so far health care has been affordable to me (fingers crossed!). So where's my tax cut? Here's the tricky part:

John Kerry wants to extend the middle-class tax cuts and make them permanent.

Well, bust mah britches! What middle class tax cut you talking 'bout, boy? Could it be the George W. Bush middle-class tax cut? Why, we don't need you to give that to us, we already got it. Nice of you to "extend" them but hasn't President Bush proposed making them permanent?

You see the trick here? He's saying 98% of all Americans will get a tax cut under his plan, but for anybody with health insurance and no kids in college, all he's really offering is the tax cut we already got!

Absolutely pathetic!

- Pat, 8:29 PM

And Another GREAT Website

KerryCore has got it all--Buttons, Bumper stickers, Flash Animations, and best of all it looks like Kerry's home page, but with a deliciously evil twist. Be sure to watch the Flash Animations, they are truly excellent.

- Pat, 8:04 PM

Meet the Cuomo Aide V

Hugh Hewitt was all over Kerry's international comments in his appearance with Russert yesterday, particularly this part:

Now, here's what I'll do. If I'm president, I will not only personally go to the U.N., I will go to other capitals and I will have my secretary of state legitimately empowered to be able to be a full secretary of state, speaking for the administration, which we now know from Bob Woodward's book is not the case. The war within this administration over who's in charge of what and whose voice is being listened to is unlike anything I've seen in modern days.

Yes, those words are shameful, but it's what Kerry's been saying all along. Here's how Kenneth Timmerman described a speech Kerry gave in December to the Council on Foreigh Relations:

Kerry promised to spend the first 100 days of his administration traveling the world to denounce his predecessor, apologize for his "radically wrong" policy, and seek "cooperation and compromise" with friend and foe alike. Borrowing language normally reserved to characterize "rogue" states, Kerry said he would "go to the United Nations and travel to our traditional allies to affirm that the United States has rejoined the community of nations."

The comment about the secretary of state? Here's what Kerry told the New York Times over a month ago:

I don't know what they let Powell do or not do. I know that it's a war that's been ongoing between the Defense Department and the State Department and the White House throughout this administration. I think simply Powell, who I know, like and admire, has been never permitted to be fully a secretary of state in the way that I envision the secretary of state. I think that a secretary of state should be the president's full, the administration's full-confidence diplomat. Empowered to leverage or negotiate on behalf of the president. Frankly I think the relationship Henry Kissinger had with Richard Nixon was far more of an empowered secretary of state than this one. I think Jim Baker was empowered. I think that Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher in the Clinton administration in the beginning, Warren Christopher in the Middle East. They were - negotiating and leveraging and working on behalf of the admin. I think Powell, I'm not sure they didn't lock the keys to the airplane up sometimes.

This was the comment that inspired my weekly request to KILL THIS BLOG! That Kerry would discuss a great man like Powell so disrespectfully just plain infuriated me.

It is plain, however, that Kerry's appearance with Russert is providing the radio guys and the bloggers with an extremely target rich environment. I've got three or four more topics to hit tonight.

- Pat, 7:53 PM

Meet the Cuomo Aide IV--International Man of Mystery!

The RNC catches another bit I had missed:

NBC’S TIM RUSSERT: “But you have talked to foreign leaders?”

SEN. JOHN KERRY: “Tim, what I said is true. You can go to New York City and be in a restaurant and meet a foreign leader. There are plenty of places to meet people without traveling abroad.”

- Pat, 3:10 PM

Great New Anti-Kerry Website!

Stumbled across mention of FlipFlopper.com on a message board at CruskKerry. Great stuff, be sure to check out the Yodelling Saddam--it had me in stitches!.

- Pat, 1:29 PM

Maybe It's Because Kerry's Boring?

Howard Kurtz reports that Nuancy Boy routinely gets less airtime than President Bush.

When President Bush delivered a routine stump speech to a group of New Mexico homeowners on March 26, CNN and Fox News each carried his appearance for 35 minutes, and MSNBC for 33 minutes.

When John Kerry gave what was billed as a major address on national security at George Washington University on March 17, he was knocked off the screen by a large explosion in Baghdad. CNN and Fox each dropped Kerry (who had been reduced to small box) after three minutes, and MSNBC never picked him up. But as the Iraq coverage continued, all three networks carried Vice President Cheney in California attacking Kerry as weak on national security -- Fox for 28 minutes, MSNBC for 23 and CNN for 13.

In the daily battle for airtime, Bush has drawn more than three times as much live cable coverage as his Democratic challenger, yet another example of the advantages of incumbency.

A review by The Washington Post, using a video monitoring service, finds that the cable news networks have covered more Bush events and stayed with them longer. From March 3, the day after the senator clinched the nomination, through Friday, they have devoted 12 hours and 11 minutes to live appearances by Bush -- including Tuesday's prime-time news conference, which was also carried by NBC, CBS and ABC. Kerry's live cable coverage during this period: 3 hours 47 minutes.

Thanks to Kitty! (Maybe I should just highlight the stories she doesn't point me to?)

- Pat, 1:25 PM

Probably Just An Internet Rumor, But....

Got this in an email today:

Also . John Kerry may want to call his speechwriters in for a little 'sit down.' Check out this quote a fellow Kerry Crusher unearthed for us.

Hmmmm . wonder where he finds his inspiration .

"When you think about it, in America it's not about class or rank because we are all subject to the same collective fate. I love America and I love Americans. That's why I'm so outraged at this administration who do not represent either the greatness or the happiness of the American people."

John Kerry in a speech in Londonderry, NH January 22nd, 2004

"I see before me no class or rank, but rather a community of people who are connected by blood, united by language, and subject to the same collective fate. I love the people and hate the current majorities only because I do not see them representing either the greatness or the happiness of my people."

Adolph Hitler, "Hitler's Second Book," Gerhard L. Weinberg, ed., pg 48

Update: I spent about 30 minutes trying to track this down, and like the header says, it's probably just an internet rumor. Kerry's website doesn't show a speech in Londonderry on the day shown, although he would certainly have been in New Hampshire as there was a debate that evening. None of the other speeches I checked had anything like the quote. There is a book called "Hitler's Second Book" so that part is true.

- Pat, 1:18 PM

Lifestyles of the Rich and Fatuous

Kitty Litter's got the scoop (sorry!) on Kerry's wife's maisons & pieds-a-terre.

- Pat, 11:50 AM

Trop Fraude? Moi?

The AP reports on focus groups of union members.

Democrat John Kerry "doesn't warm anybody up," and organized labor must help him create an emotional bond if fence-sitting union members are to vote for him in November, according to focus groups of undecided union voters.

But these union members find President George W. Bush likable and strong, "with a nice family and good moral values," said a memo of results prepared for the AFL-CIO and obtained by The Associated Press. The focus groups were conducted last month in St. Louis and Philadelphia by Lake Snell Perry & Associates, a Democratic firm.

Sacre bleu!

A tip of the chapeau to Kitty.

- Pat, 11:36 AM

Revolutionary Drug Brothers Handshake III--Lefthanded!

Just spent a half hour flipping through a worn-out copy of Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail looking for this reference without success. It must have been F&L in Las Vegas that features this observation. Hunter Thompson picks up a hitchhiker who feels compelled to give him one of those secret society-type handshakes. Anyway, here's how it's done. You offer your hand to your fellow traveler, but instead of the hand being parallel to the ground you tilt it upward at a 45-degree angle. Your thumbs interlock as in a normal handshake, but instead of wrapping your hand around the other person's fingers, you wrap them around the thumb and wrist. Here's an example of a Kerry fan missing his chance:

As you can see, this guy's blown it completely. Probably one of those turkeys who didn't inhale.

- Pat, 11:23 AM

Why We Fight

Bill Safire has a column that should make it clear why Kerry needs to be trounced this November. He speculates on the makeup of a Kerry cabinet.

I'm tempted to make some joke nominations here, but Safire is serious. Remember, Ted Kennedy is Kerry's consigliere. These picks are frightening enough--Bill Clinton for UN Ambassador, Howard Dean for Surgeon General? As they say over at Lucianne, MAJOR BARF ALERT!

Kudos to Kitty once again. Although her blog is named Kitty Litter, what you find in her sandbox is nuggets of wisdom and truth, not nuggets of you know what. ;^)

- Pat, 9:49 AM

86 JK 11-2

This is a little cutesy:

Only John Kerry's most elite fundraisers possess the button: "4 JK B4 IA."

Hat tip to Kitty. One of the really cool things about this blog is that lately I don't have to pore through the Yahoo News looking for stuff on Nuancy Boy. Some of my readers are now making suggestions. If you have a good story that I haven't covered or a funny photo (always looking for those!) drop me a line at kerryhaters at cdwebs dot com. I have a couple more items that Kitty has suggested coming up. Thanks Kitty!

- Pat, 9:29 AM

More Taxing Matters

One odd thing about Kerry's tax return that nobody seems to be mentioning. Kerry deducted home mortgage interest last year of $3,326. That seems ridiculously low. My home mortgage is less than $100,000, but I paid more interest than that. I know there are limits on the deductible nature of interest, but something seems quite odd here.

- Pat, 8:23 AM

Taxing Matters

Howie Carr notes that Kerry is not one to put his money where his mouth is.

Weary of liberals always clamoring for higher taxes on other people, an anti-tax group managed to place a line on the tax form giving Bay Staters the option of paying at the old, since-repealed 5.85 percent rate, rather than at the current 5.3 percent rate.

For two years now, John Kerry has had the opportunity to pay his "fair share." But like some Benedict Arnold CEO, the Democratic Party candidate for president has taken the money and ran.

"Why do you even call asking about this?" his spokesman, Michael Meehan, said Saturday morning. "He has made the same decision as 99.9 percent of his fellow Massachusetts residents."

- Pat, 8:06 AM

Kerry's Campaign--Mostly Pinko

Kerry's starting to get some complaints about the lack of diversity on his campaign staff.

Seizing on the nation's diversity -- the country is almost one-third non-white -- Bush has appointed African-Americans, Asians, Latinos and women to senior and non-stereotypical roles: Secretary of State, national security adviser, Transportation Secretary, White House Counsel.

Unlike Al Gore whose campaign manager, political director and finance director were African-American, the Kerry campaign, as of yet, has no one of color in the innermost circle, including Kerry's campaign manager, campaign chairperson, media adviser, policy director, foreign policy adviser, general election manager, convention planner, national finance chairman, and head of VP search team.

However, he vows improvement:

"If John Kerry is entrusted with the presidency, he is committed to building an administration that matches the high standards set by Bill Clinton, " Jadotte added.

- Pat, 7:57 AM

Sunday, April 18, 2004

The New Dance Sensation

Captain Ed reports on the Kerry Twist:

Reading this make me think that Kerry is trying out a new dance, the Kerry Twist. Note that the first thing Kerry does after listening to the clip is to make a joke about his hair. Ha ha, it was so long ago, who knows where the time went?

- Pat, 10:33 PM

Meet the Press III

Kerry does get some things right:

MR. RUSSERT: Israel assassinated Hamas leader Rantisi. Do you support that assassination?

SEN. KERRY: I believe Israel has every right in the world to respond to any act of terror against it. Hamas is a terrorist, brutal organization. It has had years to make up its mind to take part in a peaceful process. They refuse to. Arafat refuses to. And I support Israel's efforts to try to separate itself and to try to be secure. The moment Hamas says, "We've given up violence, we're prepared to negotiate," I am absolutely confident they will find an Israel that is thirsty to have that negotiation.

MR. RUSSERT: On Thursday, President Bush broke with the tradition and policy of six predecessors when he said that Israel can keep part of the land seized in the 1967 Middle East War and asserted the Palestinian refugees cannot go back to their particular homes. Do you support President Bush?

SEN. KERRY: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: Completely?

SEN. KERRY: Yes.

Good job! But needless to say, if I agree with Kerry, his supporters may feel a little differently. Check out these comments on his blog:

Putino wrote:
"what i don't understand is: why John Kerry doesn't speak clearly on Israel now ?"

It's very disappointing and disconcerting, I agree. John Kerry is starting to sound more like a tough coach for Bush than an opponent of Bush. Where is his promise to face up to Bush, his challenge to Bush to "bring it on?"

Is he an opponent or a critic? That's what I want to know.

Posted by Charles H. Riggs, III at April 18, 2004 07:16 AM

I agree with you about the Isreal policy that Kerry said he would follow. I am shocked that he will pursue Bush's Israel policy because it goes against the kind of Mideast negotiations that past competent Presidents followed. I am sure his position has everything to do with the electoral system that will elect him November.

Posted by hanna for change at April 18, 2004 09:50 AM

That coupled with his endorsement of the Rantisi assassination, in combination with his deafening silence on trade and political reform, plus his laughably inadequate response on how he would deal with our growing deficits and debt (particularly with regard to Social Security and Medicare), adds up to a grade of about D+ in my book. I found myself thinking "This is an opponent???!!!"

Because I have no interest in the Kerry campaign at this point (he has taken no steps which tell me that he is prepared to fight for my concerns or represent me) it is unlikely that I will be analyzing polls results or posting the results of those analyses.

I always hope that that will change soon, but so far the signs are all in the wrong direction (see my Nader Voter Manifesto on the Kerry blog from March 23rd or click my name).

Posted by Charles H. Riggs, III at April 18, 2004 11:55 AM

What the Hell is going on? What is with kissing Sharon's ass? I don't get it, Sharon has been the single worst thing to happen to the MidEast peace process, yet everybody in the US loves him. Why the Hell would JK support target killings of Palestinian leaders? It is as if we Americans want the entire Arab community to rise up against us so that we can fight a holy war! Wake up people, as John Kerry should know, violence only begets violence. I wish JK would come up with a new plan instead of echoing the machismo of the Bush administration. I was extremely disappointed in JK for his responses concerning Israel.

Posted by sonny at April 18, 2004 12:35 PM

I've been mostly happy with what Kerry's been saying lately but his endorsing of Bush's new position on Israeli settlements is very disturbing. Anyone who is interested should go to www.americanprogress.org and read what a liberal Democratic think thank has to say about this issue. Why John Kerry would align himself with Bush on this policy is incomprehensible.

Posted by SFDem at April 18, 2004 02:33 PM

Among other things, his agreement with Bush's leniency towards Israel's radical defense policy left an awful taste in my mouth..

Piithuueey..

How can Kerry consider himself a dinstict alternative to Bush in foreign policy if he agrees with the very policy statements that are further eroding are security in the world?

Sure, Israel has the right to defend itself-- but not in a manner that worsens the U.S. standing in the world. Israel's policy of assasinating Hamas leaders will not destroy that movement, and will only embolden and strengthen radical Islamists like Osama in other parts of the world.

John Kerry needs to stand-up for what is right-- not what he thinks the Israeli lobby wants him to do.

Until he does, I really don't see a reason to vote for him.

Posted by Louis in TX at April 18, 2004 03:32 PM

I was once an avid Kerry fan, but after listening to the senator on the Russert show support Bush's policy on Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, I have decided to support Ralph Nader. It is a shame. But if Kerry doesn't have the c ourage to stand up to that bribe taking crook and war criminal Ariel Sharon, then I have no choice but to support Nader. I am sick and tired of Israel running American foreign policy. I am tired of the US sacrificing its democratic and moral principles for 4 million Israelis, who would never shed a drop of blood for any American. I have been to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. It opened my eyes to the truth. Israel is nothing more than an apartheid, militaristic police state. It isn't a democracy. And what about Rachel Corrie, an American peace activist who was murdered in cold blood by the IDF for peacefully protesting against the occupation? Americans need to wake up! Israel doesn't love you. Israel takes you for granted and uses you. And Israel is murdering US citizens who protest against its immoral policies.

Posted by raddemo at April 18, 2004 04:51 PM

I totally agree with raddemo. I was disgusted to hear JK agree with Bush's stance on Israel. Why is it in our interest to support everything this poor excuse for a democracy does? I guess it's not enough that the Palestinians were kicked out of their homes over 50 yrs ago and have been treated like dirt since. Let's take another four big chunks of the bit of land that's left and, of course, let's build the wall so that we get another bunch of land past the 1967 borders. Why not, anything Israel wants Israel gets and the hell with international law, human rights, right of self determination, etc. I did expect more of Kerry though. Now I'm left with no one to vote for.

Posted by veganrule at April 18, 2004 09:31 PM

I have commented a few times both here and elsewhere that the Democrats think they are determined and united in this Anybody But Bush campaign. It's not true. If it had been, they would have nominated a moderate like Joe Lieberman, or at least somebody who supported the war. This is just further proof that they are looking for a Democrat who marches in lockstep to the leftist line.

- Pat, 9:19 PM

Kerry Haters: We're Not Fonda John

Contact Us: KerryHaters at cdwebs dot com

Related Blogs

Kerry Haters Greatest Hits

News Links

Frequent Resources

Digital Brownshirt Alliance

Legion of Kerry Haters

Arizona Alliance

Blogger Favorites

Military-Related

Funny Folks

Kerry Haters Recommends

Google Bombs

Archives

Hourly Visits