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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, May 08, 2004
 
Not Just for Pool Wear

Lefty blogger Matt Yglesias finds a benefit to Kerry about being known as a flip-flopper.

Since he doesn't have that, though, it's worth considering the possibility that his reputation as a flip-flopper is actually helping him in some ways. People don't take his statements seriously, so folks who don't like Bush can, despite their disagreements, all convince themselves that there's a reasonable shot Kerry will do what they want once in office.
- Pat, 8:45 PM
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Kerry Mum on Atrocities

Eleanor Clift wants to know why Kerry isn't talking out more about the Iraqi prison abuse scandal. Could it possibly be because of this:

"I committed the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others," said Kerry as an anti-war activist guest on NBC’s Meet the Press (quoted in Brinkley’s book, page 362) after he returned stateside, "in that I shot in free fire zones, fired .50-caliber machine [gun] bullets, used harass-and-interdiction fire, joined in search-and-destroy missions, and burned villages. All of these acts are contrary to the laws of the Geneva Convention, and all were ordered as written, established policies from the top down, and the men who ordered this are war criminals."
- Pat, 5:38 PM
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Why Kerry Haters?

My Reasons

1. The "No" vote on the $87 billion funding package for the US military and Iraqi reconstruction. It's so indefensible that Kerry tried out the famous "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

2. The way he stabbed his fellow Vietnam vets in the back with his 1971 second-hand testimony about war crimes. Kerry saw an opportunity to jump out in front of the antiwar movement and for a moment, it seemed to work spectacularly. Kerry was the man of the hour. But it didn't get him to Congress, so he had to remake himself into the war hero.

3. His continual flip-flopping. The man is a weather vane, he shifts with each gust of wind. There are no bedrock principles with John Kerry, just positions which may need to be adjusted when the results come back from the latest focus group.
- Pat, 3:40 PM
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MOMMY TO THE RESCUE



Pat must be busy today, so I suppose I’ll have to fill in. That’s what co-bloggers do :)

Mother Kerry, NOT to be confused with Mother Teresa!, has come to John-John’s rescue. Seems as those those nasty bullies, President Bush and VP Cheney, have been complimenting John-John’s Vietnam War record. (Yes, it’s true, John-John Kerry was in the Vietnam War!) Bush and Cheney heard about all of his magnificent medals and have been paying him a few compliments, which, apparently, has him upset. So, Mother Kerry has stepped in to shield her botox boy from further verbal abuse by accusing Bush and Cheney of being unpatriotic. Does she give him milk and cookies and tuck him in at night, too?

MRS. KERRY IN 'PATRIOTIC' WAR
"To have a couple of people, who escaped [Vietnam service] four, five, six times and deferred and deferred and deferred calling him anything . . . is in and of itself unpatriotic. Unpatriotic," Teresa Heinz Kerry said in an interview with Telemundo, NBC's Spanish-language network.
…
Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot hit back, saying: "Every time the discussion focuses on John Kerry's Senate record of voting against weapons systems, voting against support for troops in the field, or his positions on both sides of critical questions of national security, his campaign falsely claims that his patriotism is being attacked.
"This political line of attack is offensive and should be stopped," Racicot said.
Neither Bush nor Cheney has commented specifically on Kerry's service in Vietnam, but Bush campaign officials have repeatedly said Kerry's service was admirable.
- Kitty, 12:27 PM
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John Kerry 5.60

The Democrats now rolling out their new John F. Kerry, version 5.60 operating system. Any compatibility with earlier versions of the John F. Kerry operating system is purely coincidental.

The New York Times has the rollout of the New JFK.

"I believe, as I know you do, that the private sector is the engine of economic growth," Mr. Kerry told the group, which helped form many of Bill Clinton's policies on the economy, welfare and trade. "I don't pretend that it's the government that does it all. I refuse to lead a party that loves jobs but hates the people that create them."

Of course, the New-Wonk of Nuance is lying. He has no intention of refusing to lead his party, despite the fact that most of his rank and file hate the people who create jobs
- Pat, 1:36 AM
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Friday, May 07, 2004
 
Let's Have a Big Hand for the Little Lady



AZ Guv Janet Napolitano plays Jeff to Nuancy Boy's Mutt. This picture highlights one reason that Napolitano won't be on Kerry's ticket in the fall.
- Pat, 6:09 PM
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VRWC Protests Kerry In Phoenix



Hooray for these folks!
- Pat, 12:50 PM
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One Guy Who Isn't Getting a New Job



Another dose of bad news for Kerry, good news for the USA:

Employers added 288,000 jobs to their payrolls in April as the nation's unemployment rate slipped to 5.6 percent, reinforcing hopes for a sustained turnaround in the jobs market that had lagged for so long.

Payrolls have risen now for eight straight months, with 867,000 new jobs created so far this year, the Labor Department reported Friday. The strengthening jobs market comes just in time to aid President Bush's re-election efforts, which were in question a few months ago based on his economic record.
- Pat, 8:48 AM
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More Bad News for Kerry

John Podhoretz points out that the Abu Ghraib prison scandal may end up hurting Kerry more than it helps him. Aside from the fact that Kerry must wince every time he hears the word "atrocities", it gives the barking moonbats of the left the excuse they need to vote for Nader.

Yes, they hate Bush with a consuming passion. But the truth is that they hate the United States of America more. They find the war in Iraq loathsome not because they are pacifists, but because the idea that America is a liberator nation sickens and enrages them.

And that's why Abu Ghraib might be John Kerry's worst nightmare: The anti-American Left is already seizing on these photos and the behavior of .001 percent of the Americans present in Iraq as evidence that the entire U.S. effort in Iraq is a moral catastrophe from stem to stern.

Crush Kerry has more:

But according to our source inside the Kerry campaign, John Kerry badly wants the issue to go away. Kerry fears the longer the issue stays in the news, the greater the likelihood his controversial accusations of war crimes committed by US soldiers in Vietnam – including his own – will become an ancillary issue in the campaign for President. "The 9-11 Commission is already going to discredit Bush in their report. If we push things too far, there is bound to be a backlash," our source told us. "Tonight’s cable news talk shows were proof. Virtually every one of them ran footage of John Kerry in 1971 trashing his fellow veterans and admitting atrocities."
- Pat, 8:46 AM
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Unpatriotic? Somebody Finally Says It

Throughout the Spring, whenever anybody criticized Kerry's votes on defense issues, or his anti-war activities, Kerry has bleated "They're questioning my patriotism!" Of course nobody has actually done that, but it seems to work for Le Fraude, as the newspapers don't call him on his BS.

But now, it turns out that somebody has used the "unpatriotic" word. And surprise, surprise, surprise, it's the Ketchup Queen herself!

In an interview with Telemundo, NBC's Spanish-language network, Teresa Heinz Kerry said, "To have a couple of people, who escaped four, five, six times and deferred and deferred and deferred calling him anything regarding his service is in and of itself unpatriotic. Unpatriotic."
- Pat, 8:46 AM
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WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE



Most of us have recognized the Clintons’ oxygen-sucking imprint upon Kampaign Kerry right along … the sandbagging, the shadowing … so this commentary is nothing new. Bill Roe declares that Kerry’s meltdown “has begun.” It hasn’t just begun, it’s been ongoing, but let’s not quibble. He paints a luridly dismal possibility. What do you think?

Hillary still in the mix
The meltdown of John Kerry has begun. The Clinton wing of the party, realizing Kerry is on the ropes, is starting to make its move. The purpose? Hillary in 2004.
…
These events that are embarrassing to Kerry have not come from the Republican National Committee but from, believe it or not, ABC television archives.
…
Now, along comes Bill Clinton hogging the headlines announcing that his memoirs will be released in June.
The $10 million dollar man will hit all the talk shows, pushing the Kerry campaign into the background.
I believe this to be a calculated move by the Clintons to destroy either Kerry entering the nomination process or to doom his candidacy in the general election.
Realizing the ruthlessness of the Clintons, I see these acts as a way to have the candidacy of Hillary Clinton packaged and to have her arrive to save the Democratic Party from virtual extinction.
- Kitty, 6:57 AM
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Looks Like the Revolutionary Drug Brothers Handshake is Not Going to Work Here



And Dad is sooooo sucking up to Kerry!
- Pat, 12:43 AM
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Thursday, May 06, 2004
 
Business Weak

There are three major general interest business magazines in America: Forbes, Fortune, and Business Week. Back in the early 1980s when I got serious about my career I subscribed to all of them. It didn't take me long to figure out why Business Week was around despite being markedly inferior to the other two. They were the business magazine for Democrats. It was actually smart since a fair number of businessmen are in fact Democrats, amazing as that might seem.

Anyway, with that in mind, here's their laughable interview with John Fraud Kerry.

Q: The Bush campaign says you'll raise taxes by $900 billion in the first hundred days. You say you'll cut taxes to 98% of taxpayers.

I doubt the Bush campaign has said Kerry would raise taxes by $900 billion in the first hundred days. I suspect that it's going to be more like $900 billion in spending promises in the first hundred days, for which $900 billion in taxes will eventually be required.

A: I will hold onto the 10% bracket, which will benefit all taxpayers. I will keep the child credit and the marriage-penalty fix. I will only roll back (the top marginal rate) to the level it was with Clinton.

Note: The first three sentences he is not talking about tax cuts he is offering. He is talking about extending the BUSH tax cuts. Mighty generous of him.

Then I have tax cuts on top of that. The $4,000 tuition tax credit, a tax credit for small business and the self-employed for 50% of health-insurance costs. That's two very significant tax cuts putting money back into people's pockets. That will give the middle class a huge break. (In addition,) 163 million people who get health care at the workplace will save $1,000 (a person). That's a very significant tax cut.

My BS meter just tilted. I have already looked at Kerry's tax cut proposals on several occasions. The notion that 163 million people are going to "save" anything is absurd. Their companies might save some money, althought I suspect that the $1,000 apiece is going to be over a long period of time.

Anyway, the rest of the article is, if anything, worse. Business Weak serves up softball after softball, and Kerry hits weak grounders to second base.

Q: You talk a lot about fiscal responsibility and reducing the deficit. How will you do it?

A: I have a fiscal record beginning in 1985 (with support for the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings budget-balancing law). I've been there and done that. I put the country on a responsible fiscal course then. It's important that we do that now.

You can almost hear Thurston Howell coming through.

Anyway, you can read the rest if you want, but it's really a terrible piece--not a single follow-up question, no attempt to even question any of TWATK (the world according to Kerry). It reads like an infomercial.
- Pat, 10:51 PM
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Before We Get Too Confident

Andrew Sullivan is around to bring us back to earth.

UNDER-ESTIMATING KERRY: The conventional wisdom in Washington right now is that Kerry is such an awful candidate that he is doomed in the fall. If Bush can stay even after the last three, horrendous weeks - when he has shown that his administration has no real control over even the conduct of its own servicemembers and contractors in Iraq - then Kerry is toast. I'm not so sure. My instinct is that this election will not, in fact, be close. Either Bush will convince people that he is winning the war on terror and turning the economy around and win handsomely, or he won't, and Kerry will win big. Recent history suggests that incumbent presidents either lose badly or win well.

Unfortunately, he blows his case by linking to the ridiculous Chuck Todd article that I fisked below. I respect Andrew's political instincts a lot, but he's way off base. Bush will either win big or win medium or win small or lose small. There is NO chance that Kerry is going to win big.
- Pat, 9:57 PM
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The Torricelli Option Part IV

I used to laugh at this stuff, but now I wonder.

I believe this to be a calculated move by the Clintons to destroy either Kerry entering the nomination process or to doom his candidacy in the general election.

Realizing the ruthlessness of the Clintons, I see these acts as a way to have the candidacy of Hillary Clinton packaged and to have her arrive to save the Democratic Party from virtual extinction.

I agree that's the plan, but I see it as more likely in 2008.
- Pat, 8:54 PM
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The Clintons Plot Against Kerry

Barbara Bassfire has the scoop on Nuancy Boy's recent tumble off his Serotta. And she reminds us that the Wiz was indeed a common man. Good anti-Kerry Cartoons from a fellow L-Dotter.
- Pat, 6:23 PM
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Even Teh-RAY-za Can't Pretend to Be Interested

- Pat, 1:10 PM
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More Gloom on the Left

The Nation picks up the "Kerry is a Loser" theme.

No one else but the candidate can cure what ails this presidential campaign. That's because only the candidate can send the a broad and meaningful message that says his campaign really does promise fundamental change. Kerry cannot count on the "Beat Bush" message to carry him to victory in November. Nor should he assume that just promising to be kinder and gentler than Bush will be enough.
- Pat, 1:07 PM
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Good News for America, Bad News for Kerry

This just in:

U.S. Economy: Initial Jobless Claims Fell Last Week (Update1)
May 6 (Bloomberg) -- The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest since October 2000 and productivity trailed economic growth for a second quarter, suggesting companies will increase hiring.

"Growth has been strong for the past year and initially that was being met by productivity," said James O'Sullivan, a senior economist at UBS Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut. "Increasingly, companies have to resort to hiring more workers and not just depend on productivity growth to meet demand."
- Pat, 12:59 PM
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Say What?

Best of the Web Today points out this NY Times editorial in favor of John Kerry's proposal for Iraq.

Mr. Kerry's ideas would have been difficult to put into effect a year ago. They would be extremely hard to carry out now, and impossible by next January, should he defeat Mr. Bush. But they at least reflect a realistic view of what the United Nations — and the United States — can and cannot do.

Taranto nails them:

So Kerry's proposal would have been "difficult" a year ago, is "extremely hard" now, and will be "impossible" to implement by the time Kerry is in a position to do so--and yet the Times calls this "realistic"?
- Pat, 12:44 PM
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Get Out Your Hankies


Photo by Lynn Faulker (father of the girl)

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Lynn Faulkner, his daughter, Ashley, and their neighbor, Linda Prince, eagerly waited to shake the president's hand Tuesday at the Golden Lamb Inn. He worked the line at a steady campaign pace, smiling, nodding and signing autographs until Prince spoke:

"This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11."

Bush stopped and turned back.

"He changed from being the leader of the free world to being a father, a husband and a man," Faulkner said. "He looked right at her and said, 'How are you doing?' He reached out with his hand and pulled her into his chest."

"I'm a pretty cynical and jaded guy at this point in my life," Faulkner said of the moment with the president. "But this was the real deal. I was really impressed. It was genuine and from the heart."

Hat Tip: Powerline via Captain's Quarters.
- Pat, 10:57 AM
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I Don't Want to Caption This One!



Feel free to indulge yourself.
- Pat, 10:36 AM
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The Evil Twin Theory

Deroy Murdock has the details on Jean Kerree.

Hat Tip: Danegerus.
- Pat, 10:23 AM
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Kerry Won't Be Getting One of These

I'm not a big fan of PETA, but you gotta love this story, covered by Kitty.

- Pat, 10:09 AM
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We Know Who The Clown Is, Who's the Guy on the Right?



Image copyright Lisa Bressler
- Pat, 9:53 AM
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Kerry Used Vietnam Vets for His Own Advancement

Reader Mike points us to a story that shows that some people knew what Kerry was all about back in 1971:

A Detroit News clip from 1971 recounts the Detroit hearings were interrupted by the angry wife of a Vietnam prisoner of war. “You’re using these people for your own ambitions, Mr. Kerry,” she shouted.

Kerry may have earned the right to criticize the Vietnam war. But has he earned the right to lecture the rest of us about political honor and courage here at home?
- Pat, 9:47 AM
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That Splat You Just Heard...

Is Nuancy Boy getting crushed by the new video by the Kerry Haters over at Crush Kerry. If you're disturbed by the photos of the torture and humiliation of Iraqi prisoners (and who isn't), how much more disturbed will you be at the notion of John Kerry, a self-confessed war criminal who committed atrocities against the innocent civilians of Vietnam, as the President of the United States?

Hat Tip to Instapundit.
- Pat, 7:50 AM
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Reminder to Self: Great Photo for November 3rd

- Pat, 7:32 AM
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Bribing Teachers Won't Make Them Great

Kerry is touting a new "proposal" today, hilariously entitled "A Great Teacher for Every Child: John Kerry's New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers".

Anybody reminded of Garrison Keillor's observation about Lake Woebegon as "the town where all the children are above-average"?

John Kerry knows that good teachers are vital to building a stronger America, and that is why his "New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers" will recruit or retain 500,000 teachers over the next 4 years.

Oh, please! A half million more teachers? Can you say bribe to the teachers unions?

- Pat, 7:30 AM
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The Willy Loman Problem

Nick Gillespie highlights Kerry's likability problem.

But the problem may well be Kerry's personality and, hence, largely impossible to fix, at least short of long-term therapy.

Despite the hatred he inspires among the shrinking rolls of the American left and some traditional Democrats, Bush is generally seen as a decent, get-along guy. Not so Kerry. As my colleague Charles Paul Freund writes in the May issue of Reason, "Kerry is an old-fashioned senatorial blowhard, with a tendency to 'orate.' At the start of his initially unpromising campaign, he was quoting Alexis de Tocqueville to guys in bars."
- Pat, 7:24 AM
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FICTION IN THE MAKING



Just as an aside, Todd Purdum is Mr. Dee Dee Myers. Dee Dee worked for Clinton. The Washington press is such a politically incestuous lot.

F.B.I. Papers Describe Role of Young Kerry Against War
By TODD S. PURDUM
A confidential F.B.I. memorandum dated April 29, 1971, on a just-concluded antiwar march on Washington by Vietnam Veterans Against the War concluded that the group's nominal leaders had been overshadowed by "a more popular and eloquent figure, John Kerry," who was "glib, cool and displayed best what the moderate elements wanted to reflect."
…
A memorandum from Nov. 10, 1971, citing a confidential source, reports that the Buffalo chapter of of the veterans' group decided to write a letter to the national organization "condemning John Kerry because of his family background and because of his political aspirations."
The source said the Buffalo group "feels that Kerry is in support of the U.S. government and is only using V.V.A.W. to further his political desires."
- Kitty, 6:00 AM
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BAD KARMA COMIN’ ROUND



Remember when Kamp Kerry worried about Teraaaaza’s big mouth, always fearing what she might say to embarrass her husband? Those are already being viewed as ‘the good ol’ days.’

VIET 'ATROCITIES' NOW CLOBBER KERRY
IT was bizarre yesterday to hear John Kerry criticize President Bush over the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal, considering Kerry publicly confessed to committing war "atrocities" when he served in Vietnam.
"Yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers," Kerry told "Meet the Press" in 1971, ticking off "free-fire zones" and burning villages in violation of the Geneva Convention.
…
It's the latest case where Kerry's campaign seems hamstrung, with his record coming back to haunt him. That's fueled a near-panic in Democratic ranks that isn't really justified by the polls, although he is slipping.
…
So on a 1-to-10 scale, how high is the panic meter gone?
"Seven -and climbing," says a New York Dem.
- Kitty, 5:56 AM
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“NO COMMENT”



Do Senator Klutz’s people ever think before they open their collective mouth?

Republicans Say Kerry Leased A Canadian-Made Bus, Too
"Seeing the president drive around in this Canadian-made luxury bus is just another reminder of George Bush's failed economic policies," Wednesday's Washington Post quoted Kerry spokesman Phil Singer as saying.
Not so fast, said the RNC, pointing to reports that Sen. Kerry leased a Canadian-made bus earlier this year.
"It appears John Kerry was for Canadian buses before he was against them," the RNC's Gillespie joked. "Or maybe his campaign didn't lease the Canadian bus. Maybe his campaign's family leased it," Gillespie said, referring to Kerry's recent comment that he doesn't own an SUV - but his family does.

- Kitty, 5:52 AM
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Wednesday, May 05, 2004
 
Where Did They Put The Botox, Senator Kerry?

- Pat, 11:56 PM
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That Sucking Sound You Hear Is Kerry Trying to Get a Breath

He can't like this news:

An index of U.S. service industries unexpectedly rose to a record in April and more companies were hiring than at any time since November 2000, a private survey showed.

The Institute for Supply Management's index of financial services, construction, retail and other non-manufacturing enterprises that make up the largest share of the economy climbed to 68.4 in April from the previous high of 65.8 in March. Readings greater than 50 indicate expansion.

A gauge of supplier deliveries reached the second-highest level ever. Longer times needed to complete orders suggest companies will keep adding workers to meet rising demand. Stronger economic growth and signs of accelerating inflation prompted Federal Reserve policy makers yesterday to take a step toward the first increase in interest rates since May 2000.
- Pat, 3:04 PM
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That's The Guy Who Wanted Me to Throw His Medals Over the Fence

- Pat, 2:05 PM
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Kerry Blog Watch

Gotta Love these comments by Kerry's fans:

What we need to talk about is how much blood they have on there hands.

If researched you probably would find
none of them have a son or daughter
over in Araq.

Posted by: neeta on May 5, 2004 10:55 AM

(I'm guessing Neeta's mail to her son or daughter isn't getting through)

I support Kerry, if for no other reason than a deep abiding, perhaps irrational distain for the man given our presidency. I would rather support Kerry because of what he stands for - strongly.

Read the latest Mother Jones - take these issues, and most of all - remember why one stood against and earlier war - and repeat it with vigar and commitment.

Posted by: Earl on May 5, 2004 10:57 AM

(Well, at least Earl admits he's irrational)

btw do you all realise all those accused of crimes at abu gareb are from BUSH STATES. and they all claim they were just following orders from their leaders.. put it together .. easily manipulated >> BUSH SUPPORTER

Posted by: bushisanass on May 5, 2004 01:49 PM

(Whatever you say, Mr Ass)
- Pat, 1:58 PM
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CHARACTER COUNTS



Is Kerry stupid? I ask that in all honesty because if, as many of us have long suspected, he lied in 1971 about so-called atrocities and his so-called war record, didn't he think the truth would eventually come out? He's not Clinton living in Arkansas, where being pushed in front of a train is considered suicide. At some point he must have known that people would step forward and expose him for the fraud that he is. What was he planning on doing then? Lie some more? Accuse his fellow soldiers of challenging his patriotism? This may be the beginning of more to come.

“We Know the Truth”
NRO EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth released the following letter to John Kerry, signed by 189 fellow veterans of the Navy vessels featured so prominently in the senator's campaign ads. The group's organizers explain that the veterans who have signed to date represent the large majority of those who served with Lt. Kerry in Vietnam. Scores of others are expected to join up in the days ahead.

Senator Kerry, we were there. We know the truth.

- Kitty, 1:30 PM
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Kerry Haters Moves Up the Food Chain Again!

We've now evolved into a Slithering Reptile in the TTLB ecosystem. I especially like this promotion because thanks to Julia Roberts we all know where to find "reptile" in the dictionary; it's just before Republican!
- Pat, 12:11 PM
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Teh-RAY-za Tries the Limited Hangout

The WaPo is back on the question of the Ketchup Queen's tax returns.

Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of the putative Democratic presidential nominee, should make her tax returns public. Ms. Heinz Kerry has been reluctant to do so; campaign spokesman Michael Meehan now says she is preparing to make summary information available, though not necessarily her return itself.

Drip, drip. Really, the Kerry team is made up of a bunch of buffoons. This will satisfy the press for about one day, and then somebody will notice something odd, and the Fourth Estate will be howling for more information again.
- Pat, 10:35 AM
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Come Back, Little Kerry

The NY Observer has an editorial on Nuancy Boy's recent problems. Typically for the Observer, they're out in left field:

What’s more, George W. Bush’s operatives have improbably succeeded in turning a decorated war hero into a dodgy, Jane Fonda–loving hippie who threw away his medals.

What was so improbable about that? It's just the truth. The Left deluded themselves into thinking that Kerry was impervious to criticism on his post-Vietnam activities, for reasons I have a hard time comprehending. Is it some sort of variation on the chickenhawk theme?

However, the Observer does have one piece of advice that we can all agree on:

Meanwhile, the Senator should stay away from spandex.
- Pat, 10:30 AM
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This Looks Like Fun

Visit the Kerry Sloganator. Create your own John Kerry poster and see the ones that others have created. There are some very good ones in the gallery. My favorite: "Put the Ass Back in Mass.".

Hat Tip: Doubleplusgood Infotainment.
- Pat, 10:18 AM
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Kerry About to Become Corrie?

- Pat, 9:54 AM
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Kerry Learns



This time, he read the books to the kids without Hillary leaning over his shoulder.
- Pat, 8:24 AM
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Somebody Had to Write It

There's been a fair amount of talk about a landslide in this election; just none of it about a landslide for Kerry. Chuck Todd remedies that lack.

We've covered in the past the factors which rule against Kerry even winning:

1. Northern Democrats don't win.
2. Sitting senators don't win.
3. Incumbent presidents are only beaten when they face significant opposition inside their own party.

Todd sweeps away these objections and buys into the myths that Democrats have told themselves:

1. Turnout in this year's early Democratic primaries was way up.
2. Democrats are united as never before.

He makes some bald-faced assertions that are plainly false, like saying turnout was relatively low in 2000. In fact, over 105 million people voted in the presidential election of 2000, an all-time record and almost 10 million more than voted in 1996. As a percentage of the voting age population it was lower than, say, 1992, but not significantly lower--54.5% versus 55.2% (and 1992 had a major third party candidate credited with bringing a lot of non-regular voters to the polls).

In short, I see a 0% chance of a Kerry landslide. I do see a small chance that Kerry will win, but that depends a lot on factors outside his control--the war, the economy, etc. My gut tells me Bush will win reelection easily.
- Pat, 8:17 AM
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That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

Kerry likes to play up his small business background. He and a partner started up a cookie business in Faneuil Hall called John's Cookies. Turns out (surprise, surprise, surprise) that Kerry stole the plans from an existing franchise.

"So I gave him the layout, the package, and he went back and I didn't hear from him for six or seven months." Then someone Mr. Liederman knew called to tell him that a David's Cookies store was operating in Faneuil Hall. "It was a direct, 100-percent knock-off of David's Cookies," he told The Hill, from the appliances to the shop's design to the cookies themselves. "If you had walked into a David's Cookie's store in Manhattan at the same time he opened 'John's Cookies' in Boston, you couldn't tell the difference."

Mr. Liederman wrote in his 1989 autobiography that he once challenged Mr. Kerry on the Fanueil Hall store: "I told him he had stolen my idea, and he replied: 'You're absolutely right. I am a politician; I shouldn't be in the cookie business, so let me sell you my store."

Kerry is starting to remind me of the Clintons. Whenever you pulled on a thread of their lives, something ugly turned up.

Hat tip: Donald Luskin, via reader Conservanatrix.
- Pat, 6:42 AM
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Tuesday, May 04, 2004
 
Could You Autograph My Peace Sign, Senator Kerry?

- Pat, 10:29 PM
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Go Fish!



Senator Kerry plays a hand. My guess is he's cheating, but he'll still lose.
- Pat, 7:49 PM
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Kerry Rouses the FaithFul II



Another "crowd" of "enthusiastic" supporters.
- Pat, 6:22 PM
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How Purple Was That Heart?

Byron York has the word from the doctor who treated Kerry's first war wound.

The story he told was different from what his crewmen had to say about that night. According to Kerry, they had been engaged in a fire fight, receiving small arms fire from on shore. He said that his injury resulted from this enemy action.

Some of his crew confided that they did not receive any fire from shore, but that Kerry had fired a mortar round at close range to some rocks on shore. The crewman thought that the injury was caused by a fragment ricocheting from that mortar round when it struck the rocks.

That seemed to fit the injury which I treated.

Hmmm, self-inflicted wound by stupidity? Yep, fits the pattern.
- Pat, 3:33 PM
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Kerry Wants to Work With These Guys?

This should be a joke, but it isn't.

Sudan won re-election to the United Nations main human rights watchdog on Tuesday, prompting the United States to walk out because of ethnic cleansing in the country's Darfur region.
- Pat, 2:41 PM
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Whack-A-Mole Working

That's the conclusion of this Guardian piece about Kerry's plummetting poll numbers.

A poll released Tuesday found that Americans were slightly more likely to say they hold a favorable view of Kerry, 38 percent, than an unfavorable view, 33 percent. In mid-March, 40 percent had a favorable view and 24 percent had an unfavorable view of Kerry, according to the University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey.

In 18 battleground states, people were almost evenly split on Kerry, with 36 percent viewing him unfavorably and 35 percent viewing him favorably - down from 41 percent favorable and 28 percent unfavorable in mid-March.

How does that song go? "To know, know, know him..."
- Pat, 12:48 PM
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Danger Will Robinson!

Hugh Hewitt has a great post on his blog about how Kerry's Lost In Space:



The scathing criticism from those with whom he served badly injures Kerry's dominant campaign themes of service and heroism. Just today Globe columnist Peter Canellos has penned an appeal to Kerry to bring back his "Band of Brothers" in an effort to stabilize a careening campaign. The band of brothers may come back, but the media will have a hard time covering them while ignoring the devastating indictment being delivered today by the men who served alongside and above John Kerry.
- Pat, 12:35 PM
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Kerry Still Running on His Service In Vienna

Errr, Vietnam, that is. Howard Kurtz and Jim VandeHei have a very skeptical look at Kerry's new ad buys and the floundering that Kerry's campaign is doing at this point.

Some of Kerry's surface wounds are self-inflicted, Democrats say. The candidate has tried to focus on a major theme each week -- the environment around Earth Day, job loss during a Rust Belt tour last week -- but he often gets pulled into fights picked by the GOP over national security. Kerry spent much of last week explaining whether he tossed away his war medals or ribbons and then questioning Bush's National Guard record.

Some Democrats say Kerry is working through the growing pains expected of a first-time White House hopeful: His staff is new and somewhat inexperienced in presidential politics, and his operation in key battleground states pales in numbers and experience to Bush's. His stump speech and delivery style often leave crowds wanting. Some aides have privately complained that an aggressive ad campaign has been too slow in coming.

The WaPo has a link to two of Kerry's commercials. I don't want to tell these people what they're doing wrong, but it is freaking obvious to me. Kerry doesn't smile!

Update: Scrappleface has a delicious take on Kerry's new ad campaign:

The ad campaign, called A Lifetime of Talking About a Few Months in the Service, focuses on a little-known chapter in Mr. Kerry's life, his four months as a swift boat commander in Vietnam.

Update II

Reader Leather Penguin has more.
- Pat, 11:24 AM
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BONDING WITH REPORTERS


Bikegate
Ask just about any reporter flying around the country with Al Gore during the 2000 campaign, and he or she will tell you that Gore was not a popular guy with his press corps.
It wasn't that they despised him. It was just that he rarely gave them good copy, and was seemingly physically unable to spend quality "off the record" bonding time with the girls and boys on the bus.
Now comes word that presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry is keeping up the tradition of ticking off his press. The difference between Kerry and Gore is that Kerry and his staff aren't communicating with the press about actual important stuff -- at least to the reporters covering Kerry's every move.
…
The [bike] spill, in which Kerry was unhurt, was an embarrassing moment for all involved, including the reporters who felt they had been suckered.
"This isn't the easiest candidate to cover," says the producer. "Let's leave it at that."

- Kitty, 7:07 AM
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Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Did you know I was in Vietnam?

Kerry Life Story Will Be Focus of Big Ad Buy
John Kerry's campaign announced Monday that it was making what it called the largest single purchase of advertising time in a presidential race, unveiling commercials that tell Mr. Kerry's life story from birth to the Vietnam War to two decades in the United States Senate.
Mr. Kerry's advisers described the advertisements, which are to run heavily in 19 states through the end of the month at a cost of $27.5 million, as the beginning of a long process of introducing the candidate to general election voters.
…
Mr. Bush's aides were dismissive of their opponent's effort to flesh out his biography. "I don't think the problem is that people haven't been introduced to Senator Kerry," said Matthew Dowd, a senior Bush election adviser. "I think the problem is they've been introduced to him in the last 60 to 90 days and they find his record and statements very troubling."
…
Mr. Kerry's use of Mr. McCain's image came without his permission, though a campaign aide contacted the Arizona senator's office on Monday morning to inform him, said Marshall Wittmann, a spokesman for Mr. McCain.
Mr. Wittmann said Mr. McCain was traveling and could not be reached for comment.
…
In one sign that Mr. Kerry's Vietnam record is still fodder for attack, a group of Vietnam swift boat veterans critical of Mr. Kerry plans on Tuesday to call on him to authorize the Navy to independently release all his military records.

- Kitty, 6:14 AM
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SENATOR SNOOPY



Kerry Tells of Flying a Jet Over Israel
John Kerry wasn't kidding when he told the Anti-Defamation League that he had a different perspective on Israel. Probably no one else in the room has seen the country upside down from an Israeli Air Force jet.

I’m linking this to L.com so you can read some of the fabulous L.dotters’ replies, such as …

Reply 12 - Posted by: Puter Boi, 5/3/2004 9:36:02 PM
One time at band camp..............

L.dotters are the greatest!


- Kitty, 5:10 AM
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ATTENTION ALL L.DOTTERS!!


If you receive an e-mail from support@LucianneWatch.com DO NOT ANSWER!
This e-mail is a FRAUD! This is NOT from Lucianne or Lucianne.com.
What they are trying to do is get people to write back so they can harvest emails from the L.com site, and
they are trying to get her advertisers to drop L.com.
DO NOT ANSWER ANYTHING FROM THIS GROUP!

- Kitty, 4:35 AM
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“John Kerry is the wrong man to put in charge.”



Unfit for Office
I was on Mr. Kerry's boat in Vietnam. He doesn't deserve to be commander in chief.
BY JOHN O'NEILL
Like John Kerry, I served in Vietnam as a Swift Boat commander. Ironically, John Kerry and I served much of our time, a full 12 months in my case and a controversial four months in his, commanding the exact same six-man boat, PCF-94, which I took over after he requested early departure. Despite our shared experience, I still believe what I believed 33 years ago--that John Kerry slandered America's military by inventing or repeating grossly exaggerated claims of atrocities and war crimes in order to advance his own political career as an antiwar activist. His misrepresentations played a significant role in creating the negative and false image of Vietnam vets that has persisted for over three decades.
…
During my 1971 televised debate with John Kerry, I accused him of lying. I urged him to come forth with affidavits from the soldiers who had claimed to have committed or witnessed atrocities. To date no such affidavits have been filed. Recently, Sen. Kerry has attempted to reframe his comments as youthful or "over the top." Yet always there has been a calculated coolness to the way he has sought to destroy the record of our honorable service in the interest of promoting his political ambitions of the moment.
…
John Kerry's recent admissions caused me to realize that I was most likely in Vietnam dodging enemy rockets on the very day he met in Paris with Madame Binh, the representative of the Viet Cong to the Paris Peace Conference. John Kerry returned to the U.S. to become a national spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, a radical fringe of the antiwar movement, an organization set upon propagating the myth of war crimes through demonstrably false assertions. Who was the last American POW to die languishing in a North Vietnamese prison forced to listen to the recorded voice of John Kerry disgracing their service by his dishonest testimony before the Senate?


Mr. O'Neill served in Coastal Division 11 in 1969-70, winning two Bronze Stars and additional decorations for his service in Vietnam.
- Kitty, 4:25 AM
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Monday, May 03, 2004
 
What Percentage of Their Income Should The People Be Able to Keep, Senator Kerry?



Are You Sure? They Don't Need That Much Do They?



What Percentage If There's a Recession and the Government Needs More Money?



Isn't There a Lower Figure That Would Work?

- Pat, 11:27 PM
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Let's Kill Ted Rall's Cartoon Right Now

Chances are good you've seen it.

I've started an email addy list on Brainster's Blog.
- Pat, 8:09 PM
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One Half Year to KILL THIS BLOG!

There are 183 days remaining till the election. Please, do everything you can to make sure that this blog dies on November 3rd!
- Pat, 2:09 PM
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Charity Begins at Home III

Kerry Crushers has a great new movie on the Lord of Louisville Square.
- Pat, 1:18 PM
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Newest Member in the Legion of Kerry Haters

Take a trip over to Kerry Lied. They are planning a demonstration on Sunday, September 12, 2004 to tell the true story of Vietnam.

Finally, after thirty-three years, we have our chance to set the record straight--100,000 Viet Nam vets are going to demonstrate to the American people once and for all that John Kerry lied when he testified about the murder, mayhem, torture, and rape that Americans were committing in Viet Nam.

Be sure to read the first person accounts of homecoming stories by Vietnam Vets.

If you know any Viet Nam vets, tell them about Kerry Lied and their proposed demonstration!

Hat tip to Kerry Crushers.
- Pat, 11:36 AM
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Kerry AWOL?

The guys over at Kerry Crushers have a new story.

He further agreed that while in the Ready Reserves (from discharge to 1972) he would perform no less than 48 drills per year and up to 17 active duty days per year, or alternatively, 30 active duty days per year.

None of Kerry’s released records shows any evidence of his performing these Ready Reserve obligated days in 1970 through 1972, after which he was transferred to the Inactive Reserves. The only Performance of Duty form released covers 1966. There should be one for every year.

Great post from a great blog!
- Pat, 11:31 AM
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Kaus Endorses Rose Garden Strategy

Maybe the candidate can stay out of the public eye entirely for six months while the surrogates do the actual campaigning for him!
- Pat, 11:20 AM
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The Republican Smear Machine?

Fred Barnes points out that it's unsubstantiated:

What the DNC produced didn't come close to substantiating the charge of smears about Kerry's military record or patriotism. The Democratic committee couldn't cite anyone from the RNC or the Bush campaign -- or the White House for that matter -- who had criticized Kerry for his service in Vietnam or raised doubts about his patriotism. For the most part, what the DNC called smears were attacks on Kerry's antiwar activity after he left the Navy.
- Pat, 10:17 AM
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John Kerry, the UN-Candidate

John Kerry wants to turn approval of the war on terrorism over to the UN. One problem:

The U.N. has no definition of terrorism. For years, a working group of the General Assembly has been unable to finalize a comprehensive convention against terrorism because consensus has been blocked by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The OIC maintains that blowing up people in the name of self-determination or an end to occupation does not count as terrorism.

Hat tip to Danegerus.
- Pat, 8:32 AM
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How Come This Guy Never Gets Mentioned as Veep Material?



If ever there was a man deserving of the First Mate's bunk on the SS Kerrytanic, it's Gray Davis.
- Pat, 8:26 AM
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This Sounds Like Fun

Hundreds of former commanders and military colleagues of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry are set to declare in a signed letter that he is "unfit to be commander-in-chief." They will do so at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday.

I thought he was a veteran, and that made him immune to criticism?

"We have 19 of 23 officers who served with [Kerry]. We have every commanding officer he ever had in Vietnam. They all signed a letter that says he is unfit to be commander-in-chief," O'Neill said.

Hat tip to Instapundit.
- Pat, 8:22 AM
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Andrew Sullivan On Tillman

Go read.
- Pat, 7:59 AM
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Kerry: No Habla Espanol

That's the conclusion of this article:

In each of the three other battleground states where the Latino vote is pivotal — Arizona, Nevada and Florida — the same is true: Bush has staff and headquarters; Kerry does not. Bush also has run television ads in Spanish in each of those states; Kerry has not.

and

Raul Yzaguirre, president of National Council of La Raza, one of the country's biggest Latino groups, also expressed concern that there were no Latinos in Kerry's inner circle of advisors.
- Pat, 7:54 AM
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Liars Remorse?

John Fund writes:

Complaints about Mr. Kerry extend beyond his staff. John Weaver, who was strategist for John McCain's 2000 presidential campaign before he became a Democrat, calls Mr. Kerry's TV skills "abysmal. . . . I don't know if it's a stream of consciousness or stream of unconsciousness." MSNBC's Chris Matthews, who has lavished airtime on Mr. Kerry, is nonetheless frustrated with his elliptical speech patterns. "There's no such thing as a trick question with Kerry, because he won't answer it," he sighs. "We'll be having conversations afterward, and it's hard to get to him even then."
- Pat, 7:48 AM
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Can I Get This With a Waffle Cone?



Joke stolen from InDC. Hey, it's a tribute!
- Pat, 7:20 AM
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Kerry Veep Pick Game

CNN has the brackets.

There are some real floaters in the gravitas region (Bill Clinton, Tom Brokaw, John McCain). No Blacks as far as I can tell (there are a few people whose names I don't recognize), which highlights one problem. They created a women's bracket, which is silly--there aren't eight potential women candidates, there are one or two. I mean, DiFi and Ann Richards? Kathleen Sebelius is thrown in as somebody who could help Kerry steal Kansas, heh. Bush won Kansas by 20 points in 2000.
- Pat, 7:12 AM
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Sunday, May 02, 2004
 
The Assassination Game, Part Dix-Huit

Pat Buchanan waddles in months late. He does mention the Stennis shooting although he mistakenly says it took place 18 months after the Kansas City meeting. It was more like 14 months, since Richard Nixon mentioned it in his State of the Union Address in January 1973.
- Pat, 11:01 PM
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My Friend Al Invented the Internet



If you ever get tired of Kerry Haters, kid, surf on over to Kitty Litter or Brainster's Blog
- Pat, 10:27 PM
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Kerry On the Stock Market

The Wall Street Journal has an interview with Nuancy Boy:

WSJ: A couple of weeks ago, you said one thing you would have done differently than Clinton, you would have done more as president to have popped the bubble. What did you mean by that?

KERRY: I think not to pop it. I think I would have said to have a softer landing from it, to try to make sure that people understood the degree to which the price-earnings ratios were just sending an enormous signal.

WSJ: How would you do it?

KERRY: Jawboning. Bully pulpit.... Talk about how we need to get real values back....

You ever notice how Kerry thinks the solution to everything is more talking? He'll get the French to send troops to Iraq...how? By talking their ears off. He'd handle excessive stock market valuations by jawboning.
- Pat, 10:19 PM
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Improving the Tone

Captain Ed caught this bit in a Boston Globe story:

John F. Kerry walked into a diner here yesterday morning for a breakfast with fellow veterans, old soldiers gathered for a quiet discussion of war, death, and suffering on a day charged with political significance.

He sought a low profile, but in a rare, unscripted conversation with those gathered, the Massachusetts senator questioned President Bush's wartime moral authority, suggested that Vice President Dick Cheney would face harsher scrutiny for potential war-profiteering if Democrats were in control of Congress, and vented about the tone of the presidential race.

Captain Ed observed:

Let's see ... he implied that President Bush lacked morality, called Dick Cheney a war profiteer, and then complained about the tone of the campaign?
- Pat, 9:57 PM
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But Right for France

- Pat, 9:20 PM
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Kerry's Economic Advisor Betting Against America?

One dot:

Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor who has publicly criticized President Bush's tax cuts as favoring the wealthy, said Sunday he has agreed to serve as an economic adviser to John Kerry.

Another dot:

The euro also may gain after billionaire investor Warren Buffett said he increased his bet against the U.S. dollar on concern the country's trade deficit will weaken the currency.

"We think that over time the dollar is likely to decline in value against some of the major currencies," Buffett, 73, said at the weekend in an interview before Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. In the last few months, Berkshire has added "more than a little bit" to its foreign currency holdings, he said. They were last disclosed at $12 billion as of year-end.
- Pat, 7:00 PM
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A Few Tips on Bicycle Safety from Senator Serotta



1. Don't smile for the camera.

2. Keep both hands on the handlebars at all times.

3. Don't go riding with the Milwaukee Panther Shirt of Doom.
- Pat, 6:49 PM
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I DON’T FALL!

“Don’t panic, I’m fine. It reminds me of when I was in Vietnam …”
“Not, you, Senator; how’s the $8,000 bike?"

Kerry uninjured in fall from bicycle: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry took a spill from his bicycle while riding Sunday afternoon but was not injured, a campaign official said.

Kerry was riding with Secret Service agents through Concord, about 18 miles north of Boston, when his bike hit a patch of sand and he fell, campaign officials said.

"He's fine. They took the bike into the bike shop and he went home," said campaign spokesman Michael Meehan.

Kerry was in Massachusetts -- he has a home in Boston -- enjoying a break from the campaign trail. It was not immediately clear on what road in Concord he was biking.

Kerry, 60, rides his bicycle as often as he can and sometimes brings it with him on the campaign plane.

Those #$%@*&^% Secret Service guys probably tripped him ... again :))

- Kitty, 5:27 PM
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Welcome, Viking Pundit Readers!

Thanks to Kitty for the heads up!
- Pat, 3:05 PM
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New Member for the Legion!

John Kerry's Waffle House is now open for business! Roger's got some very good photoshopped jokes--loved the Dumb & Dumber pic!
- Pat, 12:40 PM
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Kerry's Lack of Diversity

This story has been around for awhile, but I just couldn't figure out a take on it. I would love for us to get past the stage where we're looking at the campaign staff and counting how many women, how many Jews, how many Blacks... how many Sri Lankans, etc., are in the candidate's inner circle.

However, we are not past it, and Robert Musil makes an excellent point.

But putting aside such digressions and whatever his lack of close friends who are racial minorities may say about him as a person, Senator Kerry's apparent lack of close advisors and personal acquaintances who are racial minorities is surely just rank political incompetence - whatever one may think of "identity politics."

Robert's blog is worth a regular visit. He has had an excellent series of posts on how Kerry is "Pathetic and Bound to Lose".
- Pat, 8:06 AM
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