Kerry Haters: We're Not Fonda John

 
Excellent Video

This is well worth watching--extraordinary 9/11 footage along with lots of amazing shots of the US military's most modern weapons.

Hat Tip: Right Thinking from the Left Coast via Digital Brownshirts.

 
The Kumbayah Crowd

Get this comment from the Ketchup Queen:

"You cannot solve problems by throwing stones, and you cannot solve problems by telling lies, and you cannot solve problems by wishing ill to other people," she said. "The only way you solve problems is by holding hands and talking about it, and that's what we want to do in this campaign."

Hat Tip: Viking Pundit.

 
The Kerry Speech Archive

Just One Minute pointed us to this site. Really quite amazing, it includes a video clip of the infamous medal tossing at Dewey Canyon III (unfortunately not of Kerry's medal toss).

 
Thanks to Hugh Hewitt & Just One Minute Visitors!

Happiness is being linked by Hugh & Tom on Friday. We've already set a record for a weekend day (at about 11:00 AM), we had over 100 visitors in the last hour (first time for that) and I suspect we may even set a record for a single day (the old record was 1170, set yesterday, prior record was Thursday, and the record before that was Wednesday).

Both Hugh & Tom linked to our old post on Kerry's fantasy Christmas in Cambodia.

 
Hold that Hug, Lovey, While I Go Punch Out Some Goons

 
New to the Legion

West Coast Chaos pointed us to John Kerry Question Fairy. Solid, well-reasoned posts with a lot of original writing make this blog a must-read. Loved the post about the New Name for Patriot, according to John Kerry.

 
The International Man of Mystery Comes Down Squarely on the Fence

There are times when this all seems too easy. Yesterday, Kerry waffled when asked if he would have invaded Iraq if Saddam had refused to disarm.

"You bet we might have," Kerry said.

Hat Tip: Captain's Quarters.

And I owe West Coast Chaos a hat tip for alerting us in the comments to the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller post.

 
Kolbe: Anti-Kerry Ad Appropriate

It appears that not all Arizona politicians think the Swift Boat Vets ad is reprehensible. Congressman Jim Kolbe had this to say:

"If Senator Kerry can trot out his people on stage that he served with to use as an endorsement of his military service, then it's not inappropriate for others who also served with him … to question whether his service is all it's made up to be," said Kolbe, who got to know Kerry during his year as as a naval communications officer and later as an operations officer in Vietnam.

 
Monkey Business

Donald Luskin looks at business executives who support Kerry and finds some surprises.

Perhaps most remarkable of all, though, is the number of business executives on the list who are full-fledged, living, breathing Benedict Arnold CEOs. Forty executives on Kerry’s list work for companies that appear on Lou Dobbs’s “Exporting America” list — a hall of shame for companies that (according to Dobbs) are sending American jobs overseas.

Benedict Arnold CEOs supporting the Benedict Arnold of Vietnam?

 
Blogger Roundup

Jayson Javitz looks at reporting on unemployment.

Right Wing News imagines what would have happened if Kerry had been a leader during other times in history.

Brad at Infinite Monkeys wonders about Kerry's hilarious promise to use a more sensitive war on terror.

Somebody should buy Ambra Nykola these shirts. She would definitely attract attention.

 
A Confession

I haven't linked to Danegerus enough lately. Just a great, great, blog which has been a long-time supporter of ours. If you aren't reading his blog, you're missing one of the top 10 blogs of Right Wing News. Check out his great post on Kerry's POW/MIA problem.

 
Hugh Hewitt Mentions Kerry Haters on Air, and Links

Hugh Hewitt linked to a May post of ours about Kerry's Christmas in Cambodia story that got sudden attention when the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth included it in the third chapter of their new book. Even more thrilling was the fact that he mentioned us on the air! It was near the end of his program, which you can listen to throughout the weekend here (Click on the "Today's Show" Icon under Hugh's name). The internet broadcast cycles every three hours, so the KH mention appears about 2:54, 5:54, 8:54 and 11:54 AM and PM, both East Coast and West Coast Time. I heard it live as I was driving this evening! Thanks again, Hugh!

 
Other Bloggers on Kerry

Joel Gaines points out that either 250 Swift Boat Veterans are lying, or one Swift Boat Veteran is lying.

Just One Minute has a long post on Kerry's missing years, which have suddenly reappeared in the candidate's official biography. Useful Fools has been hammering this story for months.

Long and excellent post from the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler on Kerry's Vietnam years.

 
You Got Any Waffle Cones?

 
More New Friends

Stop in and say hello to Passionate America. Wild Bill's got a great sense of humor, lots of posts, lots of links.

Dump Dick Durbin is dedicated to exposing Dick Durbin as a lying, partisan hack. He also posts on the national race, so you don't have to be from Illinois to enjoy his blog.

 
Waffle House Shut Down Again

Well, the suppression of dissent continues. Chris' Waffle House has been shut down again, under legal pressure from the restaurant chain's owners.

We'll let you know as soon as we have Chris' new website addy. Hang in there, buddy!

 
Kerry/Edwards OK with Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment Passed by Missouri

=^). This story was initially a bit of a surprise.

Sen. John Edwards emphasized his support for states' rights Thursday, saying the Democratic presidential ticket had no objection to Missouri's overwhelming vote this week in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

Then of course I saw the word overwhelming. Missouri is a key state in this year's election. The citing of states' rights is pretty interesting; I remember Al Sharpton lecturing his fellow Democrats that he did not appreciate them talking about states' rights. Unfortunately Andrew Sullivan is off this month; I'd like to hear his take.

 
A Trip Through the Legion Part Deux

No John Kerry used to be a pretty detailed site IIRC; now it's just a few words. Not sure what's happening here.

Foreign Leaders for John Kerry has pictures of Le Fraude's overseas fans. Not many updates.

Anti-John Kerry (aka John Kerry for President? You Must Be Joking) is going strong. Joe's got a great post on John O'Neill, which includes Kerry in an MC Escher knockoff. Probably the most active anti-Kerry blog aside from ours.

Stop John has done marvelous work with flash movies. The latest one is on the POW/MIA affair. They've also got a solid blog with lots of entertaining and amusing content.

To Be Continued!

 
New Caption Contest at Captain's Quarters

Let's see if we can't make it two weeks in a row that a Kerry Haters reader wins the Captain's Award. There are already some good ones up there.

 
New to the Blogroll

Welcome to Manifest Content, "a game of badminton with a hand grenade played on a lawn of hot lava". Sounds like fun!

Any blog that puts up the classic Charles Atlas ad, The Insult That Made a Man Out of Mac is aces in our book!

 
Previews of Coming Attractions

Looks like I've got a weekend of reading ahead of me. I've read the first couple of chapters of Hugh Hewitt's book, If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat, which I heartily recommend. He points out that the Republican Party have three major subgroups; the evangelicals, the wealth-builders, and the national security folks. The reason why Republicans won in 2002 and are headed for victory in 2004 is that a whole bunch of people who were Democrats became interested in national security on 9-11. Folks like Roger L. Simon, Michele Catalano, and Michael Totten.

My other book assignment is not going to be as enjoyable. I've purchased a digital version of John Kerry's infamous first book The New Soldier. From what I've heard, the book mostly contains copies of speeches by Kerry and other members of the VVAW, including his speech to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I'm not looking forward to it, but I feel I owe it to my readers to summarize it for them.

 
Yet Another "Crowd" for Kerry



Lots of supporters cleverly disguised as hay bales.

 
More Google Bombers Needed!

In the Boston Phoenix article dissing Waffel Haus, Dan Kennedy laughs at a congressman for writing about the Google bomb on Kerry. He found that when you typed "waffle" into a Google search, Kerry's site did not come up first. Of course, the correct search term is waffles, but even that does not result in Kerry's site coming up first anymore; it's all the way down to eighth.

So I'm putting out a call for more Google bombers. Here's how it works. If you have a blog or a website, put up a link to Kerry's website under the word "Waffles" like so. If you're a blogger, it helps to put it in your blogroll/sidebar, so that it won't disappear into the archives after a week or so.

Hat Tip to Esoteric Diatribe, who started this Google bomb.

 
The McCain Mutiny



McCain's decision to support John Kerry over the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is disappointing but not all that surprising. Our new friend Adrian over at Public Enquiry Project is outraged.

Senator McCain, after earning my love and respect; why must you then betray our most heroic and honest comrades in their heartfelt efforts to save the nation they almost died for from the tragedy of having a traitor as our Commander-in-Chief?

Amen, Adrian!

 
BOSTON GLOBE STORY A LIE!

ANTI-KERRY VETS HANG TOUGH
Fri Aug 06 2004 13:37:12 ET
The following statement from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth concerns an article appearing in morning edition of the BOSTON GLOBE, written by GLOBE reporter and author of the official Kerry-Edwards campaign book, Mike Kranish.

"Captain George Elliott describes an article appearing in today’s edition of the BOSTON GLOBE by Mike Kranish as extremely inaccurate and highly misstating his actual views. He reaffirms his statement in the current advertisement paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Captain Elliott reaffirms his affidavit in support of that advertisement, and he reaffirms his request that the ad be played.
“Additional documentation will follow.
"The article by Mr. Kranish is particularly surprising given page 102 of Mr. Kranish’s own book quoting John Kerry as acknowledging that he killed a single, wounded, fleeing Viet Cong soldier whom he was afraid would turn around.
"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has more than 250 supporters who are revealing first hand, eyewitness accounts of numerous incidents concerning John Kerry’s military service record. The organization will continue to discuss much of what John Kerry has reported as fact concerning his four-month tour of duty in Vietnam."

END

 
Mainstream Media Starting to Notice Us!

Chris from the Waffel Haus emailed to let us know that we had both appeared in an article in the Winston-Salem Journal by Tim Clodfelter. Obviously we disagree with his assessment of the Waffel Haus, but we were pleased that he enjoyed the humor at KH:

You can find more laughs at kerryhaters.blogspot.com (link), a blog of anti-Kerry comments, observations and anecdotes. The site's slogan is "We're not Fonda John." Since the Democratic National Convention just ended last week, there are plenty of fresh comments on the site now.

Thanks, for the compliment, Tim! I was especially impressed that he put a link to us in the online column; that happens all too rarely.

Chris also got the signal honor of being dissed by Dan Kennedy of the Boston Phoenix as "A Kerry-hating cretin". Why is that an honor? Because Kennedy also has bashed Mark Steyn, who is only the greatest columnist writing today.

 
THE INSIDE DOPE



Crackup Symptoms
By The Prowler
ALL YOU CAN EAT
While speeding through Arkansas, Edwards and company stopped in Devalls Bluff at a local eatery, Craig's BBQ. Upon entering the eatery to glad-hand, Edwards discovered that there was not a single customer inside. So an advance person dashed out and pulled every reporter and staffer on the trip into the restaurant so that the small diner would appear to be packed with people.
"The reporters with us don't seem to care how we do it," says a former Edwards advance staffer now based in Washington. "The dirty secret is that many of these guys are willing to help us get the photos and stories out that we want."

CARD SHARK
There has always been a concern among advisers that candidate Kerry believes he's smarter than many of them, and looks down on being prepped before public events. Staffers had thought they had turned a corner with Kerry when he allowed himself to be fully programmed for his appearance at the Democratic Convention.
"But then he pulls a boner like this. What the hell cards does he have?" asks an adviser in Washington. "The candidate has been told time and again not to engage in that kind of semi-detailed discussion. But he just ignores the advice and digs another hole we have to pull him out of. At some point, we aren't going to be able to do it."

 
French Dip?



Diana West has a great column on Kerry's apparent need to have the French go along with us.

That explains a lot. That is, while the assistance of 30-odd countries in newly sovereign Iraq isn't exactly chopped liver, the real problem, when it comes to John Kerry, is that it isn't foie gras. In other words, when Kerry castigates President Bush for acting "solo" in Iraq, what he's really crabbing about is that the United States is acting without France. For Kerry and his Francophile set, acting sans France is a major problem, a veritable crisis. Since he is one of two men who may occupy the White House next year, his crisis is our concern.

Great article, read it all.

 
WO-WO-WO-WO FEEEELINGS



Did you ever see Carol Burnett play Eunice? Remember the episode in which Eunice goes on The Gong Show and sings “Feelings”? When I heard Kerry talk about a “more sensitive” war, I heard Eunice sing.
CrushKerry must have heard it too, because they have a great article on
Kerry's Terror Strategy - Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings
Nobody can say they weren't warned. In the event that (God Forbid) John Kerry wins in November, no American should be surprised when we lose ground in the war on terror or another catastrophe occurs. Not after today's comments by John Kerry on how he would fight the war on terror.
…
For today lady's and gentlemen, John Kerry today promised to fight a MORE SENSITIVE war on terror. And no, we're not kidding about this. Not even we here at crushkerry.com, who are pretty damn funny and creative if we say so ourselves, could have possible made this up.
The Bush people should quote this statement to the press every day until they can no longer ignore it. Pictures and videos of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, the beheadings of Nick Berg and Paul Johnson, and the charred bodies of American civilians killed in Iraq should be interspersed with Kerry's declaration that he will fight a "more sensitive" war on terror.
…
So, while George W. Bush is bringing the full weight of the US Military, Intelligence Services, Treasury Department (to cut off terrorist funding), Justice Department, FBI and working with our allies to do all he can to avoid another 9/11, John Kerry is concerned that we are not being "sensitive" enough.
…
Which guy would you trust your family's safety with?

 
IN WHOSE INTEREST?



I have long had a problem with McCain. I am in awe of what he was forced to endure as a POW, whose existance was only worsened by Kerry’s anti-war protesting at the time. I don’t pretend to understand what motivates McCain to do some of the things he does. If he had suggested, or even requested, that President Bush distance himself from this ad, then I’d have no quarrel with him. But he described the ad as "dishonest and dishonorable," which it most certainly is not. These Vietnam veterans felt the need to speak up for their reputations and honor, something McCain should understand. McCain, you stood by Bush when it mattered, so I’ll overlook that public flirtation with that other john (lower case intended). So why won’t you stand up for these vets? Why is John Kerry’s honor the only one you’ll protect?

MCCAIN RIPS ANTI-KERRY AD
Vietnam War hero Sen. John McCain yesterday asked President Bush to denounce a hard-hitting ad featuring anti-Kerry Vietnam vets who served in the Navy with the Democratic candidate and paint him as a cowardly liar.
McCain (R-Ariz.) described the ad as "dishonest and dishonorable."
Kerry's lawyers, meanwhile, are threatening suits to try to block TV stations from airing the ad, which is independent of the Bush campaign. They say it's "libelous" because the vets never served on Kerry's boat — although the ad says only that they served "with John Kerry."

At least Rudy's got in right.
RUDY: JOHN IS MOORE'S STOOGE
In a statement issued by the Bush campaign, Giuliani charged, "John Kerry must be frustrated in his campaign if he is armchair-quarterbacking based on cues from Michael Moore."

 
NEWS WORTH REPEATING



Notice how close the swift boats are. This is important because the vets who appear in the ad never said they served on the same boat with Kerry, but they served on boats side by side in close proximity, which means they can still testify to Kerry’s actions.

DNC Lawyers Work To Muzzle Swift Boat Vets' Ad
HUMAN EVENTS has obtained a copy of a letter … which lawyers for the Democratic National Committee and John Kerry have sent to television station managers attempting to suppress the blistering anti-Kerry TV spot created by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (click here to view the ad) and first reported here on HumanEventsOnline.com
The letter claims the ad is "false" and "libelous" and suggests, in not-so-subtle terms, that TV stations should use their "legal authority" to refuse any requests for advertising airtime, stating that "because your station has this freedom [to refuse the ad], and because it is not a 'use' of your facilities by a clearly identified candidate, your station is responsible for the false and libelous charges made by this sponsor" (emphasis added).
As their first piece of evidence of the ad's supposed lies, the DNC/Kerry lawyers claim that the veterans in the ad "purport to have served on Senator Kerry's SWIFT Boat in Vietnam" but, "in fact, not a single one of the men who pretend to have served with Senator Kerry was actually a crewmate of Senator Kerry's." The problem is that none of these men claimed to have served on Kerry's SWIFT Boat. They simply said they "served with John Kerry" -- and they did. The letter goes on to make several more misleading statements about the advertisement, in an attempt to protect Kerry's "war hero" record.

 
Uh....



Caption it yourself.

 
One of the Great Evenings Ever

We hit 1,000 visitors in a day for the first time ever, and I wondered why at first. Answer: Kerry Haters is a big blog and we've had Swift Boat Veterans for Truth on our blogroll for months now. The sudden interest in the film meant that we popped up in the search engines.

And the stories we got from people coming here! I won't give names for now, but I am thrilled by the folks who wrote down details like these:

I am not a Vietnam vet, but I am a military veteran who retired last year after 21 years of faithful and proud service in the greatest military of the greatest country on this earth has ever known.

I would like to say this about John Kerry: How could the guy turn on his fellow vets and throw away his medals? What he did was aid and comfort the enemy by his actions after he came back from Vietnam. Shame on him! An officer too! He sickens me to the core.

We here at KH thank you for every one of those 21 years of service to your country.

I am a retired (20yrs)Army vet and I applaud the swift vets for this ad it's about time someone challenged this idiots blatant lies about his whole four months in Vietnam, I spent four months in the Gulf and nearly died in a tank ditch but because the shooting had stopped I felt like I didn't deserve a PH, this gets three for scratchs...BS I also have a big problem with his actions after Vietnam, My Father was killed in 66 after three tours, this wimp has the adasity to call him a baby killing thug...I hope I never come face to face with him...But I don't think we have to worry I think he's going to lose in a land slide, all these polls don't mean nothing. Plus his big mouth wife is going a long way to help sink him...Not to mention his own mouth...

Amen to that--Here at KH we obviously think that Kerry is the weak part of the Democrats right now. Thank you, sir, for serving your country, and let's hope that on November 3rd we're both celebrating John Kerry's retirement from national office!

 
SAVING THEIR HONOR



All of the Vietnam vets I know, in fact all the war veterans I know, do not care to talk about their war time experiences. Period. My uncle, who was a Lt. Commander in the Navy and served in the Pacific during WWII, simply refused. Rather, it was something he preferred to forget. The Vietnam vets were treated with such disdain that the ones I personally know have been very reluctant to open up those old wounds. Kerry is the only Vietnam vet I know who considers that war as the glory days.
Rush Limbaugh:
John McCain, former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called this ad dishonest and dishonorable, urged the White House on Thursday to condemn this ad as well. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has responded to Senator McCain with this statement, and I quote:

"Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has more than 250 members, many of whom were wounded or highly decorated in Vietnam. We purchased with our blood and service the right to be heard, to set the record straight about our unit, and to tell the truth about John Kerry's military service record. We respect Senator McCain's right to express his opinion, and we hope he extends to us the same respect and courtesy, particularly since we served with John Kerry. We knew him well, and Senator McCain did not."

But now the New York Times and the mainstream press is faced with the challenge of smearing these men, and they can't smear them as chicken hawks. They can't smear them as guys who had the chance to go but didn't. All they can do is try to smear them because they've been funded by some developer in Houston, to the tune of a hundred thousand dollars, while they ignore George Soros funding the whole Democrat 527 apparatus, or a large part of it, at 15 to 20 million dollars.

 
More New Friends

Bunkergurl noted that she linked to us with her two blogs, Flyover Country, and Digital Brownshirts (wish I'd thought of that one!). The latter is a new blog, so I've put it in the Microbes for now, but it will soon move up to the Legion. Flyover Country's been around for awhile, and it joins our favorites list.

Sergeant America also put a note in the comments about his terrific blog, called Johnny Four Months. Great blog name, Sarge! He's apparently only been blogging for a week or so, but he's apparently got the bug--lots and lots of posts already. He's in the Microbes for now, but also destined for the Legion.

Go over to these blogs and check them out.

 
New Conservative Blogger

Actually he's not a new blogger, but he's got a new blog. Jayson Javitz is a contributor to Polipundit, and he's started his own blog, called, Political Vice Squad. Just don't bust us for our continual link-whoring, Jayson!

 
Pics of the Swiftees




Gentlemen, we salute you!

 
More Stifling of Dissent

Crush Kerry reports that Nuancy Boy's campaign is threatening TV stations who broadcast the Swift Boat Veterans' ad with libel suits and potential action by the FCC.

You know what? This is the DUMBEST thing Kerry could do! It absolutely guarantees more coverage of the ad. Thank you, John Kerry!

 
A Trip Through the Legion Part I

I thought I'd put together a series of posts going through the Legion of Kerry Haters. Some of the links no longer work, so I'm going to take those out. If you would like to be added to the Legion blogroll, leave a note in the comments. The only requirement is that your site be dedicated to the defeat of John Kerry.

Crush Kerry is at the top of the Legion for a reason: They are the best. Solid commentary, a lively forum, Sound Off, the Judge Elihu Smalls award, all combined in one graphically pleasing website. If you aren't starting your day at Crush Kerry, you're missing out.

Chris' Waffle House (or should I say, Waffel Haus) got bumped up to the second spot in the Legion, but nobody has suffered more for his attempts to expose Le Fraude. His first site was shut down under legal threats and his second site was nearly shut down for the same reason. Chris' pages are works of art, with lots of graphics, music, movies, etc., all combined on a single theme. Simply amazing. Go over there and sign Chris' guestbook to let him know you appreciate his sacrifice.

Right-Wing & Right Minded was an early linker to Kerry Haters. Solid blog with lots of posts, and plenty of Photoshop-type jokes, he's got a wonderful cartoon here.

POW/MIA Families Against Kerry is dedicated to getting the word out about Kerry's whitewash of Vietnam over the POW/MIA issue. As best I can tell, this site does not get updated much, but it's a solid resource that reminds us that Kerry is not just despised by military families over his Senate Testimony in 1971.

Vietnam Special Forces Vet Against Kerry is a great site by a non-partisan veteran. Lots of content, well-designed site.

Green Beret Net has the best take on Kerry's candidacy I've heard yet: "Why Don't We Just Elect Jane Fonda & Just Be Done With It ???" Lots of links, well-organized.

To Be Continued!

 
Kerry's Kind of Judge

Crush Kerry has a hard-hitting post up on the kind of judges we can expect if Kerry gets to appoint them.

As we have stated previously Judge Dowling would be the ideal Kerry judicial appointee.The most revealing statement John Kerry has made about the types of justices he would appoint to the Supreme Court was in October, 2003, before the National Council of Negro Women. He said that he would appoint justices “with a broad understanding of American life today without drawing from any ideology, for the sake of ideology, people who have a commitment to diversity, fairness and equality." In other words, a judge who creates fundamental rights out of whole cloth to fit the judge's own social beliefs (nearly always liberal), despite the will of the people. As our old friend Bagdhad Jim McDermott said recently, liberals need courts to do for them what they have been unable to achieve at the ballot box.

The Dowling decision is indeed ridiculous; judicial activism at its absolute worst.

 
Great Joke--Read Carefully

Kerry Haters has the best readers of any blog out there. You guys constantly amaze us with the great stories you tell us about, with follow-ups, with jokes, with links to funny pictures.

Longtime Kerry Hater reader Gayle sends us this bit of humor which made me laugh out loud:

If you support the policies of President Bush, please drive with your headlights on during the day this coming Friday.

If you support John Kerry, please drive with your headlights off that night.

Great one, Gayle!

 
More on the Swift Boat Vets

I read the chapter of their book that was emailable; if you want to read it without giving your email address, it is here. It contains an excellent account of the incident leading to Kerry's first Purple Heart, which leaves little doubt in my mind that Kerry did not deserve that medal.

It also covers Kerry's ridiculous "Christmas in Cambodia" story, which we debunked awhile ago, with the help of Kerry Haters reader L. Larson. This was such an absurd story that even Kerry hagiographer Douglas Brinkley left it out of Tour of Duty.

 
Waffle House May Survive After All

Chris emailed me with an update:

Site might stay in business. Yahoo gave me 48 hours to remove copyrighted material. Chicago Ray and John at MyTake on Things helped out. Even have a disclaimer now. They shut it down now it's lawsuit time. Site is protected under parody fair use statutes.

Chris has another very funny Kerry parody (Kerrygan's Island).

No yachts, no caviar, no SUVs,
Not a single piece of Brie,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
The campaign tour bus is as primitive as
can be.

And a BIG SHOUT OUT to Chicago Ray and John at My Take On Things for their help!

 
ACE wants to know:
Kerry asked to leave Vietnam?
Kerry's former commanding officer, Lt. Thomas Wright, told NYC talk show host Kevin McCullough that he frequently had to confront Kerry over willful disobedience to orders aboard Swift Boat patrols.
Wright also said that after Kerry had in fact received his third purple heart, Wright along with two other ranking officers basically flat out asked Kerry to leave Vietnam. the reason being his behavior continually put the group in greater vulnerability and danger

 
Swift Boat Ad Reactions

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth Ad & book (now #1 on Amazon) is clearly dominating the blogosphere. Useful Fools comments here, Roger L. Simon adds his take, ACE says not enough meat in the ad, but he's looking forward to the book, Citizen Smash hopes nobody ever does an ad like that on him, while Nudnik calls the ad brutal.

 
The Three Faces of The International Man of Mystery

Max Boot discusses how Kerry's foreign policy has at times mimicked three different types.

This muddle raises the question of whether Kerry has a worldview, or whether he merely goes wherever the political winds blow. Surely it's no coincidence that his stances track precisely mainstream Democratic opinion, which was isolationist in the 1970s and 1980s, idealistically interventionist in the 1990s and coldly realist since 2001. When the Democrats were split, as they were over Iraq in 2002 and 2003, he clumsily tried to appease both hawks and doves. Where he will wind up nobody knows — not even, I suspect, him.

 
FREE OFFER!



Human Events Exclusive:

Vietnam Vets Organization Blasts Kerry in New TV Ad
PLUS! UNFIT FOR COMMAND is being rushed to bookstores now, but it will
likely not be available for another week. Human Events has obtained an advance
copy, and will send you an entire chapter free ("The Purple Heart
Hunter").

HEADS UP! Pat Hynes, proprietor of CrushKerry has been tapped by "The American Spectator" to review the "Unfit For Command" book from the Swiftboat Veterans For Truth group.

- Kitty, 7:17 AM

 
CHICKEN LAYS AN EGG



Kerry Lays Egg in Iowa
By Rush Limbaugh
The first thing you need to know is that the Kerry campaign changed their schedule in order to be in Davenport today at the same time when they heard Bush was going to be there.
There was also some scuttlebutt late last week that Kerry was thinking of crashing Bush's appearance and causing what would appear to be a spontaneous debate.
…
They've been promoting them all morning but they didn't cover them as they happened. Instead they've been covering whatever the latest developments are in the Kobe Bryant case. So you can say that Kerry I think laid another egg here today. This was supposed to be some giant takeover of a Bush campaign rally and it didn't happen.

 

 
I’M JUMPIN’ JACK FLASHBACK



Rush is prescient; he has this uncanny knack to make jokes which come true. Here's just one example.
Kerry Makes El Rushbo's Jokes Come True
FLASHBACK: ONE WEEK AGO TODAY, RUSH ON KERRY'S PLANNED EXIT FROM THE DNC:
"After the FleetCenter festivities end and the balloons drop, [Kerry will] sneak up to the roof of the FleetCenter and be spirited away by a jam-packed helicopter. He'll be taken to an aircraft carrier out there near Martha's Vineyard to reenact the last man leaving Saigon, as they continue to tout his Vietnam War hero status."

 
LET THEM MAKE THIS PERFECTLY CLEAR



If we’re lucky, we won’t have John Kerry to kick around anymore after November 2nd.

MAKING YOU MISS NIXON
BY ERIC FETTMANN
The [John Kerry] has been promising that he can "put a deal together" to cut the number of U.S. troops in Iraq — but refusing to provide any details.
Several have noted that this sounds suspiciously like Richard Nixon's campaign declaration that he had a "secret plan" to end the war in Vietnam.
In fact, Nixon never said any such thing. But it's become one of the enduring myths of political history that he — as Kerry himself has put it — "ran in 1968 with the promise of a secret plan for peace."
Kerry bristles at the comparison. Chided gently last Sunday by George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week," that his position "sounds like the famous old Nixon secret plan," Kerry snapped: "I don't care what it sounds like. The fact is that I'm not going to negotiate in public today without the presidency."
Which is pretty much what Nixon said 36 years ago.

 
Teh-RAY-za Having Fun



"I've got a billion dollars and I'm putting up with this clown bumping me in the head?"

 
Swift Boat Vets Make the NY Times!

Jodi Wilgoren reports.

A group of Vietnam veterans has bought television time in three swing states for an advertisement that attacks Senator John Kerry, accusing him of lying about his war record, including the circumstances surrounding his medals, and betraying his comrades by later opposing the war.

"When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry," one of the veterans, Larry Thurlow, says in the 60-second advertisement, scheduled to begin running today in scattered markets in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Robert G. Elder, like Mr. Kerry a Navy lieutenant who commanded a Swift boat, declares, "John Kerry is no war hero," and Robert Hildreth, who held a similar post, intones, "John Kerry cannot be trusted."

First three paragraphs, baby! We love you, Jodi!

 
So You Say Your Husband Was Worth Five Billion Dollars? That Is Billion With a "B", Mon Cherie?



Joke stolen from somebody a while ago, IIRC a caption from one of the Captain's Quarters' contests.

 
George Will Dice-O-Matics Kerry

This is a brilliant column, with Will contrasting what Kerry has said and the real world.

Regarding military action, your platform says "we will never wait for a green light from abroad when our safety is at stake." But the platform's preceding paragraph denounces President Bush's "doctrine of unilateral preemption." If unilateralism is wrong, are you not committed to some sort of "green light from abroad"?

 
A Salute to Legion Members We Haven't Met!



Great job, guys!

 
The Swift Boat Vets' Ad

Lorie Byrd over at Polipundit posted the link to this ad earlier today. As she says, it's absolutely devastating. Turning Edwards' own words against Kerry was a master stroke.

Those of you reading this blog know that I don't talk about your money. I've only once put out a pitch for the moolah, and that time wasn't for me but for another blogger, and I contributed to the cause before I asked you.

Today I'm doing the same thing. This ad has to be put in front of the voters, and it has to be done soon. I had some problems getting through to the website, and there was a reported certificate error on the contributions page that made me feel uncomfortable about donating online (it may be fixed when you read this), but here's the address that I just sent a check for $50 to:

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
c/o Weymouth Symmes, Treasurer
PO Box 26184
Alexandria, VA 22313

When contributing by check, please include your occupation and employer.
Checks should be made payable to "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth".

These guys deserve all the help we can give them.

 
Welcome, Hugh Hewitt Fans!

My post on meeting Hugh last night is here.

Kitty's post on Kerry's hilarious mistake in mentioning his love for the Buckeyes while campaigning in Michigan is here.

Hope you enjoy our blog and come back often--we generally have 10-20 posts a day here. Thanks Hugh!

 
Vietnam Vets Protested Kerry in Beantown--Media Silent?

I heard nothing about this last week, and it was certainly newsworthy. From the Public Enquiry Project blog:

This is the issue that can determine the outcome of this election; if we can get the word out. But this is proving to be exceedingly difficult. Hundreds of Vietnam Veterans demonstrated outside the Fleet Center on the last two days of the Democratic National Convention including massing in front of Kerry’s Beacon Hill mansion face to face with State Police Swat Teams and Secret Service Agents. In an exceedingly tense situation we chanted:

KERRY LIED… GOOD MEN DIED! AND,

JOHN KERRY COMMANDER IN CHIEF?.... NO WAY!

And most of the media ignored us, even FOX. What’s up with that?

He's got more--photos here, a first-hand report of the demonstration here, and the second day here. Great posts, well written and heartfelt. Thanks Adrian!

Hat Tip to Right Wing News (Adrian commented on one of John Hawkins' posts).

 
New Member for the Legion

You never know where you will find another Kerry Hater. This one comes to us by way of Crush Kerry (no surprise there) who pointed us to a story in the American Prospect (!) which referenced Kerry's Scary. They have a great anti-Kerry movie called A Buried Past, and lots of substantive arguments why Kerry should be sent back to Beacon Hill.

 
Taps for the Waffle House?

Kitty reports on it; my copy of the email got delayed for a couple hours and just came in (probably mail server problems on my end). As we speculated below, looks like the Ketchup Queen's lawyers contacted the Waffle House's lawyers and got them to lean on him. Still, as I told Chris, this is not the end--his great site does not depend on the WH connection. We have no doubt that his stuff will return, bigger and badder than ever, and at least this time he's getting advance notice so he doesn't lose all his work. As soon as he's back up, we'll give you the information. Illegitimati non carborundum est, Chris!

 
Kerry's Suppression of Dissent Continues

Chris over at the Waffle House had to take down his logo today, apparently due to threatened legal action. My guess is that the Ketchup Queen's lawyers contacted the Waffle House restaurant chain. Chris' original site was shut down and erased by the site host only a few weeks ago. Originally the host said it was due to impending legal action, then due to violation of TOS, then finally they claimed that Chris himself voluntarily shut down the site.

If I know Chris, this is a big mistake. He's got a wicked sense of humor and lots of site creation skills. Kerry just put a "kick me" sign on his own back, and Chris has got a big boot ready to oblige him.

 
Kerry's Faux Foods

Looks like Wendy's isn't the only place to get the "we pretend to love your food, but we're eating shrimp vandaloo or filet mignon" treatment. In fact, it seems to be an everyday occurence on the Kerry campaign.

Check out this story in the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel.

Thousands of us heard John Kerry localize his presidential stump speech by saying he "sure better find some baby backs over there at Speed Queen Bar-B-Q and a double-dip vanilla at Leon's.

"And if I don't get there, I'm in trouble."

OK then, Sen. Kerry, you're in trouble.

"No, he didn't come," said Steven Schneider, a manager at Leon's Frozen Custard, 3131 S. 27th St.

"Like most politicians, they say one thing and do another," said Schneider, who says he's voting for George W. Bush in November.

So where did Kerry eat Monday? He went a bit more upscale at Pieces of Eight on the lakefront.

"John had a filet mignon with asparagus and potatoes," said manager Patric Trusty. "We tried to provide a regular dining experience for him, as regular as it could be with everybody being searched at the door."

But that's not all.

Next, in Zanesville, Ohio, Mr. Kerry won cheers for a mention of Adornetto's pizza. Adrian Adornetto, the owner, said he was flooded with calls and offered to send over free pizza to the candidates' motorcade as a sign of thanks for the endorsement. Campaign officials turned down the offer, saying the second-generation pizzaman could not deliver quickly enough.

Hat Tip: (In the comments) PhilliesFan who referred us to this post on World Magazine Blog.

 
WAS KERRY “FRAGGED”?


Drudge has an “exclusive” about the book “Unfit For Command,” which is due out August 15th. We’ve read about this book, how the Swift boat vets say Kerry was a “loose cannon” and that his Purple Hearts were awarded for the flimsiest of scratches. The fanny wound referenced to Kerry’s “no man left behind” is new and funny. But as I read Drudge’s report, specifically how Kerry's “reckless behavior convinced his colleagues that he had to go,”* I began to wonder if one or more of Kerry’s superficial wounds were the result of … dare I say “fragging”? Please do not misunderstand me: I'm in NO WAY suggesting/implying that anyone, either the authors or anyone else, wanted to harm Kerry any more than his scratches. Just enough nicks to earn the magical number of three Purple Hearts so he could getthehell outta Nam. Fragging is a serious offense, and I understand that such rumors are out there. I hate what I'm thinking about anyone who really did serve our country well, but it was the first thought that popped into my mind as I read this. Am I way off base?

BOOK CLAIMS KERRY WAR 'FABRICATIONS'
= A "fanny wound" was the highlight of Kerry's much touted "no man left behind" Bronze Star.

= Kerry turned the tragic death of a father and small child in a Vietnamese fishing boat into an act of "heroism" by filing a false report on the incident.

= Kerry entered an abandoned Vietnamese village and slaughtered the domestic animals owned by the civilians and burned down their homes with his Zippo lighter.

= *Kerry's reckless behavior convinced his colleagues that he had to go -- becoming the only Swift Boat veteran to serve only four months.

The Kerry campaign is planning to vigorously counter the charges and will accuse the veteran's groups of being well-financed by a top Bush donor from Texas, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
"They hired a goddamn private investigator to dig up trash!" charged a top Kerry adviser traveling with the senator late Tuesday. "This is pay for play, and the dirtiest of all dirty tricks ever played on a candidate for the presidency. How low can they go?"
Kerry supporters are comparing the effort by the veterans to the Arkansas State troopers tell-all against Bill Clinton.
UNFIT FOR COMMAND will not be released until August 15.
The names. The details. All on the record.
Beginning tomorrow, the DRUDGE REPORT will break the embargo.

 
THE ROLLING STONE IS SO YESTERDAY



This Wendy’s story is old news for us and our readers. However, there is a quote from the Wendy’s manager, which is new. If we thought this story wasn’t given proper attention before, PAGE SIX will change that. Believe me, if it’s touted on PAGE SIX … the lead story, no less … everyone will notice it now.

KERRY SNEAKS IN FANCY FOOD
Just because Teresa inherited a ketchup fortune doesn't mean she likes burgers and fries. "You could tell she wasn't familiar with the menu," Wendy's manager John Garrett told PAGE SIX's Lisa Marsh. But, "Mr. and Mrs. Edwards knew what they wanted right away," Garrett said. John and Elizabeth Edwards ate "a single combo and a single combo with cheese," a smallish meal of a single-patty burger.
…
But Hollywood supporter Ben Affleck either didn't know there were treats on the bus or he has a voracious appetite — he ordered the double-cheese combo.

 
Why Kerry's Going to Lose

Zev Chafets does a great job of summing it up.

John Kerry is not a bad man. He probably wouldn't make a bad President. But he is a bad candidate in a terrible situation. He represents the wing of the Democratic Party that is imbued with a sense of its own moral, intellectual, cultural and social superiority. In short, he is the standard bearer for the unbearable.

Read the whole thing. This is one of those articles where I had a hard time picking the best paragraph to include.

 
BEGGING?

This picture certainly begs for a caption.
Let’er rip!

 
TWO AMERICAS



Democratic Offshoreman
By George Neumayr
"Like many well-to-do Americans from that period" -- the 1980s -- "Kerry went looking for a tax shelter." This comes from John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography by the Boston Globe Reporters Who Know Him Best. According to the book, Kerry "invested between $25,000 and $30,000" in a "scheme known as a 'straddle' that involved forward contracts to buy and sell certain commodities through companies in the Cayman Islands."
…
The book reports that Kerry's Cayman Islands tax shelter scheme didn't pan out. An embarrassed Kerry had to abandon it with apologies. "I thought it was a way to try to minimize tax consequences," he said. "It wasn't, and I learned a hard lesson."
Kerry told the Globe that he didn't realize the tax shelter was offshore in the Cayman Islands. But the "Globe reporters who know him best" aren't buying it: "However, the pledge agreement, bearing Kerry's signature, states in the first line that Sytel Traders was organized 'under the laws of the Cayman Islands ...'

 
Kerry Enjoys a Huber Beer with the Guys



Of course, the moment he got on the bus he popped open a Chateau Lafitte Rothschild 1961.

 
My Dinner with Hugh Hewitt--Updated!

And about 300 of his other closest friends in the Phoenix metro area. I had a superb time, can't recommend the experience highly enough if you get a chance. I arrived just before 5:00, walked in and there to my left was Hugh himself, doing the radio show. It was really cool to see and hear him speaking and know it was going out to 2 million + listeners. He looks pretty much like the publicity photos--very white hair, can't remember meeting many men younger than me with hair the color of milk. More handsome than the KRLA photo, and the dark spots in his hair shown there are long gone.

He had an hour left on the show, and that was the only downside to the evening. Because the program was being broadcast live, we ended up not being able to hear it (probably due to feedback concerns). They did drag one loudspeaker into the dining area, but it was so low that only those at the table right next to it could hear. So if you go and you want to hear the show, bring a Walkman.

I used the opportunity to get acquainted with my table-mates. As you would expect, they were a thoroughly nice group of people united in their desire to see President Bush reelected and John Kerry sent back to the Scaramouche. The woman on my left was a very charming retired schoolteacher, while the couple on my right had two nephews in Iraq. Most of those who were not retired were self-employed. It was great to talk to people who were so well-informed about politics (although thanks to our blog I was able to give them a few stories they hadn't heard).

After the show was over the news guy for the Patriot did a little warm-up act, and then Hugh gave a 20-minute or so talk on the election, President Bush, and the Democrats, and why it was important that we do everything we can to make sure that the latter go down in flames. He highlighted the New Yorker article that he blogged about and opened his show with this afternoon. Then they served us dinner (a tender and juicy steak), following which was the book signing.

Hugh was just marvelous on the latter. He never rushed anybody, even though I'm sure he could do the math in his head; there were 300 people there and if he spent a minute with each it would be five hours. And I would guess that most people were getting more than a minute (including yours truly).

I introduced myself as Pat from the Kerry Haters blog, and he put me into heaven. "You have a great blog," he said. "How's your traffic?" Well, I said 700 visitors a day (which, by the way, puts us now in the top 250 blogs on the TTLB), and he said that was great for a first-year blog. "What are you going to do after the election?" So I mentioned Brainster's, and he suggested strongly that I start referring people over there now, and noted that Brad from Infinite Monkeys was in the audience, and that I should look him up (Hugh got up and looked around to see if he could spot Brad) about forming an Arizona Alliance. Of course that led to the anecdote about the day Pat Tillman died and the kind email Brad sent me after reading my Tillman tribute.

So then I asked Hugh if he'd heard the Kerry/Ohio State story. Hugh's a rabid fan of the Buckeyes, so I knew he'd be interested. He perked up and asked if we'd blogged it, and promised to link to it tomorrow, provided he could deal with the computer he had on the road with him (he'd earlier commented that he was having problems with it).

He signed my book "To Pat from Kerry Haters! Keep up the good work! Hugh Hewitt" (actually the name looks mostly like Hh Htt, but I can hardly blame him for cutting corners--the dedication was perfect, almost as if I had written it down on an index card that I handed to him ;) ).

Hugh's book is entitled "If It's Not Close They Can't Cheat--Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It." I've read the introductory chapter and the chapter on blogging (couldn't resist) and it looks like a great read so far.

If you have not heard Hugh's radio show yet, you should absolutely give him a listen. These days conservative talk radio does not lack for talented hosts with excellent shows. IMHO, Hugh's program is the best out there--a show that is both entertaining and informative, fun yet fulfilling.

Update: Brad from Infinite Monkeys got some compliments from Hugh on his weight loss. Hugh came up with a pretty good line--now Brad's a finite monkey (no permalink on the post unfortunately).

 
Off to See the Wizard!

On my way to see the final hour of Hugh Hewitt's program and booksigning. I'll give you my report later.

 
Another New Microbe

It's our old friend Chicago Ray, getting his third spot on the blogroll, this time as Right Wing Ruminations. I particularly like his take on the new Kerry/Edwards Book. Ray does great work with photoshop humor. How long before the blogroll is nothing but Chicago Ray blogs?

 
The Hamster Gets Back on the Wheel

 
New to the Blogroll

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that we had not added Polipundit to our blogroll before; my only defense is that I assumed it was already there.

Lorie Byrd has a marvelous post on the Mission Accomplished controversy.

I thought the whole "Mission Accomplished" attack on Bush was intellectually lacking from the beginning and wished Bush had refuted it more vigorously at the time. It is beginning to look, however, like Bush might have done the right thing by ignoring so many of these specious attacks on him. In biding his time, the facts disputing so many of the Democrats' attacks are surfacing closer and closer to the election -- just in time to make his opponents appear to have been wrong so many times that many of their new attacks are bound to be taken with a grain of salt.

Indeed, when you look at how many of the things the Left has had to eat crow about the last couple of months--the Bin Laden family flight, the yellowcake controversy, Iraq didn't work with Al Qaeda, one gets the feeling that finding WMD should happen any day now.

 
After Kerry

Jonathan Cohn has an interesting take on what liberals are going to do after this year--go local.

This isn't just the usual empty appeal to disappointed supporters. All week, the story in Boston has been the unprecedented unity among the party's different ideological and constituent groups. And that unity is real enough when it comes to electing John Kerry in November. But it also masks an important shift in the thinking of liberal Democrats, one that could profoundly change the party in years to come. Just a few months ago, the Democratic establishment feared that many liberals would abandon the party if their standard-bearer, Dean, didn't become the nominee, reprising the disaster of 2000, when left-wing votes for Ralph Nader cost Al Gore the presidency. Now, the very opposite seems to be happening. Instead of trying to sabotage the Democratic Party, liberals want to remake it in their own image.

Heheh. Cohn sees this as a good sign. Of course, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party did remake the party in their image from about 1970-1991, before Bill Clinton came along and showed them how to win.

 
Echoes of Nixon

Ron Fournier writes that Kerry's "secret plan" for Iraq is reminiscent of Nixon.

In 1968, Nixon sought political gain from anti-war fervor when he touted a secret plan to end the Vietnam War. Kerry, a decorated veteran of that conflict, reminds some of Nixon when he talks of vague deals with foreign leaders.

We've been pointing this out for months. Beware whom you make enemies with, for you will come to resemble them.

 
Bush & Kerry Comparison on the All-Important Bicycling Issue

Bike Biz has a roundup of Kerry & Bush cycling stories.

"Mr. Bush likes to ride up into the hills of his Texas ranch and then come flying down. To put it another way, Mr. Kerry is more nearly like Greg LeMond, Mr. Bush more like Evel Knievel. Road riders, like Mr. Kerry, are comparative wussies when it comes to sensation seeking. Downhill riders are also more likely to drive a car too fast, and to have had a brush with the law."

 
Born to Ride!

The Waffle House takes a look at Kerry's foul-mouthed tirades (check volume at work--it takes a moment for the song to start, but it's well worth a listen.

 
Not Sure What to Think of This Site

You may remember a blog a few months ago got a lot of attention with its name, which I will euphemize as "John Kerry is a dirtbag but I'm voting for him anyway." Well, now the predictable has happened; somebody (possibly the same person) has come up with the complementary blog in favor (?) of President Bush. They link to us, which is certainly a point in their favor. But, despite the name of our blog, we are not reluctant Bush voters swayed only by the awful prospect of a Kerry presidency.

 
THE STATE HE’S IN



Blocking Dummy
Bt The Prowler
"I just came here from Bowling Green," Kerry told the crowd to subdued applause. "I was smart enough not to pick a choice between the Falcons and the, well, you know, all those other teams out there. I just go for Buckeye football, that's where I'm coming from."
At that point, before all the boos began raining down upon him, Kerry seemed to realize his error. In an attempt to silent the angry crowd of University of Michigan supporters, Kerry said, "But that was while I was in Ohio. I know I'm in the state of Michigan and you got a great big M and a powerhouse of a team." Then his face, presumably, the Botox permitting, turned Big Blue.

CHILI TERESA
Very briefly the Kerry campaign considered sending potential first lady Terry Kerry into New York on Monday to visit the New York Stock Exchange or the Citicorp building, both of which were under increased security due to potential terrorism threats.
"We nixed it when we realized she might actually have to interact with real people in an unstaged event," says a Kerry advance staffer. "It isn't something we're looking to do given the beating we've taken over the convention speech."
…
“Unless it's in a real controlled setting, I don't think we want her out there too often."

 
Kerry Loses His Head

 
OFF SCRIPT! OFF SCRIPT!



John Kerry, Recently Radicalized
It was only a matter of time before John Kerry joined the ranks of the cloak-and-dagger conspiracy theorists and paranoid whackos. One cannot hang out with the likes of Howard Dean, Michael Moore and Dennis Kucinich for very long without coming to believe certain inanities.
So when America’s most liberal Senator said yesterday that President George W. Bush causes terrorism, we can’t say we were surprised. Though, we’re sure Bob Shrum began to riffle through sheets of paper and screamed, “He’s off script! He’s off script!”

 
Kitty Corner

Kitty's got a bunch of posts up at Kitty Litter, including a Syrian Band Update and a 16th anniversary tribute to El Rushbo. Thanks for all the posts here yesterday Kitty, I guess you're still angry over Kerry wagging his fingers at those marines!

 
Kerry's New Book

Allah got a good look at the cover.

 
Post of the Week

Wow. We get angry at Kerry for talking about responding to another 9-11 rather than preventing it. Aaron Matthew Arnwine puts it in perspective. A great post and very moving; get out your hankies for this one. Excellent work, Aaron!

 
Evolution of a Waffler

I heard about this excellent anti-Kerry video last week while I was on dialup but did not get a chance to see it. It's quite simply devastating. Unfortunately too long to put on TV, but pass the link on to everybody you know--anti-war Democrats especially.

Hat Tip: Cheese & Bacon.

 
Kerry Shows The Punch that Stopped Mike Tyson

 
That Part Over There Reminds Me of Vietnam

 
Yet Another Steyn of the Good Ale

How does he do it? Well, maybe like opinion makers everywhere, he reads Kerry Haters. The article starts out with a sterling retelling of the Edwards' anniversary party, covering the three major stories coming out of that ill-fated fast food trip to Wendys: the annoyed marines, Teh-RAY-za's discovery of chili, and the actual meal awaiting the ticket on the bus.

I'm not sure whether Ben had the shrimp and Teresa the scallops, but, either way, it turns out John Edwards is right: there are two Americas - one America where folks eat at Wendy's, another America where the elite pass an amusing half-hour slumming among the folks at Wendy's and then chow down on the Newburgh Yacht Club's specials of the day. The Elizabeth Edwards anniversary-at-Wendy's shtick was meant to emphasise her husband's authenticity, but it now looks as inauthentic as Kerry's own blundering "regular guy" routine.

Mark compares the Wendy's Restaurant Massacre to Bush Sr.'s surprise at the scanner (as I did). He does come up with an amusing quote from Ted Kennedy's speech that I hadn't heard before.

At the convention last week, Ted Kennedy urged Americans to make sure that, this January, John Kerry has a "nice new home".

No Kerry Haters reader has to ask where he went with that one.

And Steyn does come up with a memorable conclusion.

That gives a whiff of condescension to his chant of "Help Is On The Way", a slogan already a tad too crudely nanny-statish. On the other hand, it's a very good catchphrase for Senator Kerry if he's back at the 15th-century ski chalet in Idaho and Teresa is complaining because she rang for a Scotch five minutes ago. "Don't be so impatient, lovie. The help is on the way."

 
Israel? What's That?

Jay Nordlinger notes that there was virtually no mention of Israel during the DNC, and speculates that it's because Kerry didn't want to antagonize the delegates.

Right, but take it a step further. Why didn't he want to antagonize the delegates? Because he was afraid that a cascade of boos would reverberate through the Fleet Center, and antagonize Jewish Democrats and fence-sitters.

To clarify, what I'm pointing out is how anti-Israel the activists in the Democratic Party have become, to the point where their nominee dares not mention the country.

 
SO MUCH FOR CIVILITY



Now they’re using widows. This is how low the left will stoop: they used a grieving Mrs. Reagan to bash Bush. This should tell you that you can never trust capitolhillblue.com again for honest reporting.

Exclusive: Nancy Reagan Strongly Endorses George Bush
In a statement made Monday to NewsMax.com, Nancy Reagan said she was strongly endorsing President Bush's re-election and rejected a published Internet report that she was not backing his run for a second term.
Joanne Drake, the chief of staff for former President Ronald Reagan’s office in Los Angeles, said in a statement on behalf of the former first lady, “Mrs. Reagan supports President Bush’s re-election 150 percent.”
…
Drake also denied [capitolhillblue.com’s] claim that Mrs. Reagan told Republican leaders she wanted nothing to do with the party or President Bush, or that she "went ballistic" when she learned the Bush campaign was test marketing ads that used Reagan’s photos and speeches in an effort to show he supported Bush and his re-election.
Capitolhillblue.com also claimed that Mrs. Reagan called Republican Party chief Ed Gillespie to demand the ads be destroyed.
“The quote that appeared in Capitol Hill Blue is incorrect,” Drake said on behalf of Mrs. Reagan. “Further, I do not know where the information came from [indicating that] the former first lady went ballistic when she read the Bush campaign was test marketing new ads. She did not speak to Ed Gillespie on the telephone and demand the ads be destroyed ...”

 
Congratulations to Mike G, Longtime KH Reader!

Mike won the Caption Contest this week over at Captain's Quarters. I've come close a couple times, but never gotten the Captain's Award. Good show, Mike!

 
On the Frontlines

The Commissar has been live-blogging from the current frontline in the war on terror--the Citicorp Building in New York City. He comments here on the arrival of First Lady Bush and the twins at the Citicorp cafeteria to show solidarity with the workers there.

Personally I'm sweating the current terror alert because my brother works in the old Pan Am building, directly above Grand Central Station. He's on vacation this week, as it happens.

 
New Member for the Legion!

It's not often we find a blog with a name more likely to offend people than ours, but Murder the Left surely must qualify. As you might imagine, the blogger, Daniel, does not have a problem with coming up with a take on the news stories to which he links. Warning: Some really strong language on this blog.

 
Legion Roundup

Crush Kerry takes a look at the evolving slogans of the Kerry campaign.

The Kerry Spot mentions that there is a hint that an ABC News/WaPo poll coming out tonight will show a sudden surge for Kerry, and reminds us to check the internals to see if the "bump" is for real.

John Kerry for President? You Must Be Joking (shown as Anti-John Kerry in the Legion blogroll) has another of Joe Ham's great photo manipulations up.

The old Waffle House is dead, shuttered by Teh-RAY-za's lawyers, but you can't keep our great buddy Chris down. He's been busy rebuilding his site at a new home. He's got a bunch of hilarious takes on Kerry's "Lost in Space" photo op. Stop by and let Chris know how much you appreciate his efforts by signing his guest book.

Cadet Happy points us to an article highlighting another similarity between Le Fraude and Jimmuh Carter (besides being dour, pessimistic Democrat losers). Turns out that like the Peanut Farmer, Kerry gets advice on international matters from teenaged girls.

When Sen. John Kerry was weighing whether to support the first Gulf War resolution authorizing President Bush's father to use military force to chase Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, he relied on the advice of his then-teenage daughter Alexandra, Kerry's sister Peggy has revealed.

In a 1996 interview with The Boston Phoenix, Peggy Kerry admitted, "Alexandra's advice during a 1990 Christmas dinner influenced the senator's decision to vote against a Gulf War resolution" - according to a Boston Globe report that same year.

Carter, of course, famously admitted that he sought advice on nuclear non-proliferation from his 13-year-old daughter, Amy.

 
A New Microbe!

Longtime Kerry Haters readers may recall a feature optimistically called Microbe of the Day, where we highlighted one of the smaller blogs out there that deserved a bigger audience. We were lucky enough to find some great blogs like No Pundit Intended, Red Line Rants, MJG's Political Blog, Something to Cry About (actually discovered first by Kitty Litter), and others, before they became well-known in the blogosphere.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to keep coming up with good new blogs like that on a daily or even weekly basis. Lots of chaff and not enough wheat out there. So we are pleased to find that an Insignificant Microbe linked to us that is worthy of being linked back. West Coast Chaos is a group blog with three writers (apparently Canadian from some of the references). Lots of posts, with topics ranging from sports to politics to beer (mmmm, beer!).

 
Why Bush is Right & Kerry is Wrong

Ken's Journal was kind enough to link to us today, although he avoided using the name Kerry Haters in the post; natural enough for an aspiring pastor. As I've said many times, the name is a double-edged sword. It can be seen as offensive by some on our side, but is intriguing enough to interest others.

Ken pointed us to a very interesting article in Esquire, that, as he says, nails it. A warning: there is harsh language directed at President Bush in this article. But overall the writer comes down in our corner, and that's the only thing that matters in this election.

As easy as it is to say that we can't abide the president because of the gulf between what he espouses and what he actually does , what haunts me is the possibility that we can't abide him because of us—because of the gulf between his will and our willingness. What haunts me is the possibility that we have become so accustomed to ambiguity and inaction in the face of evil that we find his call for decisive action an insult to our sense of nuance and proportion.

The people who dislike George W. Bush have convinced themselves that opposition to his presidency is the most compelling moral issue of the day. Well, it's not. The most compelling moral issue of the day is exactly what he says it is, when he's not saying it's gay marriage. The reason he will be difficult to unseat in November—no matter what his approval ratings are in the summer—is that his opponents operate out of the moral certainty that he is the bad guy and needs to be replaced, while he operates out of the moral certainty that terrorists are the bad guys and need to be defeated. The first will always sound merely convenient when compared with the second. Worse, the gulf between the two kinds of certainty lends credence to the conservative notion that liberals have settled for the conviction that Bush is distasteful as a substitute for conviction—because it's easier than conviction.

This is one of those articles to send to your liberal friends. I assume that most readers of this blog (like the writers of it) have already made up their minds to vote for Bush; this article is not really aimed at folks like us. It's aimed at the fence-sitters and the folks who are considering voting for Kerry.

 
Another Overflow Crowd for Kerry



Kerry's been smarter lately, forcing his fans into tight areas in order to create the appearance that he's drawing more folks than he is, but they would have had to use a VW beetle to make this look crowded.

 
Another Democrat For Bush

St Paul Mayor (and Democrat) Randy Kelly announced that he's not Fonda John.

Meanwhile, Marie Cocco keeps her ears open for the long-anticipated emergence of the Kerry Republicans. Hope springs eternal!

 
Kerry & Peter Sellers

Our buddy Mike Gallaugher, the Christian Conservative, has a wonderful post on his website with snippets of Kerry's speech interspersed with a speech that Peter Sellers delivered in The Pink Panther. Check the volume on your speakers before clicking on the "begin" button. Simply brilliant, Mike!

 
What a Long Strange Trip It's Been

Business Week doesn't provide credit for this article on Le Fraude's big speech, but it's a good one.

From the moment he stepped to the podium and delighted the crowd by announcing: "My name is John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty," it was clear this was not going to be a half-hearted speech. It certainly did Kerry some good on the "weak on defense" front. But it did nothing to dispel the notion that in 20 years in Congress, he has been a trend-surfer, not a leader, bobbing from Atari Democracy to neo-liberalism to outright liberalism to New Democracy and finally back to incoherent and insincere liberalism.

 
Kerry the Anti-War Criminal

Henry Mark Holzer and Erika Holzer sum up the case against Kerry. Their conclusion?

Eventually, Kerry will stand exposed to his fellow Americans as the lightweight, opportunistic, unprincipled fraud that he is—a man who has the effrontery to blow his Vietnam service out of all decent proportion.

Indeed. Good article, breaks no new ground but summarizes things quite well.