Posted on 08/21/2004 1:13:20 PM PDT by Jeff Blogworthy
In a new ad entitled "George Bush is up to his old tricks" Kerry launches a counter attack to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads. The ad shows John McCain excoriating Bush for "standing beside' a veteran who claimed the McCain had abandoned the Vietnam Veterans.
My first impression is that the ad is a very effective response, making it look as though George Bush orchestrated the attack against McCain and is doing the same to Kerry now. However, I believe that is not the case. Standing beside someone is not attacking McCain. It sounded like a bit of political grandstanding on McCain's part that is now coming back to haunt Bush. The knee-jerk crowd will dance gleefully in place, while the smarter voter will try to look deeper and examine the facts.
In any event, launching the ad is fair enough and the outcome will be seen in the coming weeks. I score the ad an 8 out of 10 for the Democrats; it is the most effective pro-Kerry ad I have seen yet.
The attempt is to link Bush to the Swift Vet ads when in fact there is no link and Bush has disavowed them. Bush is stuck with the Swift Boat Vets for better or for worse. The veterans have made it clear that they have no intention of stopping irrespective of President Bush's wishes.
Bush and McCain now need to respond. It will be most interesting to gauge McCain's response.
Very. But it would be less so without the supporting from the mainstream media. They're on the Kerry dole, or expect some big payback in return.
Transcript from the original debate
MCCAIN: No, here in South Carolina. You've seen it -- turn on the radio, turn on the television, and unfortunately now pick up the telephone and you'll hear a negative attack against John McCain.
But let me tell you what really went over the line. Governor Bush had an event, and he paid of it, and standing -- and stood next to a spokesman for a fringe veterans' group. That fringe veteran said that John McCain had abandoned the veterans.
Now, I don't know if you can understand this, George, but that really hurts, that really hurts.
And so five United States senators, Vietnam veterans, heroes, some of them really incredible heroes, wrote George a letter and said, Apologize, you should be ashamed...
BUSH: Let me speak to that.
MCCAIN: You should be ashamed. Now if you want...
KING: Is he responsible for what someone else says?
MCCAIN: Well, this same man -- he stood next to him, it was his event. This same man had attacked his father viciously.
BUSH: Yes, he did. Let me speak to that. Let me speak to that.
KING: All right.
MCCAIN: So I'd be glad to tell you the rest of the story, if you'd let me, when it's appropriate.
KING: Well, let him respond on that point.
BUSH: Let me -- let me answer that. MCCAIN: You should be ashamed -- you should be ashamed of sponsoring an event with that man there whop had attacked your own father.
BUSH: Let me say something, John. Let me finish. Let me finish.
John, I believe that you served our country nobly. And I've said it over and over again. That man wasn't speaking for me. He may have a dispute with you...
MCCAIN: He was at your event.
BUSH: Let me finish please, please.
MCCAIN: He's listed as your (inaudible)
BUSH: Let me finish. Let me finish.
KING: All right, let him finish.
BUSH: The man was not speaking for me. If you want to know my opinion about you, John, you served our country admirably and strongly, and I'm proud of your record, just like you are.
And I don't appreciate what he said about my dad, either. But let me say something, if you're going to be -- hold me responsible for what people for me say, I'm going to do the same for you. And let me give you one example.
Warren Rudman, the man who you had as your campaign man in New Hampshire, said about the Christian Coalition that they're bigots. He talked about the Christian Coalition in a way that was incredibly strong. I know you don't believe that, do you?
MCCAIN: George, he's entitled to his opinion on that issue.
BUSH: Well, so is this man.
MCCAIN: You paid for an event...
BUSH: So is this man.
(APPLAUSE)
MCCAIN: You paid for your...
KING: Please don't...
MCCAIN: You paid for an event...
BUSH: John.
MCCAIN: You paid for an event and stood next to a person. And when you were asked if you would repudiate him, you said, no.
BUSH: No. John, what I said -- what I said -- let me say what I said.
MCCAIN: So, let me tell you what happened -- let me tell you what happened after that effectively.
KING: But I want Alan to give me one thing.
If you have surrogate making a speech for you today, are you responsible for what he says?
KEYES: Larry, I'm sorry. I really am sitting here wondering, because I said we were going out to 202 countries, and is this kind of pointless squabbling really what we want them to see?
We're talking about electing the...
(APPLAUSE)
... president of the United States.
KING: But it happened.
KEYES: But it -- happened or not happened, and I don't know whether this is the influence of the media corrupting our process or whether it's that personal ambition becomes a substitute for our real focus on substance. But it seems to me we've got a lot more important things.
We have got a country that has abandoned it's most profound and fundamental principle. Killing babies in the womb every day is a contradiction...
McCain's loyalty is to his "Band of Senators." If any of the Senators are threatened he will attack. Doesn't matter if he attacks other vets, whomever. He will do it.
I posted the actual transcript from the debate, for everyones consumption.
Front page under the fold of San Diego U-T.
John is solidly with Bush and Kerry kniw it.
Now McCain needs to denounce Kerry's shrill mouth.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1196239/posts
McCain, Bush Embrace Party Unity
San Diego U-T ^ | August 21, 2004 | Todd S. Purdum
IMHO the Swifties should put out a third ad, demanding that Kerry release his 180. The ad should reiterate that Kerry has refused disclosure.
We pay so much attention to politics around here, we don't think often enough about how the average non-political Joe and Jane think and react.
The lamestream media showed glowing pictures of JOHN KERRY, VIETNAM VETERAN, loved by his "Band of Brothers" at his convention and Joe and Jane ate it up.
So much so that seeing Kerry give his testimony before Congress about what he REALLY thought of his comrades is not going to just surprise Joe and Jane Average -- it is going to SHOCK them. They'll feel betrayed.
Seldom has such blatant hypocrisy been displayed on a national political stage.
If it is the one featured in the ad, GWB quietly tells McCain he ought to be ashamed.
Thank you for the transcipt
Thanks for the transcript. That's a big help.
No he is not going to like it .. dumb move on Kerry's part
Thank you for posting this. The Kerry campaign is very dumb to make such an ad. President Bush capmaign can very easily reply and show how the Kerry campaign is lying in the ad by just showing President Bush reply to John McCaine is that he is proud of him for serving his country admirably and strongly.
This Kerry ad is a sign of ultimate desperation. His campaign is falling down very fast.
Humm, according to the transcript it was McCain who said, you should be ashamed. That was about all I caught of the ad but I sure thought it was GWB who said that to McCain.
From the generous way that McCain has been supporting the President, it is obvious that any misunderstanding between the two of them has been cleared up. I am confident that McCain will not suport Kerry's ad--I think the most effective way to combat this is an ad by McCain--deriding this pathetic Kerry attack.
This ad was sent to Kerry's base--Kerry's internal numbers must be looking VERY bad--because this ad was directed at his base to shore them up! sKerry is running Skared!
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