[EllaMinnow]

lookee here:

HMMMMM [Rich Lowry]
John Kerry last night disavowed any interest in attacking President Bush over his National Guard record: “I have suggested to some people who are my advocates who've gone that line of attack, it's not one that I plan to do, it's not one I have. I don't plan to do that and I've asked them not to,” he said. “But the president has to speak for his own military record. And those of you in the news media, obviously, have asked questions about it, and that's where I'll let it sit.”

But according to the Washington Post yesterday, Kerry aides were furious at Terry McAuliffe for raising the Guard issue – because he was doing it too soon for their purposes and in what they thought was a clumsy way:

"When Democratic National Committee Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe went on television two weeks ago to accuse President Bush as a young man of being 'AWOL' in his National Guard duty, party officials quickly heard complaints from the staff of presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.).

Kerry aides were not upset about McAuliffe's negative tone, Democratic sources said. Instead, they were worried that the party chairman had raised the charge too early -- preventing Kerry from making more effective use of a potent issue later this year if he is the Democratic nominee…

Impugning Bush's patriotism with loaded terms such as 'AWOL' may muddy the real issue, Lockhart said. 'I didn't agree with the chairman of my party on that,' he said.

A Kerry aide said campaign advisers did not agree either, and called the DNC after McAuliffe's appearance on ABC's 'This Week.' But several Democratic sources said those calls were not about the substance of the charge, but about tactical factors. These officials said Kerry's team thought it better to have a veteran make any allegations about Bush's service, and they preferred to keep in reserve the contrast between Kerry's Vietnam combat duty and Bush's alleged absenteeism until Kerry had the Democratic nomination assured.

http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp

[cyncooper]

Thanks to Rich Lowry who has been extremely strong of late. For several months now.

The media makes me sick with their "Kerry's stayed above the fray" attitude regarding the National Guard issue. Everything Kerry has said has kept it alive, just as when Clark declined to denounce Moore's use of the term "deserter". Both Clark and Kerry are former military men who well know the meaning of the terms "AWOL" and "deserter", yet they dare to allow the term to be used against the President of the United States without a murmur of protest.

I despise Kerry and his cowardly ways. I have never heard him say one gracious thing about President Bush.

[cyncooper]

And just now Chris Matthews asks Doug Brinkley to compare the Kerry/Bush military records and Matthews pretends George Bush's Guard experience is exemplified by his Alabama stint.

Chris refuses to acknowledge the skill and yes, bravery, that George W. Bush displayed flying a fighter jet. Instead Matthews acts like "eating a sandwich" and reading magazines was the whole of Bush's Guard career.

[Conservababe]

If Kerry doesn't like what McAwful says and does...he should take it up with the Clintons...who run the show. The Clintons are not very adept at electing anyone but their ownselves. LOL

[hobbes1]

Which is close, but not quite.

I believe that Kerry wanted to wait, until around Halloween to bring the charge, so that it would take so long to be refuted, the damage would last past election day. (remember the Friday DUI story...?)

However, it is abundantly clear that those with an interest in '08, did not want that club still in the bag.

[SuziQ]

preventing Kerry from making more effective use of a potent issue later this year if he is the Democratic nominee…

Yeah, like the week before the election when the news media would be all over it like white on rice, and there wouldn't be TIME to get records or find people to refute it!

Tuffski sh*tski, John F'ing Kerry!

[Cloud William]

Kerry aides were not upset about McAuliffe's negative tone, Democratic sources said. Instead, they were worried that the party chairman had raised the charge too early -- preventing Kerry from making more effective use of a potent issue later this year if he is the Democratic nominee…

I swear, some days I really think that McAuliffe is a Republican covert operative.