Replies

There's alot of questions that need to be answered...and not all of them are related to Kerry, in particular.

In 1988, while working for the Michael Dukakis campaign, Donna Brazile peddled a rumor to the media that then-Vice President George Bush was having an extramarital affair. Brazile called for Bush to "fess up" to it. Unlike the deliberate media blackout over the Kerry intern scandal, the Associated Press reported Brazile's unsubstantiated claim on October 20, 1988, when they quoted her:

"I think George Bush (41) owes it to the American people to fess up' about whether he has committed adultery, she told reporters. 'The American people have every right to know if Barbara Bush will share that bed with him in the White House.' Brazile continued: "It's important. We're not just voting for a man. We're voting for a family. The First Family is very important."

While this rumor was just that, many in the media had no problem running with this story (just as they did the Bush AWOL story) before they ever did any "investigation" into the accusation. While I commend the media for its principled position in wanting to investigate the Kerry story before going to press, it is obvious that the story here isn't what John Kerry might have done; it is what the media hasn't done...and never does when it comes to reporting on Democrat's and their foibles. Even worse than than this, is the deception by the media that this story is some sort of "dirty tricks" by Repubican operatives, when the media, itself, has known about these accusations for years.

It was Craig Crawford (Congressional Quarterly) who stated on Hannity's radio program that the Democrat, Chris Lahane, had been shopping these negative stories about Kerry to willing journalists. This gentleman also just happens to be one of Wesley Clark's press secretaries...were it was learned, that it was Mr. Clark who spoke off-the-record, as he told a dozen or so journalists that the Kerry campaign was about to implode over an intern scandal. It was also Crawford who mentioned that this was one of the reasons that Kerry didn't get the VP pick as Gore's running mate in 2000.

This negative campaigning was further corroborated by another Democrat, Pat Cadell, who while appearing on the O'Reilly factor, also said that Lahane was the one giving personal attack stories to the campaigns of, not just Clark, but to the Dean campaign, so they too, could attack John Kerry.

The media hasn't just missed these stories, they've missed entire exposes done on Kerry, by both the Boston Globe/Herald and the National Enquirer, were claims of womanizing where often sited. The story of "a gorgeous 22-year old blonde spotted leaving his Boston townhouse in 1998, while his wife was in Nantucket..." was a story easily spotted in these newspapers.

While the Kerry/intern scandal may be just another sordid rumor that may never even be corraborated, the real story here is the media's deception. Not just in ignoring a story that's only a rumor--we know they don't have a problem with Republicn rumors (see above)--but in attributing this story to Republicans when they have known all along about his so-called infidelity. The real story here, is how the media has manipulated these facts, as they have ignored those Democrats who are responsible for this story, while they blame Republicans for it. Maybe one day we will find out why it is Democrats who are attacking Kerry...and maybe, just maybe, the media will finally be able to explain why it is that Dean is stll waiting in the wings for Kerry to stumble. Hmm...that shouldn't be too hard to figure out.