"CNN reported yesterday that they have seen parts of Kerry's speech and he is going to attack the Swift Boat Vets and question what they have done for the past 35 years (I'm a Senator and you're not!)."

- To directly attack the Swifties would be suicide. The closest he might come would be to make some oblique reference about "those" with whom he disagrees, on events so long ago they are now lost in the mists of time, yada, yada.
As to his reception at the convention, I will echo Mark Steyn's observation that while the Dems aren't much good at running government, they're real good at running scandals. They will have left nothing to chance. Dem supporters will arrive early and cram the front rows and give loud standing ovations at every opportunity so as to catch the cameras. Friendly media allies will have received the Dem talking points in advance so everyone can stay consistently on message. Kerry will keep it short and clear out quick. He will pull it off unless there are enough spontaneous boos to rattle his delivery - which is unlikely.

Kerry is going to be talking about all he's done for veterans while in the senate.

We shall see how that resonates with these men.

Friendly media allies will have received the Dem talking points in advance so everyone can stay consistently on message. Kerry will keep it short and clear out quick. He will pull it off unless there are enough spontaneous boos to rattle his delivery - which is unlikely.

I agree with that speculation. Plus, I'd like to think that the membership of the American Legion has class, and won't "boo" Kerry. I don't expect much to come of the event, either way. At most, one could comapre the reaction to Kerry with the reaction to GWB. Kerry's comments might telegraph his present "fear" and future plan for dealing with facts of his service being seriously drawn into question.

Kerry will be going down in the polls, not on the stage. Once it is clear he is not electable, things will get interesting.

Timing is everything.

This ad is timed to coincide with Kerry's address to the American Legion on Wednesday. It's running in Florida, there's a nationwide cable buy -- and a special buy in Nashville, where the Legion convention is being held.

KERRY: 'WE WILL NOT READILY JOIN THE AMERICAN LEGION'

Swiftboat Veterans 1st Ad

Swiftboat Veterans 2nd Ad

Swiftboat Veterans 3rd Ad

Swiftboat Veterans 4th Ad

James Warner POW in North Vietnam

Windows Media Player Broadband http://www.videopa.com/kerry/warner.asx 8 minutes of POWERFUL INDICTMENT!

Windows Media Player Dial-up http://www.videopa.com/kerry/warner_low.asx

samples.asp

TOGETHER WITH THE SWIFTVETS AD.

The Swiftboat Vets' second ad, released at the beginning of this week to play in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, features former POWs charging Kerry with betrayal for accusing them of war atrocities during his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971. http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_video2.html

So he's going to win over the vets by telling how much government money he's given them? How generous of him.

I'm a vet nearing retirement age. I can understand how veterans benefits could be important, but somehow I don't think that is the issue this year.