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IN BUSH'S SHADOW
NEWSWEEK/MSNBC ^ | Sept 13 issue | Richard Wolffe and Susannah Meadows

Posted on 09/05/2004 7:06:27 PM PDT by nycmusic

Sept. 13 issue - John Kerry wanted to hit back. It had been a miserable August as he took incoming fire about his military service from a gang of hostile Vietnam vets. But no, campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill and other staffers argued, the Swift Boat ads would blow over. Finally, Kerry had had enough. For three or four days, as he campaigned across the country, Kerry ripped into Cahill, furious that the mostly baseless attacks on his valor were driving his numbers down. "He was very angry," one old friend says. "The calculation had been made that this wasn't going to hurt him." Kerry's solution was to reach for an old ally. "Get Vallely," he screamed.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; kerry; newsweek; swiftboatvets; vallely
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This comment is mind-boggling:

"For three or four days, as he campaigned across the country, Kerry ripped into Cahill, furious that the mostly baseless attacks on his valor were driving his numbers down."

1 posted on 09/05/2004 7:06:27 PM PDT by nycmusic
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To: nycmusic
mostly baseless attacks

Based on this.

2 posted on 09/05/2004 7:10:28 PM PDT by eddie willers
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To: nycmusic
re: "furious that the mostly baseless attacks on his valor"

Don't you just love the way they throw in subjective information along with objective information? It's the ol' spin machine grinding out its drivel. The MSM was the only source of information for so long that they didn't even notice how irrelevant they were becoming!
3 posted on 09/05/2004 7:13:15 PM PDT by jwpjr
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To: nycmusic
It isn't his fault. F'n was given faulty intelligence on the Swiftees by the Neo-Cons in his campaign. They deliberately misled him into not taking action on this issue.

Unfortunately for Kerry, he has compounded his problem by subsequently stating that "even if he knew then what he knows now, he still would have voted against attacking the SBVT sooner".

Senior Democrats fumed. "He has taken another principled, nuanced position" one strategist stated on conditions of anonymity, "but most voters are going to see it as another giant flip flop".

4 posted on 09/05/2004 7:13:24 PM PDT by comebacknewt
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To: eddie willers

Here is Thomas Valley

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-menuext&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Thomas+Vallely%22


5 posted on 09/05/2004 7:14:02 PM PDT by Texasforever (God can send you to hell but he can't sue you. He can't find a lawyer.)
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To: nycmusic

When you gamble, you have to be prepared to lose. Kerry thought the sheeple would just gaze awestruck at his medals without noticing how he later betrayed his "band of brothers". The Clintons no doubt realized this would cause him to ultimately lose--which is why THEY allowed him to be nominated! He has no one to blame but himself.


6 posted on 09/05/2004 7:14:19 PM PDT by rbg81
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To: nycmusic

And yet he did nothing but stew. No leadership there. As president, the state dept. and UN ambassaor will tell him what to do and he will stew about it.


7 posted on 09/05/2004 7:14:23 PM PDT by spyone
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To: nycmusic
But even as the campaign was bulking up, Kerry lost another valuable ally, at least for a little while, when Bill Clinton was rushed to the hospital for heart surgery. Clinton had cleared his schedule in October to spend the month barnstorming the country for Kerry as well as continuing his book tour.

Interesting timing.

8 posted on 09/05/2004 7:17:22 PM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham ("This house is sho' gone crazy!")
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To: nycmusic
"...Kerry ripped into Cahill, 'No Ris de Veau en Meurette à la Bourguignonne sur Canapé de Pomme de Terre Veal sweetbreads sauté, served with a red wine mushroom sauce on a potato cake for you!"
9 posted on 09/05/2004 7:17:57 PM PDT by fat city (Julius Rosenberg's soviet code name was "Liberal")
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To: nycmusic
Isn't it funny that all Kerry has to do is sign the little ole 180 and all the questions go away... or do they just begin? Seems to me that with something as simple as just releasing the records, there is definitely a problem.

Too bad we don't have anything that passes for news media left. I guess the bloggers will have to take over.
10 posted on 09/05/2004 7:18:12 PM PDT by snooker (Kerry BETRAYED our troops when he returned from Viet Nam, don't let him do it again.)
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To: nycmusic; muawiyah
But no, campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill and other staffers argued, the Swift Boat ads would blow over.

Fiction. They went all out against the Swifties. Called for it's censorship. Called on Bush to stop it. INvoked McCain. Called out the MSM to write article after credulous article to assert the Swifties were liars. Successfully got the media to ignore "Unfit for Command" except for the valor medals parts - the parts, and medals, most murky.

They hit back over and over, calling in every chit. They did what they could to prevent the one thing they knew must not happen - a reporter asking a question to John Kerry about specific Swift vet claims.

Even today the framing of the debate as if Kerry didn't hit back and it's the fault of his press people who did all they could is part of the deflection strategy.

Until Kerry himself answers questions the weight of the Swift Vets will not be released.

11 posted on 09/05/2004 7:18:54 PM PDT by Shermy
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

Isn't it though.


12 posted on 09/05/2004 7:20:45 PM PDT by knak
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To: snooker
Isn't it funny that all Kerry has to do is sign the little ole 180 and all the questions go away... or do they just begin?

They just begin.

13 posted on 09/05/2004 7:21:06 PM PDT by Shermy
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To: nycmusic
Kerrey says he wants the candidate to take pride in his antiwar protests. "It took courage to do what he did in '71," says the former senator. "John Kerry was trying to end a war so Karl Rove didn't have to go."

I agree with Kerrey/Kerry, they should talk more about Vietnam because it has proven quite a fruitful campaign topic for Vietnam John.

14 posted on 09/05/2004 7:21:54 PM PDT by vbmoneyspender
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To: nycmusic

This reader wants to know which allegations the Kerry camp think are not baseless?

Kerry can't win because he has three opponents, W and Billary.


15 posted on 09/05/2004 7:22:50 PM PDT by Kenny500c
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To: nycmusic

...For three or four days, as....

Hey, that's longer than seven minutes, alert Michael Moore.


16 posted on 09/05/2004 7:25:09 PM PDT by UltraKonservativen (( YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID ))
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To: nycmusic
Kerry lost another valuable ally, at least for a little while, when Bill Clinton

Actually that might be the only good thing to happen to Kerry, Clinton is a big curse, he ruins everything he touches.

17 posted on 09/05/2004 7:26:20 PM PDT by GROOVY
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To: nycmusic
Folks, All is well. Mr Delusional and his sycophants stand no chance of waking up in time to avoid total destruction.

All though the generally accepted wisdom is "When your opponent is determined to commit suicide, get out of the way.", I still think we should help him slog down as much KoolAid as poosible.
18 posted on 09/05/2004 7:28:25 PM PDT by AmericaUnited
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

"Interesting timing"

Are you suggesting that Clinton chose the timing for his heart problems to be made public and scheduled the by-pass to take himself out of the loop in this campaign? ...'08...'08...'08


19 posted on 09/05/2004 7:31:00 PM PDT by GGpaX4DumpedTea
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To: Kenny500c

...Kerry can't win because he has three opponents, W and Billary...

No Dude. He can't win because he is HIS OWN WORST ENNEMY.
You know'like he was for himself before he was against himself.
But ... not a problem...there is always some little people around to blame for being a LOSER.


20 posted on 09/05/2004 7:31:50 PM PDT by UltraKonservativen (( YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID ))
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