Posted on 09/22/2004 11:26:21 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
KABOOM! That's the giant sucking sound of John Kerry's presidential campaign imploding.
In the few, short weeks since the Republican National Convention, the Kerry campaign has:
Ignored its best Democratic strategist - William Jefferson Clinton - and sought to search and destroy itself over Vietnam. From its mouth-to-mouth effort to raise the dead horse that is the president's National Guard service to its struggle to explain how Kerry could be both a war hero and an antiwar hero, the Kerry campaign has repeatedly dismissed Clinton's advice to move on.
Stayed negative. Kerry's recent heart-freezing speech at the National Guard convention left the room quieter than a fact-checker's office at CBS News. Headlines about his visit to Albuquerque last week didn't sing of his vision for anything, either.
Turned his running mate, John Edwards, into the invisible man. Why has Kerry's team taken its Prince Charming virtually out of the picture? Short answer: Can't have the uninspiring candidate overshadowed.
Skipped holding a single press conference - since before the Democratic convention. Memo to Kerry's campaign: Talk to your press corps. Trust me. They're on your side.
I could go on, but you get the idea. It's a bad campaign, and it's getting worse. Sure, the debates are on the horizon, but will Kerry try to cram his vision for America into two or three made-for-TV quiz shows? Can I have "United Nations" for $500, Alex?
In 1992, America elected an admitted draft-dodger president. No one on the left, save former Sen. Bob Kerrey, wanted to air out the genuine documents that revealed Clinton's antiwar activity. Kerrey - a Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient - said later that he never dreamed America would elect a draft-dodger president. We did. Twice. Clinton's campaigns were that good.
President Bush served in the Guard, and trying to nuance that service is, as Clinton warned, absurd. But what can Kerry talk about? Health care?
Kerry has been in the Senate for 20 years and never once proposed anything original to answer America's health care problems. Do you have to run for president to put forth an idea?
His schizophrenia on Iraq is renowned. His performance on Don Imus was comical. On Monday, Kerry finally attempted to outline a plan - or at least focus his ramblings - on Iraq. His plan? Get foreign nations to help us, slip the Iraqi people some benefits, train the Iraqi police better and then ensure the elections will take place. So there you go.
But does anyone - aside from Gov. Bill Richardson - really think France and Germany will join the battle? The French are still reeling from Waterloo. Germans don't join wars; they start them.
Kerry aides see the debates as their panacea. That's a lot to expect from a pair of TV reality shows that won't feature semi-naked babes eating bugs on a desert island. No wonder Clinton had chest pains.
Gardner is an Albuquerque writer and political consultant. His column runs on Wednesdays.
Ping. It begins.
He will ride the backs of the MSM. Kerry could have sex with a dog on TV, and the race would STILL be relatively close..
I'm OK. Really.
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry smiles as he listens to a question during a news conference in Jacksonville, Florida September 21, 2004. It was Senator Kerry's first news conference in over a month REUTERS/Brian Snyder US ELECTION
Thanks for the PING, the abandonment of Jean Querry has begun.
ROFLMAO
(That paragon of democrat virtue and wisdom, BJ KlinToon)
LOL
"Yeah, it's sign all right, - a going out of business sign."
What's incredible is the large amount of support Kerry does have. This country is more divided today than at any time since the 1850's. We know what happened then.
What is more real the CBS Counterfit documents or each and every different version of Kerry?
They are peas in a pod.
We were expected to believe both.
Hey! I resemble that remark!
How in the heck does one guy manage to look like such a doofus in so many different situations ?
Mark Steyn, The Kerryness of Kerry
You've done it again, CW. Great article. Thanks for posting. Seriously, how do you find these hidden gems in obscure places like a local NM paper?
Kerry just said on fox that he would never privatise social security.
Kerry said it is a generational compact.
IOW we know how to spend YOUR money.
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