You know, this morning my wife was watching TV in the kitchen. Kerry was talking and I could have sworn he called President Bush "stupid." When I heard that I ran into the kitchen and asked my wife if Kerry just called Bush stupid. Unfortunately, she wasn't really paying attention so she didn't catch. To be honest, I think I must have misheard it because I can't imagine anyone presidential canidate thinking it is a good idea to call the President of the U.S. stupid...and in any case he doesn't have to since he has everybody else in his party doing it for him.
My trial practice professor taught us that you never called a witness a “liar” as jurors would hate you for it. It was one of those lessons that have stuck with me for a long time. Gerry Spence, at a seminar I once attended, said that you never “killed” a witness unless you absolutely, positively certain that the jury wanted the witnessed “killed.” The lesson was that undeserved attacks actually help the attacked as the undeserved attack generates sympathy for the attacked.
This is a lesson that I hope Johnny “Irish” Kerry learns quite well … on November 3rd.