[N. Beaujon]

- There is one piece of paper missing from this story that is needed before it gets legs with Drudge or any other media. It needs some documentary evidence that Kerry's original discharge was less than honorable or alternately, some supporting paperwork from the review board hearing that would have given the members the background to the request for them to consider before they approved the revised honorary discharge.

Well, thats what I thought, Finnegan, or at least that was my fear; and the reason I brought up the "food chain" issue. If this story had the proper documentation behind it there would have been other conservative papers/outlets that would have loved to break the story. The New York Post, believe me, being first in line. Or Drudge, look at what Drudge did to Bluementhal in one ten second "send". The point I was making is that it didnt pass their standards.

The fact that the story has languished and even drudge wouldnt "scoop" it tells me its not rock solid. You can run a shakey story as long as you leave enough room before the election to let all sides air their positions, then the stink just hangs in the air (See Juanita Broadrick, et al.) But unless something is so airtight (e.g. you have that smoking gun) it ends up looking like a sandbag, and in my opinion, people simply dont like to see dirty politics so close to an election.

In reality, If this story is so real, so airtight, so irrefutable the MOST damage is done by floating it early and watching as he resigns, his poll numbers sink and the documentation is passed around over and over and over again. It becomes irrefutable and the fun is in watching him sink. Look, I dont think Kerry deserves sh*t and I wouldnt give him the chance to defend or to spin anything given the choice but I just know two things: 1) Voters do not like sandbaggging*; and 2) if this story was as big as it sounds The New York Post would have broken it. FRONT PAGE NEWS, 3" TYPE.

* sandbagging, by definition, by the way means floating a story or rumor or whatever that lacks the proper foundation.

[finnigan2]

" if this story was as big as it sounds The New York Post would have broken it."

- I must agree. There are so many pieces of this story which only make sense if there was some sort of "discharge" revision in 1978. Unless someone like the Swiftboat Vets are sitting on some sort of ticking time bomb, this story is DOA - but if there is anything there, we'll know by this time next week.