I agree that Edwards and Kerry initially raised the issue for the reason you mentioned - to turn off W's culturally conservative backers.
But the plan was obviously to camoflouge what they were doing and present it as a phony compliment to the Cheneys. Now that they have been called on their stunt and it has blown up in Kerry's face, they are clearly squirming. Kerry wouldn't have issued his non-apology apology unless he felt the issue was hurting him.
Surely you can't think that having liberal icon Katie Couric accuse Kerry of a calculated political move, and having Dee Dee Myers criticize Kerry, can possibly be helping him?
I don't trust Couric one bit.
If she had her druthers she would have wished to know how Myers would've responded.
It was Dee Dee's criticism of sKerry that is the shock here.
Great job you do daily. Kudos!
Kerry's stunt was not just aimed at creating a wedge between Bush and his base. It was also designed to shore up Reagan Democrats from crossing over to the GOP.
A vile, crass, rancid move from a vampire.