[Havoc]

This is the whole reason for the attack on Bush - to deflate the attacks on Kerry. By trying to make Bush look horendously bad with lies, then cowing behind the standard "let's tone down the rhetoric" begging, they hope to blunt attacks on Kerry's bad record. Standard tactics, create a smokescreen then wheel out something ugly and call it beautiful hoping your eyes are obscured sufficiently that you can't tell the difference. This is what liars have to do. Best thing we can do is point it out.

[NYCVirago]

This is the whole reason for the attack on Bush - to deflate the attacks on Kerry. By trying to make Bush look horendously bad with lies, then cowing behind the standard "let's tone down the rhetoric" begging, they hope to blunt attacks on Kerry's bad record.

No, I don't think that's it. The whole thing started with a throwaway line from Michael Moore when he endorsed Wesley Clark, about him looking forward to a debate between a general and a deserter. Peter Jennings questioned Clark about it, and Clark fumbled badly, torpedoing his own campaign. Then Terry McAuliffe ran with it, and Kerry chimed in. And their stenographers in the media wrote down every word.

Now, our side is finally fighting back, and finding that pic of Kerry and Fonda together opens up a big can of worms. The thing is, the Dems brought it on themselves by dragging out this Guard nonsense again. If they hadn't done that, and our side brought up the anti-war protests, they could say that it's ancient history, and this campaign is about our future, not our past, blah blah blah. But they can't claim that now.