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Andrew Sullivan: THE LEWINSKY PATH
andrewsullivan.com ^ | 02/12/04 | Andrew Sullivan

Posted on 02/12/2004 4:52:48 PM PST by Pokey78

I'm beginning to worry that the Republicans might be behind this smear-job on Kerry. So does a reader:

"Well, this may be it. As a life-long Republican, I have defended my party and its leaders through thick and thin over the years, but I don't know if I can do it any longer. I voted for Reagan in 1984 (my first Presidential election), despite my misgivings about the rising influence of the Religious Right and my displeasure at the ludicrous budget deficits, because of his moral clarity on the issue of Communism. I voted for Bush Sr. in '88 and '92, and for Dole in '96. Both were serious men, deserving of respect. Nevertheless, I was disgusted by the conduct of my party in the 1990s, vis-a-vis the Clinton scandals. That man has no moral compass, in my opinion, but the debased and lurid tone of the Republican attacks was reprehensible. The further intrusion of the Religious Right into the private lives of the American people, including the President, was not what I signed on for when I joined the Republican party.

When 2000 rolled around, and the "Clinton Wars" finally seemed to be behind us, I breathed an enormous sigh of relief. I was not overly impressed with George W. Bush (I voted for McCain in the primaries), but I was confident that the "grown ups" in the party would steer a responsible course for the ship of state. That has obviously not happened. The budget deficits are nigh unforgivable, and though I agree entirely with the vision of the President's foreign policy, the diplomatic execution has been, shall we say, somewhat less impressive than his father's. Further, the proposal to reverse the course of history and once again enshrine discrimination in our Constitution via the Gay Marriage Amendment, about which you have spoken quite eloquently, almost makes me embarassed to admit I'm a Republican. This is what the party of Lincoln has come to?

Now, after all this, it appears that the conservative/Republican diaspora is preparing yet another round of peeping-tom character assassination rather than a substantive debate on the very important issues our country actually faces, using Drudge as its point-man. I just can't take it anymore. I realize the feelings of one person are irrelevant in political calculations at this level, but if the Republicans really do take us back down the Lewinsky path, this is one vote they will most assuredly be losing in November."
I agree. If the Republicans are behind this, they deserve to be trashed. This is absolutely not something that deserves to be a factor in our current debate.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; andrewsullivan; andrewsullivanlist; davidbrock; johnkerry; kerry
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To: Pokey78
Andy Sullivan is gonna go the way of David Brock. Just watch.
81 posted on 02/12/2004 7:14:16 PM PST by ambrose ("John Kerry has blood of American soldiers on his hands" - Lt. Col. Oliver North)
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To: madprof98
Well, that just goes to show you that the Base is really libertarian at heart.

As a practical matter, acting on that assumption is the best political strategy for the GOP. The religious right faction is irreconcilable -- giving them part of what they want just makes them more strident. Economic conservatives, on the other hand, would be satisfied with some good-faith effort to control spending; and leave-us-alone conservatives could be won over with some real rollbacks of government overreach.

Pandering to the former and giving the back of the hand to the latter is going to make for a like-father-like-son one-termer....

82 posted on 02/12/2004 7:14:23 PM PST by steve-b
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To: tet68
"Andrew, anyone who begins by saying, "I was a life long republican But.... is jerking your chain. ":

I can attest to that! I started out a Goldwater baby, became a hippie, worked for McGovern, first became disenchanted with early 70's political correctness, became disgusted with Democrat hypocrisy regarding the betrayal of the Vietnamese and Cambodian people to Communist genocide, embarrassed by Carter's ineptitude and stupidity, and finally found myself during the Reagan years. What is wrong with the truth? I am proud that I saw the error of my ways and have since attempted to make good. Facts being as they are, do not change, and cannot be changed with spin or opinion. Accept them and move on.

The same is true with this entire new Kerry blowup. What is wrong with the facts as a reason to ask questions? Could it be... that Kerry IS actually an amoral womanizer, and has done exactly that we are now hearing about? Could it be, that Clark let the cat out of the bag, just a few days too early, and thereby exposed Lahane's activities? Is that why the Clinton's directed Clark to act deferential to Kerry, regardless of the fact that it won't help Clark, and just doesn't matter? Plausible deniability for the Clinton puppet masters maybe? This is the Clinton MO, and so... Occam's Razor is just as sharp as it ever was. Susan Estrich seems to perceive this, when will everyone else.

Perhaps the larger picture is just as it appears to be also... the Democrats have stepped in it again. They watched one clown (Dean) implode, with Hillary's willing help, and have almost coronated another clown that they also knew very little about, and now suddenly the skeletons are pouring out of his closet, sooner than they were supposed to. I will never understand people who can twist facts inside their minds just to let a proven culprit off the hook, if he has a (D) after his name. Clinton stretched the limits of that mental twisting, when he drove whole cadres of Democrat partisans insane attempting to somehow blame the Lewinsky affair on the Republicans.

Sorry folks, if Kerry is a womanizer, no Republican could have caused him to be so irresponsible and so reckless as to throw away his one and only chance at the presidency this way. He is to blame, alone and singularly, for his own actions, if what we are hearing are the facts. Kerry cannot be smeared by those facts, regardless of who that might help or hurt. Smearing involves deceit and dishonesty. If he did these things then these are the facts. He must face them. Even then it may be too late for this man, desperately trying to escape his own past. No one can ever do that.

83 posted on 02/12/2004 7:15:04 PM PST by Richard Axtell
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To: Carolinamom
I agree .. evidently this info re Kerry was known last fall. Certainly Sullivan had sources within the media he could check.
84 posted on 02/12/2004 7:17:54 PM PST by CyberAnt (The 2004 Election is for the SOUL of AMERICA)
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To: Howlin
***Craig Crawford from The Hotline (??) sent out a memo this very day ***

Hi Howlin,
Do you have a link to the original Crawford story? I saw it mentioned on NRO Corner but didn't see a link. Thanks.

85 posted on 02/12/2004 8:51:53 PM PST by cat lover too (Billary Hid Their Intern, But Outed Kerry's Intern)
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To: cat lover too
I don't have a link to the story; The Hotline you have to pay for.

I heard Rush read the story and then I read the same thing you did on NRO! Sorry.
86 posted on 02/12/2004 8:55:07 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Howlin
No problem. Thanks anyway. Let's hope this doesn't prop up Edwards as the frontrunner.
87 posted on 02/12/2004 9:00:17 PM PST by cat lover too (Billary Hid Their Intern, But Outed Kerry's Intern)
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To: ErnBatavia
What don't you get? Clark and Lehane pushed it and now Clark is trying to act like he didn't -- not complicated at all!!!
88 posted on 02/12/2004 9:01:00 PM PST by faithincowboys ( Zell Miller is the only DC Democrat not committing treason.)
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To: cat lover too
Don't even THINK about it!
89 posted on 02/12/2004 9:01:33 PM PST by Howlin
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To: Reelect President Dubya
If this guy really agreed with Bush's foreign policy he certainly wouldn't allow attacking Kerry stop him from voting for W.

Plus, if he was really a conservative he would know that Lewinski wasn't about sex.

Either Sullivan made this guy up or it's Moby.
90 posted on 02/12/2004 9:06:03 PM PST by Terry Mross
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To: depresso
why did she flee to africa?

Maybe she's staying with Theresa Heinz's relatives there.

91 posted on 02/12/2004 9:27:04 PM PST by Leroy S. Mort
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To: Howlin
A&E and HGYV were the only channels tonight that did not have interminable yakking about Bush's National Guard record. They refuse to let go, for it provides them w/misdirection from the Kerry infidelity. I really hate them for this deliberate misinformation. In their hearts (if they have any), they MUST know what they are doing is WRONG.
92 posted on 02/12/2004 9:37:06 PM PST by Carolinamom
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To: Pokey78
A DemocRAT wrote the letter. It is the same tactic they have been using all over talk radio.
93 posted on 02/12/2004 9:44:36 PM PST by doug from upland (Don't wait until it is too late to stop Hillary -- do something today!)
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To: Pokey78
This guy is an idiot...

Chris Lehane (Dem Operative) has been shopping this story around for a LONG time, and Wesley Clark is the one who ultimately leaked it.

Only the MEDIA is blaming the GOP. The GOP would not have dropped this story -- the timing is not right.
94 posted on 02/12/2004 9:46:40 PM PST by jmstein7 (Real Men Don't Need Chunks of Government Metal on Their Chests to be Heroes)
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To: Reelect President Dubya
Little Andrew is a cretin, the person he's supposedly quoting is one too, and so are the PURISTS UBER ALLES, who refuse to support the reelection of President Bush.

The " KERRY DROP ", to Dredge, was done by Dems.

The GOP may be " the stupid party "; but they sure as shootin' aren't THAT stupid, to air this now.

95 posted on 02/12/2004 9:50:47 PM PST by nopardons
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To: Pokey78
If a man takes a solemn oath to be faithful to his to be wife and then proceeds to cheat behind her back how is that not relevant to his integrity in taking the oath of office???
96 posted on 02/12/2004 10:04:24 PM PST by DB (©)
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