I am sufficiently fed up with the Administration's Rove approach, that I really do not have a horse in this. But I hate to see Republican Conservatives--even moderate Conservatives--continue to make the same mistake. The concentration on the Monica Lewinski scandal, rather than the wrong-headed policies of the Clinton Administration, cost the Republicans in both 1998 and 2000. It back-fired, as frankly it was obvious that it was going to do.
For one party to carp on the private indiscretions of individuals in the other party, appears to be a cheap shot--along the lines of those hypocrites who continued to stone fallen women, after being admonisthed, "Let he who is innocent, cast the first stone." The politicians of this earth are not a bunch of innocents. There are very few who lead pristine lives. And if you do not want the party to appear to be a bunch of hypocrites, of the type who peek through key-holes to expose others for doing things which they do themselves; you never take up this type of issue.
If you keep out of it, and let the press just feed the gossip mills, the gossips will damage your opponent with some segments of the population. That will take care of itself. But when you (I don't mean you, who have warned against it, but the party faithful, generally) rush in and take a sanctimonious tone, when everyone in the world knows that your interest is partisan advantage, and an excuse to avoid the actual public issues, a reaction sets in, and the advantage from the gossip that you did not join, is wholly lost.
If there was such a thing as Politics 101, for would-be politicians; this would be part of the first semester curriculum. It is very basic, and the fact that so many Republicans do not understand it, is why we keep snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
As for keeping your eye on the ball, you are right. Kerry's record sucks. His denigration of the military he served in is an albatross he won't be able to shake. His proposals suck. He is a disaster on defense and national security, not to mention taxes and the economy.
We don't need this fire drill. Let the media follow it. We don't need to try to push it or lead it.
The Monica Lewinski Scandal....is shorthand for a President who perjured himself in front of a grand jury and lied to a Federal Judge..........and was rightly impeached in the House for it...............I don't think anyone that knows the history of the case forgets that. It's the LIBS and other misinformed idiots who have always said "it's all about sex and affairs".
I don't care one way or another about this story, but I'd like to see it followed up by the media with the same zeal as the ridiculous National Guard non-story.