We've just seen Presidential Politics,version 2008, unfold today.

[Gabi Hayes]

with the vicious, mendacious, coordinated, M$M abetted attacks on Kerry, we've just gotten a very good look at the way the Dem candidate in 08 will be treated, WHOMEVER he/she may be.

sure brings back pleasant memories, doesn't it?

[Ignacio Upton]

1. More like 2004

Kerry's comment will allow the Republicans to "party like it's 2004." The ONLY good thing about his comment is that it might sink his chances for getting nominated again in 2008 (because it has shown that he is gaffe-prone and still has the "anti-troops" narrative to contend with), the same way George Allen's macaca comment sunk his chances and may cost him his Senate seat.

[emulatorloo]

2. Why are you buying into the republican bullshit?

Kerry's Comment was a joke about Bush, not the troops.

And his press conference today exposed the republican liars for what they are -- despicable, desperate to change the subject from their failures.

Why are you buying into that nonsense?

--

http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=34

My statement yesterday -- and the White House knows this full well -- was a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops.

The White House's attempt to distort my true statement is a remarkable testament to their abject failure in making America safe. It's a stunning statement about their willingness to reduce anything in America to raw politics. It's their willingness to distort, their willingness to mislead Americans, their willingness to exploit the troops, as they have so many times at backdrops, at so many speeches at which they have not told the American people the truth.

I'm not going to stand for it.

What our troops deserve is a winning strategy. And what they deserve is leadership that is up to the sacrifice that they're making.

Sadly, this is the best that this administration can do in a month when we have lost 100 young men and women who have given their lives for a failed policy.

Over half the names on the Vietnam wall were put there after our leaders knew that our policy was wrong. And it was wrong that leaders were quiet then, and I'm not going to be quiet now.

This is a textbook Republican campaign strategy: Try to change the topic; try to make someone else the issue; try to make something else said the issue, not the policy, not their responsibility.

[Der Blaue Engel]

4. Buying into or spreading it?

Either way, yikes. What a stench. :puke:

[kanrok]

6. It's not a question about "buying in to Republican bullshit"

Read the top story on AOL and Yahoo. Both sources are treating this story as if Kerry were slamming the troops. I know and you know that it's bullshit, but the Whitehouse's spin on this story is what is playing in the press. My take is that Kerry mis-spoke and created a shit-storm. It was an honest mistake, but a mistake nonetheless. If this story gathers momentum, it could hurt the dems.

[Gabi Hayes]

7. you should have heard John King, citing unnamed dems who were

"furious", in his words, at Kerry, saying one of them told him that Kerry's "already lost one election for us!"

if that's true, those dems are COLOSSAL ashholes, and SHOULD have poopoohed the whole thing, and INSTEAD have turned it against Bush, repeating Kerry's message, instead of DISSING him that way.

WTF?

[emulatorloo]

10. watch out for those anonymous dems, dem strategists

You know, the Dem strategists that reigned Kerry in during the 04 campaign.

[Jawja]

11. I won't believe that ANY

Dem said that until I see and hear one do it. This is a "some say" talking point used by the GOP Media to divide the Democrats right before the election.

You just can't make this stuff up, can you?

[karynnj]

13. They were also unamed - thus may not exist

Carville - who I usually don't like - said mainly that Kerry mangled a joke, Bush mangled a war.

He also said Kerry has an excellent 20+ year record as a friend of veterans. Now, I know Carville is not someone who loves Kerry and I assume he is on Hillary's team - but he backed Kerry.

[KAZ]

15. I can't give you any names, but we have their DU handles. n/t

n/t

[emulatorloo]

8. Bush makes mistakes all the time -- media does not go batshit crazy

When Bush wanted gynecologists to practice their love on women, I did not notice Freepers writing endless posts condemning Bush. Nor did I notice the AOL Yahoo, or the media working itself up into a big lather over it.

Yet somehow this false outrage is all Kerry;'s fault.

And quite frankly, anybody who isn't a paid right wing pundit could understand that Kerry was making a joke about Bush. Just as we all knew that Bush wasn't calling for Doctors to have sex with their patients.

So what is the problem -- Kerry making a mistake, or the Repug talking heads doing the OUTRAGE thing and the media eating it up?

Personally I think it is the Republican Outrage machine, which will lie about ANYTHING. And the media, which passes it along uncritically when it would take them all of 2 seconds to cut thru the bullshit.

P.S.

I think Kerry did a great job today pointing out how DISHONEST this was of the repugs, and how desperate they are to blame others for the failure of their politicies.

[Gabi Hayes]

12. you got it, and here we have that jerk Dobbs, completely (purposefully?)

misreading Kerry's words/intent, by saying he REFUSES, still, to apologize for his words! apologize for what? if you read the words prefacing what he said about getting stuck in Iraq, it's VERY OBVIOUS that he was referring completely and utterly to BUSH, not the troops!

Dobbs better stop right now masquerading as a journalist

he has no credibility left

as I said, even Tweety got this one right, and was going after the Pug apologist hammer and tong about the way the creep was trying to misconstrue Kerry's words. A big kudos for Matthews today, much as I'm loathe to give him one

[Parche]

3. memories

Scattered Iraq, and the troops we left behind......misty red colored rivers of the way were.....before Bush

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. I am not surprised. Disgusted but not surprised.

[Gabi Hayes]

9. and, as I type this, Dobbs is trying to elevate Kerry's comments into

CHANGING the vectors of the election!

got to give credit to tweety, for once, for actually reading the speech, giving it context, and interpreting it the way it should have been

Dobbs goes on to bring up the King/dem comments I mentioned, trying to make it sound MUCH worse than it does

Dobbs reveals himself so transparently here

is there ANYBODY else out there who still thinks he isn't a gigantic Ahole?

and, guess what? he's got BEV HARRIS on tonight as his key guest in his vote fraud special!

[OzarkDem]

14. Kerry left himself vulnerable to attack

anyone who wants to run in 2008 needs to be a lot smarter on how to discuss these issues.

[emulatorloo]

16. Sorry, you are wrong - Anybody but a paid republican hack knew

that Kerry was making a joke about bush. They willfully distorted it, willfully misinterpreted it in a vile and disgusting move to distract from the ways they have failed the troops.
---
http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=34

My statement yesterday -- and the White House knows this full well -- was a botched joke about the president and the president's people, not about the troops.

The White House's attempt to distort my true statement is a remarkable testament to their abject failure in making America safe. It's a stunning statement about their willingness to reduce anything in America to raw politics. It's their willingness to distort, their willingness to mislead Americans, their willingness to exploit the troops, as they have so many times at backdrops, at so many speeches at which they have not told the American people the truth.