It’s Bush vs. Kerry All Over Again, But McCain’s The Story
John Kerry made a speech yesterday in which he tried to make a critical joke about President Bush, and it was worded poorly. In response the Republicans, led by President Bush, have launched an attack on Kerry and twisted his words to imply that Kerry was making fun of 140,000+ American troops currently serving in Iraq and the nearly 3,000 troops who’ve been killed so far in The Iraq War. The charge is so serious that I don’t think the Republicans know what they’re doing, nor understand why this is a loser for them.
The reason is because the charge can’t possibly stick. Any reasonable person is going to realize rather quickly that Kerry was obviously trying to take a shot at the president in some sort of poor attempt at humor. They will realize this once the issue is more closely examined; and the issue has been and will continue to be more closely examined precisely because the charge against Kerry is so serious. This is not like the Swift Boating of his Vietnam record which was about 40 years ago and therefore more unclear and easier to be misinterpreted.
This event just happened yesterday, and it involves events and troops serving and dying in Iraq as we speak; and it’s going to be harder to say that there’s some ambiguity to what Kerry meant. So, if that’s the case then how and why did this joke become a controversy about him ridiculing American troops currently fighting and dying in a war? Who is responsible for using the troops and their feelings for a cheap political trick just prior to a big election?
The answer to that question is damning to the Republican Party and any of its members who joined in this sham. And, that includes first and foremost media darling John McCain who temporarily gave credibility to this smear by coming out so strongly against Kerry. Someone of the stature of John McCain made this a bigger and more believable story, and that’s why he will take the hardest fall as it becomes clearly understood that Kerry was definitely not making fun of the troops. And, this isn't something that will take any reasonable person more than a few minutes to figure out once they look at the context. Pulling soundbites can work sometimes, but not when the charge is this serious that it demands a public trial. That's where the Republicans overplayed their hand.
The President is already discredited, and the last election that will ever affect his presidency will be over in a week. McCain is supposed to be the future of the Republican Party (despite what their base may want), and he’s supposed to be a moderate and an honest man of integrity - or so the mainstream media would have us believe. But, he's just given a glimpse into the side of himself that is more than ready to embrace Karl Rove’s dishonest, swift-boating tactics that appeal to the stupidity and ignorance of the public, and that he’s willing to use the troops as political pawns. How can he ever be looked at the same?
The reason is because the charge can’t possibly stick. Any reasonable person is going to realize rather quickly that Kerry was obviously trying to take a shot at the president in some sort of poor attempt at humor. They will realize this once the issue is more closely examined; and the issue has been and will continue to be more closely examined precisely because the charge against Kerry is so serious. This is not like the Swift Boating of his Vietnam record which was about 40 years ago and therefore more unclear and easier to be misinterpreted.
This event just happened yesterday, and it involves events and troops serving and dying in Iraq as we speak; and it’s going to be harder to say that there’s some ambiguity to what Kerry meant. So, if that’s the case then how and why did this joke become a controversy about him ridiculing American troops currently fighting and dying in a war? Who is responsible for using the troops and their feelings for a cheap political trick just prior to a big election?
The answer to that question is damning to the Republican Party and any of its members who joined in this sham. And, that includes first and foremost media darling John McCain who temporarily gave credibility to this smear by coming out so strongly against Kerry. Someone of the stature of John McCain made this a bigger and more believable story, and that’s why he will take the hardest fall as it becomes clearly understood that Kerry was definitely not making fun of the troops. And, this isn't something that will take any reasonable person more than a few minutes to figure out once they look at the context. Pulling soundbites can work sometimes, but not when the charge is this serious that it demands a public trial. That's where the Republicans overplayed their hand.
The President is already discredited, and the last election that will ever affect his presidency will be over in a week. McCain is supposed to be the future of the Republican Party (despite what their base may want), and he’s supposed to be a moderate and an honest man of integrity - or so the mainstream media would have us believe. But, he's just given a glimpse into the side of himself that is more than ready to embrace Karl Rove’s dishonest, swift-boating tactics that appeal to the stupidity and ignorance of the public, and that he’s willing to use the troops as political pawns. How can he ever be looked at the same?
posted by The Animal | 8:26 PM
1 Comments:
McCain hasn't been a maverick since 2000. He's old and has accepted his fate that he has to do whatever Bush wants in order to get the nomination. What a sell out.
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