Captain Ed comments on the Kerry campaign:
What I don't understand is the strategic thinking behind the Kerry plan. The Democrats have lined up tens of millions of dollars behind 527s, a huge cry from the half-million or so that the Swiftvets have raised so far. Why not let the proxies handle the counterattack, since (as has become apparent) Kerry will refuse to release his full service and medical records? Why take a story that the national press had studiously ignored, to its own detriment, and blow their editorial policies back into their faces by going nuclear? I'm not the only one asking the question, either:
Mr. Carrick and other Democrats said that this was a risky moment for Mr. Kerry's campaign.
"They've turned this into a raging national press story," Mr. Carrick said of the Swift boat group. "It is certainly keeping Kerry from discussing his own issues and agenda and getting on the offensive."
Another Democrat close to the campaign, who asked not to be quoted by name, was more dire.
"When you're basically running on your biography and there are ongoing attacks that are undermining the credibility of your biography, you have a really big problem."
This could be over in two days if Kerry would sign the 180 and release his records, and if they clear him, it would give him tremendous credibility. Now, however, it may be too late as the Swiftvets have moved on to his post-war activities -- and Kerry's refusal to release his records signals even his supporters that he has something to hide. Under those circumstances, hunkering down and campaigning on issues would be the best strategy, but his refusal to do even that demonstrates not only his need to hide something, but his complete incompetence in doing so.
Lieberman's starting to look good now, don't you think?
captainsquartersblog.com |
