Was John Kerry born a shameless and ruthless opportunist, or did he choose to become one?" William Kristol writes in an editorial for the latest issue of the Weekly Standard.
"In a way, who cares? Who knows how John Kerry became who he is? What is clear is that he is, as Dick Cheney put it, 'a man who will do and say anything to get elected.' And what is equally clear is that he shouldn't be elected president of the United States," the editorial said.
"Leave aside the cheap, cold, calculating cynicism — and cruelty — in Kerry's appropriation of the alleged opinions of an opposing candidate's family member to try to embarrass his opponent. Leave aside the view Kerry and his campaign must have of millions of religious Americans if they think this particular McCarthyite moment will work. Leave aside their fear of having an honest debate about a legitimate public policy issue — same-sex marriage, the role of liberal judges in advancing it, and the proper response of the elected representatives of the American people. Leave aside the fact that Kerry's alleged opposition to same-sex marriage is manifestly dishonest and cowardly.
"Leave it all aside. How stupid does John Kerry think the American people are?
"Does he really think they will believe that he singled out Mary Cheney because he 'was trying to say something positive about the way strong families deal with this issue?' Does he think they will accept his claim that he was saying something about the Cheneys' 'love of their daughter'? Of course he wasn't. In his answer, he never mentioned or came close to mentioning the Cheney family, or the Cheneys' love. He merely brought up Mary Cheney as a lesbian, out of left field, in order to get her name and sexual orientation into an answer where no such citation was expected, called for, or remotely appropriate. His campaign manager let slip the truth when after the debate she told Fox News' Chris Wallace that Mary Cheney was 'fair game.' " |
