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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carragher who wrote (29127)	2/12/2004 7:22:14 AM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793990

BUBBA'S BAD BET ON WES SENDS WIFE DOWN-HILL By DEBORAH ORIN NY Post February 12, 2004 -- AS a political talent scout, Bill Clinton looks like a bit of a dud right now - and that's just one reason wife Hillary's presidential prospects suddenly look dimmer. No one did more to create the Wesley Clark 2004 boomlet than Bill Clinton, who praised the retired general to the skies as one of the Democratic party's two top "stars" - Hillary was the other one - and encouraged a host of allies to back Clark. Funny how fast Clinton distanced himself as Clark imploded. The ex-president vanished like the Cheshire cat by the time Clark quit the 2004 race yesterday. But he left a nasty taste with plenty of Democrats - and word is that includes front-runner John Kerry's camp. "It was so arrogant for Clinton to think he could dictate the Democratic nominee. To talk about Clark as the 'star' was a real slap in the face to Kerry. They tried to trump Kerry's Vietnam War medals with a general," said a prominent party activist. "It showed that Bill and Hillary don't want to win in 2004 - they want to wait for her to run in 2008. But Democrats want to win now, they don't want to wait around for her chance to run. There's starting to be a real resentment." Dems are also irked that Bill Clinton's book is due out this June - stealing the spotlight from Kerry right around the convention when they'd rather not focus on Monica Lewinsky or whether Bill Clinton slept while al Qaeda plotted 9/11. The bottom line is that if Kerry beats President Bush, that's it - no Democratic White House opening until 2012, when Hillary Clinton is 65. It's a good bet that the first female president won't be retirement age. What if Kerry loses? Dems aren't likely to go pick another Northeast liberal nominee in 2008. After Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis got creamed by Bush's dad in 1988, Democrats looked South in 1992 (when Bill Clinton was still a Southerner). Could Hillary be Kerry's running mate for vice president? Not likely. As a pro-Kerry Democrat puts it: "George Bush has a problem right now that the Republican base isn't excited. All we have to do is put Hillary on the ticket and we rev up their base and do their work for them." Hillary fans say it ain't so. They say she's a national star and Dems will rally behind her whenever she makes her move. NEW YORK POST

To: John Carragher who wrote (29127)	2/12/2004 7:24:21 AM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793990

Oh, sure. Just the person you want speaking up for you. Jane Fonda defends Kerry By MARLON MANUEL The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 02/11/04 Democratic front-runner John Kerry's Vietnam War protests and President Bush's military service during that distant era were a hot topic on Wednesday. Radio commentators and Internet posters circulated a 34-year-old photo of Kerry attending an anti-war rally while seated near actress Jane Fonda. (Fonda's trip to Hanoi in 1972 and her opposition to the Vietnam War made her a vilified figure among many veterans.) The photo from a 1970 Labor Day rally in Valley Forge, Pa., shows Fonda in the foreground, with Kerry, a former Navy lieutenant, a few rows behind. The picture is prominently posted, among other places, on the Web sites of conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Fonda defended Kerry during an interview Wednesday on CNN. "Any attempts to link Kerry to me and to make him look bad with that connection is completely false," Fonda said. "We were at a rally for veterans at the same time. I spoke. Donald Sutherland spoke. John Kerry spoke at the end. I don't even think we shook hands. "And they're also saying this organization, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, was a Communist organization. This was an organization of men who risked their lives in Vietnam, who consider themselves totally patriotic. And anyone who slams that organization and slams Kerry for being a part of it is doing an injustice to veterans. "How can you impugn, how can you even suggest that a Vietnam veteran like Kerry, or any of them, are not patriotic? He was a hero there," she added. Later, in an interview on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now," Fonda blamed "a narrow, extremely conservative, right-wing segment" for circulating the photo and linking Kerry with her. "I don't think it flies with most Americans and I think we are going to see that I'm right there." Meanwhile, Bush's record with the National Guard in the early 1970s continued to receive scrutiny Wednesday. In question is whether he reported for duty over periods that lasted several months. During a House hearing on the State Department budget, Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) suggested to Secretary of State Colin Powell that the "president may have been AWOL." A snippy exchange ensued. "I won't dignify your comments about the president, because you don't know what you're talking about," said Powell, a retired four-star general. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you mean, Mr. Secretary," Brown replied. "You made reference to the president . . ." Powell said. " . . . Said he may have been AWOL," Brown responded. "Mr. Brown, let's not go there," Powell said. "Let's not just go there. Let's not go there in this hearing. You want to have a political fight on this matter that's very controversial, and I think is being dealt with by the White House, fine. But let's not go there." Brown's "AWOL" characterization echoes the words of Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who tried to make the phrase stick earlier this month. White House press secretary Scott McClellan accused Democrats of "gutter politics." "There are some who are not interested in the facts," McClellan said. "They are simply trolling for trash" for political gain. You expect the garbage to be thrown at you in the eleventh hour of a campaign, but not nine months before Election Day." Also Wednesday, McCellan hinted there may be limits as to how much of Bush's service record the White House will be willing to release. In a weekend interview, the president pledged to hand over anything that would help settle the controversy. The Democratic National Committee wants to see Bush's complete National Guard personnel file. McCelland said the Pentagon is seeking the record, but he didn't say whether any of it would be released. Find this article at: ajc.com