Rolling Stone: John Kerry Fights Back

[CatWoman]

This sounds good, but I wonder if McCurry has located a fatal flaw with Bush -- much like Sasso's realization that Bush is living in a fantasy world of spin. "He is tremendously insecure," McCurry says. "Any time any of his aides look like they have stature, he wants to suppress that, because it's about him. When it's not about him, he gets nervous that people will understand that he's not as good as everyone thinks he is."

"Is that his fatal weakness, then?" I ask.

"Yes, and you know who understands this better than anyone? John Kerry. The other day, Kerry said, 'I need humor,' which is why he did some of the late-night and morning shows. But the insight he had was, 'I can get under this guy's skin -- if we have the right kind of humorous barb.' " McCurry pauses. "Last night, Kerry read aloud a Bush quote" -- about how the CIA was guessing about conditions in Iraq -- "and made fun of him, which made the news this morning. So I know -- because I've been there -- that Bush was sitting in his suite in the Waldorf-Astoria getting ready for his day at the United Nations General Assembly, and I'll bet you any amount of money he watched that on TV and went nuts, because Kerry was making fun of his own words. If you saw the clip of the quote, Bush looked like his dad." McCurry takes a short pause for effect. "It was devastating."

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/6539090?pageid=rs.Politics&pageregion=single4&rnd=1097588324609&has-player=false

[Skidmore]

1. And to borrow Rove's favorite ploy,

hit * on what is believed to be his strength--his unwavering belief that he can do no wrong and is steadfast. Nobody said anything about being wise, just bullheaded.

[lancdem]

2. This is great

Thanks for posting this. Mike McCurry is dead on. I wonder what Kerry has in store for Bush in the third debate to get under Bush's skin. I can't wait.

[CatWoman]

3. *bring it on, cackled Catwoman*

:D

[mimitabby]

4. interesting article

i was a little disappointed on the author not following through
with how to win back a little of the respect from the press corps
they (Kerry's press corps) sound hateful and nasty.
m

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

5. We need to take note of what was said IMMEDIATELY before Bush went nuts...

...in the second debate. We need to study what Kerry said and why it made "Furious George" jump out of his seat and just HAMMER him with that in debate 3.

I don't want to make this sound like the Zaprruder film, but watch the clip on MSNBC (NOT CNET...they do not show facial close-up and reaction shots of Bush, MSNBC does).

Bush squints and furrows his brow at THIS line:

"I'm going to make people feel good about being safe in our military"

THAT is what put him over the top. THAT is what got him out of his seat and waving his arms.

http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004c.html

KERRY: Daniel, I don't support a draft.

But let me tell you where the president's policies have put us.

The president -- and this is one of the reasons why I am very proud in this race to have the support of General John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Admiral William Crowe, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General Tony McPeak, who ran the air war for the president's father and did a brilliant job, supporting me; General Wes Clark, who won the war in Kosovo, supporting me; because they all -- and General Baca, who was the head of the National Guard, supporting me.

Why? Because they understand that our military is overextended under the president.

Our Guard and reserves have been turned into almost active duty. You've got people doing two and three rotations. You've got stop-loss policies, so people can't get out when they were supposed to. You've got a back-door draft right now.

And a lot of our military are underpaid. These are families that get hurt. It hurts the middle class. It hurts communities, because these are our first responders. And they're called up. And they're over there, not over here.

Now, I'm going to add 40,000 active duty forces to the military, and I'm going to make people feel good about being safe in our military, and not overextended, because I'm going to run a foreign policy that actually does what President Reagan did, President Eisenhower did, and others.

We're going to build alliances. We're not going to go unilaterally. We're not going to go alone like this president did.

GIBSON: Mr. President, let's extend for a minute...

BUSH: Let me just -- I've got to answer this.

GIBSON: Exactly. And with Reservists being held on duty...

(CROSSTALK)

BUSH: Let me answer what he just said, about around the world.

GIBSON: Well, I want to get into the issue of the back-door draft...

BUSH: You tell Tony Blair we're going alone. Tell Tony Blair we're going alone. Tell Silvio Berlusconi we're going alone. Tell Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland we're going alone.

There are 30 countries there. It denigrates an alliance to say we're going alone, to discount their sacrifices. You cannot lead an alliance if you say, you know, you're going alone. And people listen. They're sacrificing with us.

GIBSON: Senator?

KERRY: Mr. President, countries are leaving the coalition, not joining. Eight countries have left it.

If Missouri, just given the number of people from Missouri who are in the military over there today, were a country, it would be the third largest country in the coalition, behind Great Britain and the United States.

That's not a grand coalition.

Ninety percent of the casualties are American. Ninety percent of the costs are coming out of your pockets.

I could do a better job. My plan does a better job. And that's why I'll be a better commander in chief.

[CatWoman]

6. I can't remember where I read this

but Furious George cannot stand being compared to his father -- especially when they made the same mistakes.

The guys from the Clinton regime knows this, and encourages Kerry to throw Poppy into Furious' face every chance he gets.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

8. I've encouraged people on DU to read "Bush On The Couch"

The chapter that goes D-E-E-P into his relationship with his father is called "Oedipus Wrecks."

I'm sure that Carville, the Clinton people, and probably Big Dog himself have told Senator Kerry that if he wants to win this election, he is GOING to have to step on Junior's neck, he's going to have to kneecap him.

Bush TRIED to do the same to Kerry, and Kerry is still standing strong and proud. There are NO moments in either debate where KERRY jumps off of his seat in a rage. Matter of fact, he smiled pleasantly through most of his "downtime."

I think the "issue" that made a younger, drunken George W. Bush demand that his father go "mano a mano" with him is the same one that made jumped off the chair in debate 2. I think there is some "transference" going on here...I truly believe that Bush is superimposing some of the issues he has with his father onto Kerry, and if he successfully goes "mano a mano" with Kerry...in his mind...he will have "beaten" his father at last.

:toast:

Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President
by Justin A. Frank

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0060736704.01-ATVPDKIKX0DER._PE34_PIdp-schmooS,TopRight,7,-26_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060736704/qid=1097612664/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-4632857-0625434?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[RevCheesehead]

7. You know, I worked with someone like *

As long as you were on his side, and he was sure you loved him, things were great. But, watch out if you cross him. MAJOR temper tantrums, inappropriate outbursts of anger, massive tringulation with others. But beneath it all, an extremely LOW self-esteem. Needs the approval of others to function well. Cannot handle criticism, even if delivered in a positive manner. Major "Mommy" issues, along with a desire to prove "I'm not Dad."

I don't remember the official name of the diagnosis, but it's similar to an Adult AD/HD. They're extraordinarily difficult people. And it seems that shrub fits into this category.