All Democrats DON'T have to rally to defend John Kerry now.

[Tom Rinaldo]

I don't say that because he can't be defended, and I don't say that because he doesn't deserve to be defended.

Right now Democratic candidates need to attack Republican candidates for defending the Bush Administration record of failure. Democrats have infinite hooks to use to attack Bush on Iraq. In fact we partially squandered one such opportunity a few weeks ago when we obsessed on the Foley story and didn't keep a steady spotlight on Bob Woodward's book tour and all of the damning things he was saying about Bush and Iraq. The truth is we don't need a Bob Woodward book or some cooked up Kerry controversy to attack this president over Iraq. All we need is a daily newspaper.

I agree that our candidates have no business attacking Kerry now, but they don't have to be diverted into defending Kerry now either. John Kerry is not running for office next week. This is not 2004, this is 2006, others are running and the last week of their campaigns can't be devoted to arguing about how good a patriot John Kerry, who is not running and who is not setting Administration policy, is. There are just 7 days left in local races and when they are gone, they are gone. John Kerry is not one of the talking points that Democrats running in various districts around the nation need to be focusing their campaigns on right now. It is obvious that Republicans want John Kerry to be a talking point in virtually every race, for them it's a welcome diversion from the real issues at stake. I'm not saying we can't fight them on their chosen field of combat, I'm saying that it may not be wise to rush over there to do so.

There is the issue of Iraq and there is the personality of John Kerry. Some Americans love him, some Americans hate him, but unlike in 2004, John Kerry is not running in every district this year. In some Districts the Republicans would like nothing better than to turn a local election into a referendum on John Kerry. John Kerry is a big boy, he understands that and he is doing an excellent job of defending himself. It can't all be about John Kerry now with 7 days left in the race. If a Democratic candidate sees this Kerry quote flap as an easier opening into talking about Bush and Iraq than the war coverage being shown on the evening news, fine, that is his or her call to make.

Our candidates need to make the call over how they can best spend their last few remaining hours of campaigning. Us bloggers have more flexibility, and we can and should use it to talk about whatever we want to emphasize, but I won't use my words to condemn Democrats for not dropping their previous campaigns to rush to the direct defense of John Kerry, and I don't think he would either.

[Deep13]

1. Is that George Allen guy an asshole or what?

Big time.

[slingsam]

3. Yeah..and That Mark Foley Fella

wasn't he just trolling for the same....Assholes, I mean? Big Ones?

[sandnsea]

2. I just ask for the truth

And the truth is the Republicans made up another attack out of thin air - just like with Webb's novels and Arcuri's supposed porn phone calls. If we don't stick to calling them out on this garbage, we'll never stop it. I do not understand why the entire party hasn't figured that out by now.

(Actually, I do think the party has - which is why I believe it's party politics leaving Kerry out to dry)

[StoryTeller]

4. As a Kerry supporter, I agree with you 100%.

I think they should use the opportunity that's been handed to them to continue pounding the issue of Iraq and the way the Republicans have screwed up everything they've touched. We can sort out this sort of petty internal stuff later, but right now there's work to be done.

No Dem should be wasting time attacking Kerry right now. But as much as I'd really love to see a surge of support for him and lots of Dem leaders defending him, I know it's not the time for it. And considering his own actions for the next several days, it looks like he's of this same opinion. We need to get back to work and finish this thing.

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. Yes we do have to get back to work and finish this thing

Thank you for this post.

[redqueen]

5. How about that Abramoff guy, huh? How many more Republics goin to jail over that?

Can't wait to find out...

[Deep13]

8. All of them. nt

[AtomicKitten]

6. I say let it all blow over.

We have an ass-kicking to deliver next week.

[AndyA]

7. In the big scheme of things, what Kerry said was just a comma.

A snapshot in time. He told the truth, the truth hurts. Maybe he shouldn't have said it, or perhaps he should have been more careful to form his sentences correctly. Bush flubs up what he says all the time. No biggie.

Just a comma. Probably won't even warrant a complete sentence in any history book.

[David Dunham]

9. But it will kill of any chances Kerry had for 2008

[Arkana]

10. In all honesty, I hope he doesn't even RUN in 2008.

We need new faces for Prez in the Democratic Party.

[AndyA]

11. I think you may be right.

I wasn't too hot for Kerry for 2008 anyway, so that doesn't upset me too much, but I know a lot of people still like him. Kerry is a nice guy, a smart guy. But I think he's missed his opportunity to be President, and I think the election was stolen from him to boot. He should be in the White House right now, I really believe that, but I don't think he'll have another chance.

[Tom Rinaldo]

12. That may be today's conventional wisdom

And it may turn out right and it may turn our wrong, but there is a long road to 2008 still ahead. Whether or not all our Congressional candidates choose to talk about John Kerry for the next week will not influence that one way or another. If Kerry wants to run in 2008 as a fighter, he can try to turn how the Republicans created a phony issue against him now to his advantage then. On the campaign trail, he can frame it anyway he wants. Maybe he can get Democrats angry about it, and maybe that anger will turn to support for him. Or maybe not. But this is stuff to be sorted out some time after the Election next week, not now.

I will say this, I do not see it working to Kerry's political advantage to have his flubbed joke be a major campaign issue for most of the last week prior to the mid term election. In that sense too strenuous and prolonged a defense of him now could work to his long term disadvantage, should Kerry choose to run again in 2008.

[dethl]

14. Kerry botched a joke, * botched 2 wars..... 'nuff said

eom

[fujiyama]

15. You're right

I really don't think Kerry is relevant or should be.

This is a referendum on republican policies over the last twelve years. It's been a failure in every which way.

It's a way for people to realize how greedy, irresponsible, incompetent, evil, lazy, and CRIMINAL those bastards in power are - and toss them the hell out!

[SlipperySlope]

16. I'll defend him

It was obvious to me who the target of his joke was. I think it was obvious to B*sh too.

[Tom Rinaldo]

17. I'll defend him too, I'm a free agent not a candidate trying to stay on message

in my own unique race with 6 days left before an election. I'm glad when bloggers defend any Democrat against swiftboating, it's part of what we all do best. The best way for us to defend Kerry now in my opinion is for us to focus on the tactics of diversion that Republicans are trying to use just 6 days out from an election. Kerry has already defended his real intentions with that flubbed joke punch line. By exposing the Republican noise machine, we vindicate Kerry as well. This is exactly the same as their attempt to pull a few lines to smeer from a couple of James Webb's novels. That connection can be made and exposed for the desperate Republican ploy to avoid real issues that it is.