Joe Klein Responds To Bob Shrum's Broadside

[babylonsister]

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/may/23/joe_klein_responds_to_bob_shrums_broadside

Joe Klein Responds To Bob Shrum's Broadside
By Greg Sargent | bio

Okay, Joe Klein has just sent me an email responding to the scathing criticism of him contained in former Kerry strategist Bob Shrum's forthcoming book.

And Klein's response is worth dwelling over, because it sheds some fascinating light on -- and reveals some interesting insidery details about -- the relationship between two significant D.C. players, Klein and Kerry.

A quick recap. Shrum is about to release a new memoir of his campaign experiences called No Excuses: Confessions of a Serial Campaigner. The book is already stirring all sorts of D.C. chatter because it reportedly has a bunch of behind-the-scenes tell-all detail about Shrum's work for various campaigns, including the 2004 Kerry effort.

Over at TNR, Michael Crowley has posted an excerpt from the book containing a particularly eyebrow-raising series of criticisms of Klein:

more...

[librechik]

1. those two should just peck each other to death. n/t

[Arugula Latte]

14. Agreed. Lock 'em in a room for a few days and see who emerges. nt

[BlueManDude]

2. If it's true that Kerry craved Klein's approval then that's just sad...

just like Al Gore 2000 - seeking the approval of the Beltway Illuminati.

Too bad these guys only figure it out after they've lost (yeah I know they won but...).

[karynnj]

6. Read closely - Kerry seemed NEVER to do what

Klein was advising. Reading between the lines, I think it was Shrum asking advice. Read especially the $87 billion funding. Kerry was VERY clear in the Senate and in every primary debate and speech - that the vote was a protest vote on how it was funded.

Of course Kerry would prefer a major columnist to say good things rather than bad, but what is clear is that he made no changes to make Klein happy.

[snowbear]

12. Shrum sounds like he's just trying to make his book jucier..

Rejecting his advice was uncomfortable for Kerry, who liked Joe, craved his approval, and worried what his columns would say when we didn't take his recommendations.

[blm]

3. Sounds to me like human nature is at work - Shrum pointing towards Klein and Klein

pointing right back. Typical.


Had McAuliffe's Office of Voter Integrity at the DNC done its job for four years and secured the election process, both of these men would be claiming that they deserve all credit for Kerry's win.

But - did you EVER hear any Dem strategist or pundit make note that the election was won but allowed to be stolen by an unsecured election process?

[beachmom]

4. Yep. This DC Beltway scene really stinks. I'm still amazed at how

incestuous it is. Kerry should stay away from the lot of them. Considering Klein called him "Frenchy" on his blog, it is pretty damned sad how "friends" treat you in DC, especially if you lose an election.

[karynnj]

5. What this looks like to me is both Shrum and Klein trying to

make the others look bad to make themselves look better. In Shrum's case he is making Klein look like he had some major conflicts of interest. In Klein's case, he takes another opportunity to attack Senator Kerry.

It's interesting that he says Shrum called him to ask about voting against the $87 billion and Klein describes it as voting against the funding. The fact is that Kerry on the Senate floor and on many opportunities explained that it was NOT because he was against funding the troops - he was against the funding being done without paying for it and without oversight. Had it been a vote against the funding there would NEVER have been the whole voted for it before he voted against it nonsense.

Additionally, Joe Klein never wrote anything in 2002 to suggest he was against the war - John Kerry said and wrote many things. So, Klein is again distorting this. (In fact, Klein once wrote that he was against the IWR and said that he told Kerry that at the time, though he never wote it.)

You also have Klein's book that says that Kerry never spoke against Abu Ghraid and other violations of international law. He actually was the first to do so calling for Rumsfeld's resignation fo that reason. (Dean followed the next day with the same demand - and they were alone in this position.) At the time the book came out - we were able to post at least 10 or so NYT articles where Kerry blasted Bush on this issue. He also mentioned it by constantly saying that they would follow international law. (For Kerry of all people this should have been enough - how many tiomes was video shown of John Kerry at 27 speaking of the Geneva Conventiom (saying the same thing that John Kerry 2004 was saying - that it was important for the sake of our soldiers to follow the geneva Conventions.

Given who Kerry is and that he has consistently addressed this issue from Vietnam, Cambodia to Central America. This lie is sickening. In fact, Kerry had actually worked in the late 90s and the early 2000s to craft a hybrid UN/Cambodian Tribunal that will go forward later this year to deal with teh crimes of the Pol Pot era. The solution will also be used for Siera Leone. There is no one in the US with more credibility on this issue than Kerry, who risked his entire political future to speak the truth on Vietnam. Klein is simply a news flack who wrote at least one awful political book.

Klein since 911 has been weird - even writing things that sound near RW about liberals. He had written a nice New Yorker article on Kerry and McCain years before. It flattered both - but I got the sense that he was more snowed by McCain.

It seems that Klein might be more a friend (former friend) of Shrum's. It sounds like Shrum was the one really concerned about Klein's reaction. It seems clear that Kerry never took his advise. This may be why Klein makes a snide comment about Kerry over Kerry's health care plan - which was highly praised by nearly everyone in 2004. Kerry actually had good credentials on healthcare much of the Kerry/kennedy bill in 1996 was included in S-CHIP in 1997.

There likely is an interesting story that explains why Klein was so hard on Kerry in 2004 and afterwards. Kerry has never said anything. All I can think of is that Klein was dissapointed that Kerry didn't take him as an advisor.

Had Klein himself written anti-war columns, I would guess that it could have been he was more dissapointed in Kerry, an anti-war hero, voting for the IWR. Klein also had clearly considered McCain to be more a hero than Kerry in the earlier article. Klein's articles since 2005 have been very much against anyone looking to get out of Iraq - and kerry in particular.

[blm]

7. One correction - Clark also joined Kerry and Dean calling for Rumsfeld's job in Sept 2003 - it was

the DC Dems and especially bigname Dems who would not give backup to that call.

[karynnj]

9. thanks

I should have remembered that.

[Adelante]

8. The TNR piece

I had followed a link earlier that needed a subscription, but this one is open if anyone hasn't seen it.

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w070521&s=crowley052307

[The Magistrate]

10. Klein And Shrum Both, Ma'am, Are Wretched Reptiles

Perhaps they will go Kilkenny cats on one another, and we may be spared them both in future....

[karynnj]

11. I like your idea - am I am usually against violence

If they could take a dozen or so similar people - including Carville, it would be even better.

[BlueIris]

15. I LOVE YOU, THE MAGISTRATE.

[sandnsea]

13. Hillary told him to vote for the $87 billion

I guess he "craved" her advise too. :eyes:

Someone running for President talks to a lot of people. I'm SHOCKED I TELL YA!!