Friends of John Kerry

The Boston Globe reports that John Kerry plans to set up a federal campaign committee, Friends of John Kerry, which would allow him to seek a fifth term in the US Senate in 2008 while not precluding another run for president that year.

The Committee will be a vehicle for fund-raising for either campaign.

According to the Globe, Kerry transferred all the money from his previous committee to his presidential campaign committee after retaining his Senate seat in 2002 and Kerry could do the same should he decide against seeking reelection in favor of a second bid for the presidency.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Campaign Slammed On Hispanic Outreach

The Associated Press reports that Simon Rosenberg, founder and president of the centrist New Democrat Network says, “John Kerry did not compete adequately for Hispanic votes, period. If we don’t reverse the gains that President Bush made, we can forget our hope of being a majority party again.”

Rosenberg also complained that “the Kerry campaign and the DNC lacked a national strategy for Hispanics and did not spend enough money on advertising or enough time campaigning in Hispanic communities and did not employ enough people on the get-out-the-vote effort.”

From California Yankee.

Clinton Blames Gay Marriage For Kerry's Loss

The Utica Observer Dispatch reports that former president Clinton put much of the blame for Kerry’s loss on gay marriage:

“Gay marriage was an overwhelming factor in the defeat of John Kerry,” Clinton told the audience at the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

[. . .]

“There was astonishing turnout among evangelical Christians who were voting on the basis of moral values,” he said. “I do not believe either party has a monopoly on morality or truth.”

Clinton said Democrats had a story to tell about abortion and gay marriage. They didn’t tell it. Abortions declined during his terms in office, he said, because of policies encouraging adoption and rewarding mothers.

Democrats should have emphasized that gay marriage should be up to the states — and that state sovereignty is a traditionally Republican value.

“Gay marriage was an overwhelming factor in the defeat of John Kerry,” Clinton said. “With one decision of one Supreme Court, all of the sudden we have a constitutional amendment designed, I think, to whip people up, to inflame them, make them stop thinking about other issues.”

From California Yankee.

Ted Kennedy Arrives at Beacon Hill

Fox News is reporting that Ted Kennedy just arrived (at 10 past 2am) at Kerry’s posh Beacon Hill home in MA. Reporters spied Kerry’s daughter Vaness being consoled in the doorway…
Reporters are speculating that a serious discussion is underway either about how to handle Ohio or how to deliver a possible concession speech…

UPDATE: John Edwards: “We’ve waited four years, we can wait one more night…we will fight for every vote.”

People Leaving "Victory" Party In Boston

CNN’s talking head in Boston reports that the crowd that had gathered in Boston to celebrate Kerry’s victory is starting to thin, and that certain Kerry aides she’s been callling throughout the night are no longer answering their cell phones …

Zogby: Kerry with 311 Electoral Votes

At 5:00pm today, Zogby International made its final Presidential Election prediction.

Electoral Votes:

Bush 213
Kerry 311

Zogby International’s 2004 Predictions

Why You Should Vote For Me Today : Kerry

From USA Today :

For the past two years, people across this nation have welcomed me into their homes and communities and shared their hopes and dreams. They’ve told me they want nothing more than a better life for their children, but caught between rising costs and falling incomes, they always come up short. They’ve told me that they pray every night for our troops in Iraq, but they worry as things get worse, and when they pick up the newspaper, they feel less safe here at home. They fly the flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and love this country with all their hearts — but they worry that right now, the country they love is headed in the wrong direction.

So today, in voting booths across this nation, Americans face a fundamental choice: Do we want four more years of the same failed course, or a fresh start for America?

Unfortunately, for the past four years, George W. Bush has made the wrong choices for America. Nowhere is this more clear than in his catastrophic misjudgments in Iraq, where he pushed away our allies and rushed to war without a plan to win the peace, and his mistakes in the war on terror.

Today in Iraq, we’re seeing more chaos, more killings and more kidnappings, and more than 1,100 brave Americans have lost their lives. The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee describes the reconstruction as “incompetence.” Recently, we learned that 760,000 pounds of explosives had disappeared. It took just one pound of these explosives to blow up Pan Am Flight 103.

But the Bush administration still calls Iraq “a remarkable success story.” Vice President Cheney says the war has been “brilliant.” And yet the president says that whether America can be “fully safe” is “up in the air.”

We deserve better. We must succeed in Iraq. I defended my country as a young man, and I’ll defend it as president. I will fight a smarter, tougher, more effective war on terror. I will strengthen the military and add 40,000 troops to its ranks. I will stop at nothing to hunt down, capture and kill the terrorists. I will never give any nation or organization a veto over our national security.

And like Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan, I will build and lead strong alliances so that America doesn’t have to go it alone.

But we need a president who can do more than one thing at a time. And the truth is that George Bush’s record is no better here at home. He has taken care of the special interests, but failed the middle class and those struggling to join it.

George Bush is the first president to lose jobs in 70 years, and 4 million more Americans have fallen into poverty on his watch — 1.3 million of them children.

College tuition and health care costs are through the roof, and gas prices are up over $2 a gallon — all while family incomes have fallen $1,500 and veterans are being denied health care.

But President Bush seems to think everything is just fine and that we shouldn’t hope for anything better. I disagree, and I ask you to join with me and give me your vote, so that together, we can give America a fresh start. Here’s what we’ll do:

First, we’ll create good-paying jobs and lower taxes for hardworking Americans. We’ll stop rewarding companies that ship jobs overseas and start rewarding ones that keep and create them here in America. And we’ll give families tax credits to help pay for college, health care and child care. We’ll cut the deficit in half and restore fiscal responsibility.

Second, we’ll ensure that health care is a right — not a privilege — for all Americans, affordable and accessible. That means covering all of our children and giving families access to the same private health insurance as members of Congress. It means allowing our seniors to import safe, FDA-approved prescription drugs from Canada. And it means lifting the ban on federal funding for stem cell research so that our scientists can pursue cures and treatments for Parkinson’s, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Third, we’ll fight to save Social Security, because when you work hard and pay in for a lifetime, America owes you what you’ve earned. I will not privatize Social Security, I will not cut benefits, and I will not raise the retirement age.

Finally, we’ll make America independent of Middle East oil within 10 years. We’ll invest in alternative energy sources and in cars and SUVs you have to fill up only once a month, not every week. It’s high time America relied on its own ingenuity and innovation instead of the Saudi royal family.

If you join with me today, together we will protect our country and fight for America’s middle-class families. We will unite Democrats and Republicans to succeed in Iraq and restore America’s leadership in the world. We will once again stand up for the middle class and all of those struggling to join it. And together, we will lift up the nation we love with the confidence that our best days are still ahead.

Zogby: Young Mobile Voters Prefer Kerry

One of the complaints about telephone surveys in the age of cell phones and PDA’s has been the lack of consideration given to young, mobile types who don’t have a landline. A new survey from Zogby tries to bridge that gap.

Polling firm Zogby International and partner Rock the Vote found Massachusetts Senator John Kerry leading President Bush 55% to 40% among 18-29 year-old likely voters in their first joint Rock the Vote Mobile political poll, conducted exclusively on mobile phones October 27 through 30, 2004. Independent Ralph Nader received 1.6%, while 4% remain undecided in the survey of 6,039 likely voters. The poll is centered on subscribers to the Rock the Vote Mobile (RTVMO) platform, a joint initiative of Rock the Vote and Motorola Inc. (for more information: http://www.rtvmo.com). The poll has margin of error of +/-1.2 percentage points.

Did Kerry take direction from North Vietnamese Communists?

On October 22, 2004, Swift Veterans and POWs for Truth researchers Troy Jenkins and Tom Wyld located two Vietnamese communist documents in the archives of the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech University, in the Douglas Pike Collection. Douglas Pike was a leading authority on the Vietnam War who collected over 2 million pages of original documents now archived at the Vietnam Center. James Reckner, Ph.D., Director of the Vietnam Center at Texas Tech, verifies that the documents in the Pike collection are original and authentic. The Circular and the Directive are listed as items numbered 2150901039b and 2150901041 respectively.

The fifth paragraph of this document makes clear that the Vietnamese communists were utilizing for their propaganda purposes the activities of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The protest described as occurring from April 19 through April 22, 1971 coincides directly with the dates of Dewey Canyon III, the Washington, DC, protest led by John Kerry, during which John Kerry’s testimony before Senator Fulbright’s Foreign Relations Committee was a televised centerpiece. The description of the protest activities in the Directive even include the “return their medals” ceremony in which John Kerry and other VVAW members threw their medals and/or ribbons toward the steps of the US Capitol, with several shouting threats of violence against their government as they did so.

[…]

Another key discussion in the documents reveals the degree to which the Vietnamese communists were working with and through the PCPJ (People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice. The Circular, immediately after disclosing how the communist delegations to the Paris Peace talks were being used to guide the US antiwar movement, stresses the importance of the PCPJ to these efforts:

Of the US antiwar movements, the two most important ones are: The PCPJ ((the People’s Committee for Peace and Justice)) and the NPAC ((National Peace Action Committee)). These two movements have gathered much strength and staged many demonstrations. The PCPJ is the most important. It maintains relations with us.

(emphasis in original)

Further reporting of this research is available in this New York Sun article.

::Update:: As pointed out by Digger, InTheBullpen has an interview with Troy Jenkins on this topic (permalink busted, scroll down).

Kerry Has One-Point Lead In Reuters/Zogby Daily Tracking Poll

Reuters reports that Kerry moved into a one-point lead over President Bush in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll released on Saturday.

From California Yankee.

Kerry already making Cabinet selections

TIMES ONLINE: Kerry to opt for the senator who copied Kinnock

THE man whose presidential ambitions were destroyed when he plagiarised Neil Kinnock is set to become America’s chief foreign policymaker if John Kerry is elected President next Tuesday.
Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware has been asked by Mr Kerry to become Secretary of State in a Democratic administration, according to Kerry campaign aides. Mr Biden, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the past four years, ran for President in 1988. His campaign ended abruptly when it was revealed that a key element of his stump speech had been lifted directly from Mr Kinnock’s general election speeches in 1987.

But Mr Biden has since emerged as a leading foreign policy figure in the Democratic party and is expected to take the job offered by Mr Kerry unless political factors intervene. Were the Democrats to retake control of the Senate, he might prefer to remain as a lawmaker, but those who know him think that unlikely.

Mr Biden’s possible elevation is one of the thousands of permutations circulating in Washington in the final days before the presidential election. If Mr Biden does go to the State Department it will be a disappointment for Richard Holbrooke, the UN Ambassador during the Clinton Administration and the architect of the Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war in 1995. Mr Holbrooke has lobbied hard for the Secretary of State ’s job. But in what will be seen as both an effort to conciliate the famously self-confident Mr Holbrooke, and as a signal change from Bush administration policy, Mr Kerry is likely to offer him the job of special Middle East peace co-ordinator, senior Democrats say.

Mr Kerry plans to announce both appointments soon after the election as a sign of the urgency he assigns to mending diplomatic fences.

Kerry Takes Lead In ABC/Washington Post Tracking Poll

Bloomberg reports that Kerry has taken the lead in the Washington Post tracking poll 50 percent to 48 percent.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Regains Lead In Rasmussen Tracking Poll

Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll
Bush 46%
Kerry 48%
The poll was conducted October 22-24 and has a margin of error is plus or minus 2 percent.

This is the first time the Rasmussen tracking poll found Kerry leading since August 23.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Accuses Bush of Incompetence

From the AP via Yahoo! News:

President Bush, presenting himself as the best candidate to keep America safe, was accused by John Kerry on Monday of “unbelievable incompetence” in the disappearance of hundreds of tons of powerful explosives in Iraq.

“Every step of the way, this administration has miscalculated,” Kerry said in Dover, N.H. He spoke shortly before traveling to Philadelphia for a rally with former President Clinton, who was making his first political appearance since heart surgery nearly seven weeks ago.

Kerry said the Bush administration had “miscalculated about how to go to war, miscalculated about the numbers of troops that we would need, miscalculated about sending young Americans to war without the armor they needed, without the Humvees they needed that were armored.”

“And the incredible incompetence of this president and this administration has put our troops at risk and put this country at greater risk than we ought to be,” Kerry said.

Running mate John Edwards, campaigning in Ohio, added, “After today, it’s hard to imagine that even they’ll continue believing things are going well.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency said about 350 tons of highly explosive material had disappeared in Iraq, apparently stolen because of a lack of security at governmental installations.

The central argument of Bush’s re-election campaign is that he can do a better job protecting America than Kerry, and polls show that voters trust Bush more on this issue. The Bush campaign dismissed Kerry’s criticism of the missing explosives without responding to the allegations.

“John Kerry has no vision for fighting and winning the war on terror, so he is basing his attacks on the headlines he wakes up to each day,” Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said. “If John Kerry wants to spend the next eight days trying to explain his positions again, we welcome that debate.”

Read the rest here.

The New York Times is reporting “Kerry Calls Missing Explosives One of Bush’s ‘Great Blunders’”

Security Council Members Deny Meeting Kerry

The Washington Times reports that U.N. ambassadors from several nations are disputing assertions by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry that he met for hours with all members of the U.N. Security Council just a week before voting in October 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq.

From California Yankee.

Orlando Sentinel Endorses John Kerry

The normally Republican Orlando Sentinel has endorsed John Kerry for President.

Four years ago, the Orlando Sentinel endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president based on our trust in him to unite America. We expected him to forge bipartisan solutions to problems while keeping this nation secure and fiscally sound.

This president has utterly failed to fulfill our expectations. We turn now to his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry, with the belief that he is more likely to meet the hopes we once held for Mr. Bush.

Our choice was not dictated by partisanship. Already this election season, the Sentinel has endorsed Republican Mel Martinez for the U.S. Senate and four U.S. House Republicans. In 2002, we backed Republican Gov. Jeb Bush for re-election, repeating our endorsement of four years earlier. Indeed, it has been 40 years since the Sentinel endorsed a Democrat — Lyndon Johnson — for president.

BRAAAAAAINS!

The LA Times wonders if John Kerry is too intelligent to be president of the United States.

Sinclair Aires “A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media”

Sinclair Broadcast Group aired “A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media” on 40 television stations around the country last night.

The Associated Press reports that the program contained a few minutes from the documentary, “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal,” as well as excerpts from a pro-Kerry documentary, interviews with veterans who support and oppose Kerry, and a segment on the impact of new media such as the Internet on politics.

A history of the controversy that erupted following reports of the upcoming program was also given, including assessments such as “before anything had been decided, spin alley had become a superhighway.”

Kerry did not appear in the program, but comments he made on the issue on the campaign trail were presented.

New York Times Review Of "Stolen Honor" - It Should Be Shown Everywhere

The New York Times review of “Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal” states that the documentary should be shown in its entirety on all the networks, cable stations and on public television.

From California Yankee.

Christopher Reeve's Widow Endorses Kerry

AP: Christopher Reeve’s Widow Endorses Kerry

Sen. John Kerry on Thursday accused President Bush of slowing scientific advancement after earning a special endorsement from the widow of Senator actor Paul Wellstone’s Christopher Reeve, a proponent of the embryonic stem cell research on which the president has placed limits.

“The American people deserve a president who understands that when America invests in science and technology, we can build a stronger economy and create jobs for the 21st century,” Kerry said during a campaign rally. “But George Bush has literally … turned his back on the spirit of exploration and discovery.”

Wellstone’s Reeve’s widow, Dana, said her family has been grieving privately since her husband died Oct. 10. “My inclination would be to remain private for a good long while,” she said. “But I came here today in support of John Kerry because this is so important. This is what Paul Chris wanted.”

(Okay, okay… unfair… Paul Wellstone’s wife died in the plane crash with him, leaving his son and Ted Kennedy to use his coffin as a pulpit to thump while campaigning.)

Democrats seek "Sex and the City" Women

Agence France Presse reports Democrat strategists are trying to get “Sex and the City” women to vote for Kerry.

The “Sex and the City” women are single women from 18 to 88 who did not vote in 2000. The group includes whites, Afro-Americans, Latinos and numbers about 22 million.

From California Yankee.

Franks Denies Hunt For Bin Laden Was "Outsourced"

Agence France-Presse reports that Retied General Tommy Franks, the former commander of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, has denied Kerry’s claim that we “outsourced” the hunt for Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora:

“As commander of the allied forces in the Middle East, I was responsible for the operation at Tora Bora and I can tell you that the senator’s understanding of events doesn’t square with reality,” retired general Tommy Franks wrote in The New York Times.

[. . .]

According to Franks, the US military relied heavily on Afghan forces in that battle because they knew Tora Bora after fighting there for years against the Soviet occupation.

“Third, the Afghans weren’t left to do the job alone,” the retired general continued. “Special forces from the United States and several other countries were there, providing tactical leadership and calling in air strikes.”

From California Yankee.

Palestinian Authority expresses support for Kerry

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinian Authority expresses support for Kerry

The Palestinian Authority made its first open statement Monday expressing support for US democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

PA Foreign Minister Nabil Sha’ath said that the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is unsure if George W. Bush is re-elected to office.

Kerry - Illegal ballot collection in Florida?

Early news from Drudge:

As early voting begins Monday in the sunburn State of Florida controversy has already developed around a Democratic National Committee/Kerry-Edwards election manual.

The election manual titled — “FLORIDA VICTORY 2004” -obtained by the DRUDGE REPORT, advocates an apparent unlawful “BALLOT PICKUP” drive by campaign volunteers.

The DNC Kerry/Edwards manual states:

“In Florida, it is legal to handle ballots. This means it is possible for the campaign to canvass base neighborhoods, pick up completed ballots and deliver them to Early Vote locations. We will incorporate these deliveries into our Early Vote canvassing program.”

But Florida State election law is in sharp contrast and conflicts with the Dem plan.

“A designee may pick up an absentee ballot for a voter on election day or 4 days before election day. A designee may only pick up two absentee ballots per election, other than his or her own ballot or ballots for members of his or her immediate family. Designees must have written authorization from the voter, present a picture I.D. and sign an affidavit. Candidates may pick up absentee ballots only for members of their immediate family.”

Florida Papers Endorse Kerry

South Florida Sun-Sentinel - “President Bush has failed the test of leadership. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board recommends voters on Nov. 2 replace him with John Kerry.”

Miami Herald - “On the basis of experience, a strong campaign and command of the issues that make this such a crucial election, The Herald recommends JOHN F. KERRY.”

St. Petersburg Times - “President Bush hasn’t lived up to his promise to be a uniter at home and in world affairs, and he shows no evidence of having recognized, much less learned from, the mistakes that have left this country less united and less secure. John Kerry isn’t a perfect candidate. No one is. But he is an intelligent, principled leader who has demonstrated his commitment to his country on the battlefield and in public service. The Times recommends Kerry as the candidate best equipped to fulfill the promises George W. Bush made four years ago and failed to keep.”

Palm Beach Post - “There are many reasons to declare George W. Bush a failed president. We frame the election in terms of why people should vote for Sen. John Kerry.”

Daytona News-Journal - “America’s prosperity doesn’t entirely depend on a great president. America’s future does. John Kerry’s distinguished service has prepared him to be the leader this country needs. The world, as much as America, would benefit by his intelligence, integrity, courage and compassion in the Oval Office. It especially needs his perceptive restraint.”

Bradenton Herald - “It comes down to this simple question famously asked by Ronald Reagan in 1980: Are you better off today than you were four years ago? The answer, clearly, is no. Ultimately, that is why we recommend John Kerry as president of the United States in the Nov. 2 election.”

Florida Today - “America needs new leadership, and John Kerry can bring it to the White House.”

Kerry: Potential Great for Return Of Draft

Kerry, in an interview The Des Moines Register published Friday:

There is “a great potential” for a military draft in the United States should President Bush win re-election in November

From California Yankee.

Most Condemn Kerry Debate Comment About Cheney's Daughter

ABC News reports that its latest tracking poll found that likely voters, by 2-1, call it inappropriate for Kerry to have noted that Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter is a lesbian.

From California Yankee.

DRUDGE: Charge voter intimidation, even if none exists

Matt Drudge in a WORLD EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS has posted a page out of the DNC Election Manual that suggests that operatives launch “pre-emptive strikes” charging voter intimidation where none has been reported…

2. If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a “pre-emtive strike” (particularly well-suited tio states in which there [sic] techniques have been tried in the past).

Issue a press release
i. Reviewing Republican tactic used in the past in your area or state
ii. Quoting party/minority/civil rights leadership as denouncing tactics that discourage people from voting

Prime minority leadership to discuss the issue in the media; provide talking pints.

Place stories in which minority leadership expresses concern about the threat of intimidation tactics.

Warn local newspapers not to accept advertising that is not properly disclaimed or that contains false warnings about voting requirements and/or about what will happen at the polls.

Who’s the Fear Campaigner now?

What ... No Blogs?

This K/E campaign email came through just after last night’s debate:

Dear Supporter,

A few minutes ago, the third and final presidential debate came to a close. Once again, I am about to head over to the “spin room,” and once again I am going to have the chance to talk about a victory for John Kerry.

During these debates, John Kerry has left no doubt that he has the strength and character we need in a commander in chief. He has shown the American people his command of the facts, steady demeanor, and well reasoned arguments. He offered hope and optimism, and showed that he will fight for middle class families.

The Bush campaign has tried to lower the bar for each debate. But the bar can only go so low.

The bottom line is, when it comes to the concerns of the middle class, George Bush just doesn’t get it — doesn’t know how to talk about it — and has no way to fix it. While he offered nothing but more of the same tired rhetoric — John Kerry presented real solutions to real problems. That’s the reason why John Kerry won and George Bush lost — lowered expectations and spin from the Bush campaign will not change this.

Tonight George Bush’s denials further damaged his credibility. He denied we have problems with immigration, No Child Left Behind, equal pay for women and the minimum wage. Bush pretends our problems don’t exist, and he won’t level with the American people.

Again, we need your help to keep the Republican spin machine in check. After three debates you know what you need to do — let’s go out there and do it.

1) Vote in online polls

CNN
http://www.cnn.com

MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com

ABC News
http://www.abcnews.com

CBS
http://www.cbsnews.com

Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com

Also check your local newspaper and TV station’s websites for online polls.

2) Call into talk radio

http://volunteer.johnkerry.com/speakout
3) Write local newspapers

http://volunteer.johnkerry.com/speakout
Sincerely,

Joe Lockhart
Senior Advisor

What … no call to troll the blogs?

Clinton: Off The Bench

The Guardian reports that Bill’s back in the game, recording radio advertisements for Kerry / Edwards.

Lynn Cheney Upset With Kerry

The Associated Press reports that Lynn Cheney accused Kerry of pulling a “cheap and tawdry political trick,” for invoking her daughter’s sexuality in his debate with President Bush:

“Now, you know, I did have a chance to assess John Kerry once more and now the only thing I could conclude: This is not a good man,” she said.

“Of course, I am speaking as a mom, and a pretty indignant mom. This is not a good man. What a cheap and tawdry political trick.”

From Caslifornia Yankee.

Mystery Surrounds Kerry's Navy Discharge

The New York Sun reports that Kerry’s discharge is surrounded in mystery:

An official Navy document on Senator Kerry’s campaign Web site listed as Mr. Kerry’s “Honorable Discharge from the Reserves” opens a door on a well kept secret about his military service.

The document is a form cover letter in the name of the Carter administration’s secretary of the Navy, W. Graham Claytor. It describes Mr. Kerry’s discharge as being subsequent to the review of “a board of officers.” This in it self is unusual. There is nothing about an ordinary honorable discharge action in the Navy that requires a review by a board of officers.

According to the secretary of the Navy’s document, the “authority of reference” this board was using in considering Mr. Kerry’s record was “Title 10, U.S. Code Section 1162 and 1163. “This section refers to the grounds for involuntary separation from the service. What was being reviewed, then, was Mr. Kerry’s involuntary separation from the service. And it couldn’t have been an honorable discharge, or there would have been no point in any review at all. The review was likely held to improve Mr. Kerry’s status of discharge from a less than honorable discharge to an honorable discharge.

A Kerry campaign spokesman, David Wade, was asked whether Mr. Kerry had ever been a victim of an attempt to deny him an honorable discharge. There has been no response to that inquiry.

From California Yankee.

"Terrorism ... a nuisance?"

CNN reports that President Bush’s campaign plans a new ad based on what Kerry is quoted as saying in a New York Times Magazine article about “what it would take for Americans to feel safe again:”

“We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they’re a nuisance,” the article states as the Massachusetts senator’s reply.

“As a former law enforcement person, I know we’re never going to end prostitution. We’re never going to end illegal gambling. But we’re going to reduce it, organized crime, to a level where it isn’t on the rise. It isn’t threatening people’s lives every day, and fundamentally, it’s something that you continue to fight, but it’s not threatening the fabric of your life.”

From California Yankee.

AP Poll: Kerry Regains Lead

A new Associated Press poll finds that Kerry leads President Bush by 4%.

Likely Voters
Bush 46%
Kerry 50%

The poll was taken October 4-6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

From California Yankee.

NRA Targets Kerry

The Los Angeles Times reports that the National Rifle Association is launching television commercials and newspaper ads criticizing Kerry as an opponent of gun-owner rights:

The latest ad shows an NRA lobbyist, Chris W. Cox, walking through a field with a shotgun slung over his shoulder.

[. . .]

“Remember, John Kerry’s not a hunter,” Cox says in the ad. “He just plays one on TV.”

The Associated Press reports that the National Rifle Association also uses a sweater-wearing poodle with a pink bow mocking Kerry’s attempts to portray himself as friendly to gun sports and saying:

“That dog don’t hunt.”

“John Kerry says he supports sportsmen’s rights. But his record says something else,” the ads say.

From California Yankee.

Did Kerry Violate Debate Rules?

The Drudge Report is carrying this video clip that seems to show John Kerry taking notes from his breast pocket.

The debate rules read: No props, notes, charts, diagrams, or other writings or other tangible things may be brought into the debate by either candidate…. Each candidate must submit to the staff of the Commission prior to the debate all such paper and any pens or pencils with which a candidate may wish to take notes during the debate, and the staff or commission will place such paper, pens and pencils on the podium…

Newsweek Poll: Kerry Leads

MSNBC reports that in the first national telephone poll using a fresh sample, Newsweek found the presidential race statistically tied among all registered voters, in a three-way race.

Registered Voters
Bush 45%
Kerry 47%
Nader 2%

The poll was conducted among registered voters between September 30 and October 2 and has a margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Acknowledges "Inarticulate Moment"

The Associated Press reports that Kerry acknowledges an inarticulate moment when he tried to explain his vote against the $87 billion for the war in Afghanistan and Iraq by saying:

“I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.”

From California Yankee.

Kerrry Says We Should Not Have Gone To War In Iraq

ABCNEWS.com has posted a transcript of an excerpt from Diane Sawyer’s interview with Kerry, which is being broadcast on ABC’s “Good Morning America:”

DIANE SAWYER: Was the war in Iraq worth it?

SEN. JOHN KERRY: We should not have gone to war knowing the information we know today.

From California Yankee.

No European Help For Kerry

The Financial Times reports that French and German government officials say they will not significantly increase military assistance in Iraq even if Kerry wins the election.

From California Yankee.

The Local Stump: Moblogging Edwards

Hi everyone. Apologies for my sparse participation over the past week … my high level of activity during the conventions resulted in a nearly non-stop set of work since.

But I’m back, and today will be posting something a bit different. The Kerry campaign is making stop today in my locale as John Edwards hosts a “block party” in the next town over. I was sent tickets (from the DNC connection, I assume), and I’ll be attending and moblogging from my Palm Treo 600 during the event.

I’ll start around 11:30 AM EDT.

Kerry After Action Reports Now Posted Here

The Fox Baltimore servers are getting hammered, so I’m posting copies of the reports here. To reduce load time under a heavy server load, I’ll posted each page seperately. Each is a .jpg file.

• Page One

• Page Two

• Here are both pages as a .PDF file (hat tip, Bandit’s Hideout)

Incidentally, the Kerry campaign has had his “spot reports” detailing his injuries in action online for a while … you may see them here.

Text of Kerry Speech on Iraq War

Senator Kerry spoke this morning in Cincinnati, Ohio, seeking to commemorate the 1,000th American death in Iraq by laying out his position on the war there. I’ve excerpted the text of his foreign policy remarks, which his website captions Remarks on Bush’s Wrong Choices in Iraq That Have Left Us Without the Resources We Need at Home:

Yesterday in Iraq, we marked the most incalculable loss of all. Yesterday, we reached a tragic milestone. More than 1,000 of America’s sons and daughters gave their lives in service to our country. More than 1,000 sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters who will never come home to live the lives they dreamed of. We honor them, we pray for them and for their families, and we owe it to their memory and all our troops to do what’s right in Iraq.

I also want to speak directly to the more than 150,000 troops currently risking their lives as far away as Iraq and Afghanistan. Your country is proud of you. You are the most dedicated, capable military we’ve ever had. We are united as a nation in our support for you. We pledge to stand with your families as you stand on the front lines for ours. You are the best of America. And you perform magnificently every day. We thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

Twenty-three months ago, President Bush came here to ask the American people for our support. And he promised then to make the right choices when it came to sending young Americans to Iraq.

Here in Cincinnati, he said that if Congress approved the resolution giving him the authority to use force, it did not mean that military action would be “unavoidable”. But he chose not to give the weapons inspectors the time they needed to get the job done and give meaning to the words, going to war as a last resort.

Here in Cincinnati, he promised “to lead a coalition.” But he failed to build a broad, strong coalition of allies and he rushed to war without a plan to win the peace.

Here in Cincinnati, from this hall, on that night, he spoke to the nation, and promised: “If we have to act, we will take every precaution that is possible. We will plan carefully. We will act with the full power of the United States military. We will act with allies at our side and we will prevail.”

But then, George W. Bush made the wrong choices. He himself now admits he miscalculated in Iraq. In truth, his miscalculation was ignoring the advice that was given to him, including the best advice of America’s own military. When he didn’t like what he was hearing, he even fired the Army Chief of Staff. His miscalculation was going to war without taking every precaution and without giving the inspectors time. His miscalculation was going to war without planning carefully and without the allies we should have had. As a result, America has paid nearly 90% of the bill in Iraq. Contrast that with the Gulf War, where our allies paid 95% of the costs.

George W. Bush’s wrong choices have led America in the wrong direction in Iraq and left America without the resources we need here at home. The cost of the President’s go-it-alone policy in Iraq is now $200 billion and counting. $200 billion for Iraq, but they tell us we can’t afford after-school programs for our children. $200 billion for Iraq, but they tell us we can’t afford health care for our veterans. $200 billion for Iraq, but they tell us we can’t afford to keep the 100,000 new police we put on the streets during the 1990s.

Well we’re here today to tell them: they’re wrong. And it’s time to lead America in a new direction.

When it comes to Iraq, it’s not that I would have done one thing differently from the President, I would’ve done almost everything differently. I would have given the inspectors the time they needed before rushing to war. I would have built a genuine coalition of our allies around the world. I would’ve made sure that every soldier put in harm’s way had the equipment and body armor they needed. I would’ve listened to the senior military leaders of this country and the bipartisan advice of Congress. And, if there’s one thing I learned from my own service, I would never have gone to war without a plan to win the peace.

I would not have made the wrong choices that are forcing us to pay nearly the entire cost of this war – $200 billion that we’re not investing in education, health care, and job creation here at home.

$200 billion for going-it-alone in Iraq. That’s the wrong choice; that’s the wrong direction; and that’s the wrong leadership for America.

While we’re spending that $200 billion in Iraq, 8 million Americans are looking for work – 2 million more than when George W. Bush took office – and we’re told that we can’t afford to invest in job training and job creation here at home.

[I’m skipping the domestic-policy sections, but you can read the whole thing at Kerry’s site]

Because of this President’s wrong choices, we’re spending $200 billion in Iraq while the costs of health care have gone through the roof and we’re told we don’t have the resources to make health care affordable and available for all Americans . . .

. . . They’re charging 17% more for Medicare while making America pay $200 billion for a go-it-alone policy in Iraq. That’s the wrong choice; that’s the wrong direction; and that’s the wrong leadership for America.

[snip]

Because of George W. Bush’s wrong choices, we’re spending $200 billion in Iraq while we’re running up deficits that threaten Social Security. In fact, they’re raiding the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for their mistakes in Iraq. . . .

[snip]

And because of this President’s wrong choices, we’re spending $200 billion in Iraq instead of investing in making America energy independent. George W. Bush’s energy policy is to trust the big oil companies and the Saudis. In fact, a national news magazine just reported that a senior member of the Saudi Royal family said that as far as they’re concerned, in the U.S. Presidential election, “It’s Bush all the way.” I want an America that relies on its own ingenuity and innovation, not the Saudi Royal Family.

We’re going to invest in technology and the vehicles of the future, so that no young American will ever be held hostage to our dependence on oil from the Middle East. That’s the right choice; that’s the right direction; and that’s the right leadership for America.

Because of this President’s wrong choices, we’re spending $200 billion in Iraq while we’re told that we can’t afford to do everything that we should for homeland security. I believe it’s wrong to be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States of America. It’s wrong to cut money for our first responders. It’s wrong to let 95% of the cargo that comes into this country get by without ever being physically inspected. That’s the wrong choice; that’s the wrong direction; and that’s the wrong leadership for America.

As President, I will set a new direction. We’re going to defend this country here at home. We’re going to do all we possibly can to protect it from another terrorist attack. And we’re going to make homeland security a priority, not a political slogan.

My friends, today we are bearing the cost of the war in Iraq almost alone – $200 billion and counting.

Nearly two years after George W. Bush spoke to the nation from this very place, we know how wrong his choices were. He says he “miscalculated.” He calls Iraq a “catastrophic success.” But a glance at the front pages or a look at the nightly news shows the hard reality: Rising instability. Spreading violence. Growing extremism. Havens for terrorists that weren’t there before. And today, even the Pentagon admits, Entire regions of Iraq are controlled by insurgents and terrorists.

I call this course a catastrophic choice that has cost us $200 billion because we went it alone, and we’ve paid an even more unbearable price in young American lives.

We need a new direction. I know what we need to do in Iraq. We need to bring our allies to our side, share the burdens, reduce the cost to American taxpayers, and reduce the risk to American soldiers. We need to train Iraqi military and police – we need to train them more rapidly, more effectively, and in greater numbers to take over the job of protecting their own country. That’s what I’ll do as Commander-in-Chief – because that’s the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home.

[snip]

Zogby: "Kerry On The Ropes"

John Zogby, explaining that it isn’t an 11 point race, says: “Mr. Kerry is on the ropes.”

I have Mr. Bush leading by 2 points in the simple head-to-head match up - 46% to 44%. Add in the other minor candidates and it becomes a 3 point advantage for the President - 46% to 43%. This is no small achievement. The President was behind 50% to 43% in my mid-August poll and he essentially turned the race around by jumping 3 points as Mr. Kerry lost 7 points. Impressive by any standards.

For the first time in my polling this year, Mr. Bush lined up his Republican ducks in a row by receiving 90% support of his own party, went ahead among Independents, and now leads by double-digits among key groups like investors. Also for the first time the President now leads among Catholics. Mr. Kerry is on the ropes.

From California Yankee.

Kerry: Iraq "the wrong war, in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Kerry at a Labor Day rally in West Virginia:

Clinton Tells Kerry To Stop Talking About Vietnam

The New York Times reports that former President Clinton advised Kerry to stop talking about Vietnam:

In an expansive conversation, Mr. Clinton, who is awaiting heart surgery, told Mr. Kerry that he should move away from talking about Vietnam, which had been the central theme of his candidacy, and focus instead on drawing contrasts with President Bush on job creation and health care policies, officials with knowledge of the conversation said.

From California Yankee.

Campaign Finance Reform: 60-day window is here

In case y’all hadn’t noticed, we’re now within 60 days of the election, which means that in theory, 527 groups are now prohibited from running television and radio ads:

Restrictions on “Phony Issue Ads” Run by Corporations and Unions (The Snowe-Jeffords Amendment). First adopted as part of McCain-Feingold during the Senate’s February 1998 campaign finance debate, the Snowe-Jeffords amendment addresses the explosion of thinly-veiled campaign advertising funded by corporate and union treasuries. These ads skirt federal election law by avoiding the use of direct entreaties to “vote for” or “vote against” a particular candidate. Under the bill, labor unions and corporations would be prohibited from spending their treasury funds on “electioneering communications.” “Electioneering communications” are defined as radio or TV ads that refer to a clearly identified candidate or candidates and appear within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election. This definition does not include any printed communication, direct mail, voter guides, or the Internet. It would also not cover issue advertising that does not identify a specific candidate or appears outside of the 30/60 day pre-election window.

The Snowe-Jeffords amendment applies to 501©(4) non-profit corporations and incorporated 527 organizations…

Update 9/6: Note that this restriction doesn’t apply to all 527’s, only those that are incorporated or take corporate/union money. If anyone knows a definitive source to identify which 527’s fall into this category and which don’t, please chime in.

So the question becomes: what the hell are the 527’s going to do with any money that they’ve amassed but haven’t spent yet?

One interesting theory is that 527’s may channel advertising dollars online. And hey, I’m all for that. Bring that dirty, filthy campaign lucre right on!

But does anybody have any money left anyway? Easy enough to check, thanks to the invaluable OpenSecrets.org. I pulled down the expenditures and receipts for the top 50 527’s, added columns to show the percentage of their funds that has been spent and their funds remaining, and put it back in a chart again:

So there’s a few interesting observations to be had from this data. First, it’s clear that —- assuming the reporting data is up-to-date —- there’s still decent piles of cash lying in the coffers of some of the major 527’s, including the Democrats’ mega-fund, the Joint Victory Fund, as well as others.

But then there’s the bottom end of the table, which is somewhat odd. Many 527’s have actually spent more than they are reporting as receipts. I would think that there are two explanations for this: first, that the group is in fact spending ahead of donations on credit or debt, or second, that the reporting is simply behind on receipts while it is up-to-date on spending. This makes a certain kind of sense; I presume it is a much less burdensome process to list expenditures than it is to report on all the tiny donations received.

But some of the numbers are wildly out of wack, including those for everyone’s favorite, MoveOn.org. They’ve spent $17M with receipts of only $9M, apparently —- a gap of $8 million. Now that is some fairly shoddy reporting, if you ask me.

But back to the funds that are left. At his current rates, $4,000 will get you an add that runs from here until Election Day over at Instapundit —- and you can even get the top slot for a mere $6,000. Glenn’s current traffic suggests that it’s a safe bet that he’ll get around 10 million visits between now and election day, so his rates are a bargain if there ever was one.

Further down the traffic, over at TTLB, you can run an ad until the end of the campaign for $70. Yes, $70. I mean, that’s less than the price of a power lunch. And while I can’t guarantee Glenn’s mega-visitage, my own traffic hasn’t been too shabby lately (especially in Great Britain, though they don’t vote, I’m told). And somewhere inbetween, here at The Command Post, you can run an add site-wide until Election Day for $300. Cheap, cheap, cheap!

Other blogs are priced similarly, generally with a pretty direct relation between traffic and cost. So it sure seems logical to expect that there might be a flood of political dollars headed our way sometime soon. So to use language that I know both Republicans and Democrats now understand:

Bring. It. On!

PS: Bonus 60-day tidbit: Another odd part of campaign finance regulations is that, believe it or not, Senators are prohibited from updating their own websites within 60 days of an election. Here’s the relevant rule:

During the 60 day period immediately preceding the date of any primary or general election (whether regular, special, or runoff) for any national, state, or local office in which the Senator is a candidate, no Member may place, update or transmit information using a Senate Internet Server (“FTP Server, Gopher, and World Wide Web), unless the candidacy of the Senator in such election is uncontested. Exceptions to this moratorium include the following: posting of press releases, posting of official statements of the member appearing in the Congressional Record, and technical corrections to the website.

Kind of odd, really, but if you can post press releases, I can’t see how it is very much of a restriction.

Originally posted at The Truth Laid Bear

Give 'em ZELL!

[Admin note: This should have gone in OpEd but, because it has so many comments, we won’t be moving it over. So, just pretend you’re in the OpEd section while reading it! ]

“This is Mr. Kerry. Have a Bellhop Bring me Some Powerful Butt Ointment.”

I just watched Zell Miller’s speech at the RNC. To put it bluntly, he ripped Kerry a new ass you could drive Michael Moore through.

He articulated the single most compelling reason we need to reject John Kerry, and he managed to do it in a new, extremely effective way. Listing the weapons Kerry voted against and the conflicts in which they have since been used…that was genius. I can think of no better way to make people understand that John Kerry should not be trusted with national security.

I think this speech will prove to be extremely effective in bringing new bodies into the Bush fold. The country is full of fairly conservative people—this is especially true in the South—who only think they’re Democrats. They can’t relate to the safety-pin-perforated, vegetarian, tree-loving, America-hating freaks who have come to dominate the Democrat Party. If a guy like Zell Miller gives them permission to cross over and vote with their minds instead of relying on the herd instinct, maybe they’ll wake up and do the right thing in November.

I hope people watched, because I think this speech was one of the most powerful weapons we could have unleashed at this convention. I’d go so far as to call it a history-making speech. Who on the Democrat side—the mainstream Democrat side—can match Miller’s eloquence and fire?

Yeah, right. Bring out Walter Mondale and a crate of No-Doz. Prop me up with a stick and wake me when he’s done. If you can tell.

Karl Rove has to be the one bringing out all these double agents. He has to be the one who booked Miller and Ron Silver and Arnold. It had to be his idea to attack Kerry almost from within, using people liberals like and respect. A Democrat Senator and two movie stars, one of them a Jew. If they can feel good about backing George Bush, anyone can. It’s too brilliant not to be Rove. Unless it was Bush himself. He’s smart enough, whether he mispronounces things or not.

Very good. If this doesn’t give us the bounce we need, let’s all move to France, because Americans deserve John Kerry, and this country is no longer worth living in.

Kerry On Foreign Policy, In His Own Words

Foreign Policy has a piece by John Kerry titled If I Were President-Addressing the Democratic Deficit:

Democrats must resist a new orthodoxy within our party—a politically stagnating shift that does a disservice to more than 75 years of history. That is the new conventional wisdom of consultants, pollsters, and strategists who argue that Democrats should be the party of domestic issues alone.

They are wrong. As a party, Democrats need to talk about all the things that strengthen and protect the United States. We need to have a vision that extends to the world around us, and we should remember that this vision is as old as our party. Woodrow Wilson was elected president during a time of peace, but he led during a time of war. Franklin Roosevelt was elected to tackle the Great Depression, create Social Security, and put the United States back to work. But no one should forget that he did those things even as he responded to Pearl Harbor and marshaled the nation’s troops from Normandy to Iwo Jima. And John F. Kennedy didn’t try to change the subject of the debate when Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president brought up foreign policy. Kennedy challenged the United States globally, insisting that the country do more and better, not because these things are easy but because they are hard.

McCain Says Kerry's Anti-War Protests Open for Debate

Senator John McCain said Kerry’s anti-war activities after he returned from Vietnam are an appropriate subject for political debate. Bloomberg reports:

McCain, 68, of Arizona, said on the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” that he disagreed with Kerry throwing his ribbons from his medals on the steps of the U.S. Capitol when he returned from the war.

“Every American is entitled to protest,” McCain said. “Whether he did that appropriately” is a legitimate subject for debate, he said.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Campaign To Pull Ad Featuring McCain

Bloomberg reports that the Kerry campaign is pulling an ad featuring footage of Senator McCain rebuking President Bush during the 2000 primary campaign:

McCain said in an interview with the New York Times that he would ask the Kerry campaign to stop running the ad.

[. . .]

“John McCain asked us to take down the ad,” Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter told reporters on a conference call. “We respected those wishes.”

The Seattle Times Endorses Kerry

The Seattle Times, the largest paper in Washington State, endorsed Kerry over President Bush, whom the paper endorsed in 2000:

Four years ago, this page endorsed George W. Bush for president. We cannot do so again — because of an ill-conceived war and its aftermath, undisciplined spending, a shrinkage of constitutional rights and an intrusive social agenda.

From California Yankee.

A Marine In Iraq's Opinion

For those who have not seen it before, Brian Palmer has been with the 24th Marine Expeditionary unit for about seven weeks and has documented the time with a weekly digital diary including prose and photos. The final installment of the six week project is now online. For a good insight on what our Marines in the 24th have been going through over the past couple of months, you can read the whole thing.

Although anecdotal, here’s a taste of what U.S. Marines in Iraq are feeling about the 2004 Presidential election.

…plenty of rah-rah triumphalism and USA-first hyperpatriotism but found only a little, not a lot. There were a few folks who hooted at John Kerry when he appeared on the chow hall’s TV screen, and then cheered when Bush came on. “John Kerry is a f—-ing communist” for tossing his Vietnam War ribbons, asserted a cocky young Marine from Arkansas, Corporal Michael Euler, a soon-to-be father who knows what he knows and will tell you so in a heartbeat.

Yes, I confess, Mike and his wife are close friends of mine. Whether you agree with his sentiments or not, please keep them in your prayers.

Cross posted at SSG and in the Iraq section.

10 Nobel Laureates Endorse Kerry

According to Reuters (vi Yahoo!News) 10 Nobel Laureates have signed a letter of support for John Kerry.

George Akerlof and Daniel McFadden of the University of California at Berkeley, Kenneth Arrow and William Sharpe of Stanford University, Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University, Lawrence Klein of the University of Pennsylvania, Douglass North of Washington University, Paul Samuelson and Robert Solow of MIT and Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University

Kerry on Daily Show

Kerrywatch: John Kerry will be appearing on Comedy Central - Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

AP: Stewart Probes Kerry on Military Service

After weeks of charge and countercharge in the presidential campaign, comedian Jon Stewart tried Tuesday to get to the bottom of the debate over Democrat John Kerry’s military service in Vietnam.

“I watch a lot of the cable news shows, so I understand that you were never in Vietnam,” asked Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”

“That’s what I understand, too, but I’m trying to find out what happened,” Kerry joked.

Check your local listings for dates and times.

Judicial Watch Files Formal Complaint against Kerry

According to their website,

Judicial Watch, Inc. (hereinafter “Judicial Watch”) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption. Judicial Watch, in the interests of the American public, hereby files this formal complaint and request for investigation, determination and final disposition of awards granted to Lieutenant (junior grade) John Forbes Kerry, U.S. Naval Reserve, (hereinafter “Senator Kerry”) under the provision of Paragraph 116 (Requirement for Honorable Service), SECNAV Instruction 1650.1G (Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual) dated 7 January 2002.

Amongst the complaints are controversial accusations about Senator Kerry’s medals, an issue that has (finally) gotten into the press. But there is a rather less controversial issue, more serious and not reliant on subjective eyewitness accounts. The allegations continue :

According to publicly available records, Senator Kerry was released from Active Duty and transferred to the Naval Reserve (inactive) on 3 January 1970. On 1 July 1972 he was transferred to the Standby Reserve (inactive). While a commissioned officer in the inactive Naval Reserve, Senator Kerry traveled to Paris, France and met with official delegations from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Provisional Revolutionary Government (the Viet Cong). The Vietnamese Communists eagerly met Senator Kerry and benefited directly from the obvious propaganda victory (See Exhibit 2, page 126 - 129).

These acts are clear violations of the legal prohibitions on individual citizens negotiating with foreign powers (18 U.S.C. ’ 953) and the constitutional prohibition against giving support to our nation’s enemies in wartime (Article III, Section 3). Additionally, as a commissioned officer of the Naval Reserve, Senator Kerry was subject to the UCMJ, and likely violated Article 104 (“Aiding the Enemy”) through his actions with the North Vietnamese/Viet Cong delegation.

Senator Kerry returned from his private negotiations with the Vietnamese Communists to Washington, DC and held a press conference. At that press event, Senator Kerry advocated a Vietnamese Communist “peace proposal” calling for a U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam and payment of war damage reparations to the Communist government. Senator Kerry engaged in this advocacy on behalf of a foreign power with who we were at war while continuing to hold a commission as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Kerry Campaign Contributions Lack Disclosure

OpenSecrets.org shows that the Kerry-Edwards campaign has a 76% compliance rate with FEC disclosure provisions for campaign contributions, compared to 91% on average for congressional campaigns, and 93% for the Bush-Cheney campaign. The OpenSecrets folks track the “quality of disclosure” associated with campaign contributions, described as follows:

“BEST EFFORTS” RULES: When making solicitations, candidates, PACs and party committees must make “best efforts” to obtain and report the name, address, occupation and employer of each contributor who gives more than $200 in a calendar year. In order to show that the committee has made “best efforts,” solicitations must specifically request that information and inform contributors that the committee is required by law to use its best efforts to collect and report it.

Most members of Congress fully identify the great majority of their donors’ occupations and employers — an important point, if voters are to see the economic interests giving to their representative’s campaign.

In the 2000 elections, the average member of Congress fully identified 91% of their contributors’ occupations and employers. Seven percent of the occupations were left blank, and the rest were incomplete.

According to the current OpenSecrets data, Bush’s stats are:

Full Disclosure: $156,147,934 (93.0%)
Incomplete: $2,378,738 (1.4%)
No Disclosure: $9,309,250(5.5%)

Kerry’s, on the other hand, are:

Full Disclosure: $85,533,842 (76.4%)
Incomplete: $762,427 (0.7%)
No Disclosure: $25,619,547 (22.9%)

Bush’s 93% compliance seems quite in line with OpenSecrets’ 91% average from past Congressional campaigns, but Kerry’s number, at 76%, is wildly out of wack.

Here are the ‘Full Disclosure’ stats for the other candidates in this year’s race:

Dennis Kucinich: 91.2 %
Lyndon H. Larouche Jr: 91.0 %
Ralph Nader: 90.3 %
Al Sharpton: 91.2 %
Carol Moseley Braun: 92.5 %
Wesley Clark: 70.8 %
Howard Dean: 92.6 %
John Edwards: 87.8 %
Dick Gephardt: 89.2 %
Bob Graham: 87.1 %
Joe Lieberman: 92.5 %

(You can see a single page which compares each candidate’s disclosure statistics here.)

So other than Wes Clark, Kerry’s campaign is significantly below (by over 10%) any other candidate (even the less-than-serious-ones) in this year’s race.

I’m not a campaign finance expert, so I don’t really know what to make of this. Since the data comes from contributors themselves it isn’t clear to me whether you can really fault the Kerry campaign for the deficiency —- unless they are supposed to refuse contributions that don’t provide adequate disclosure. Campaign finance experts, please chime in here anytime…

Originally posted at The Truth Laid Bear.

Swift Boat, The Sequel

CNN reports that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth released a new TV ad:

If you liked the original, you’ll love “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth 2,” the new TV ad released this morning that responds to enemy fire the anti-Kerry group has drawn this week.

The ad will go up in “selected states” next week, presumably in the same three battleground states where they launched their first 30-second spot August 5 — Wisconsin, Ohio and West Virginia.

From California Yankee.

Vets To Stage Anti-Kerry Protest

United Press International reports that Vietnam Vets for the Truth is planning a Capitol Hill protest next month focusing on Kerry’s allegations that U.S. forces committed atrocities in Vietnam:

Former Capt. Larry Boyle, a Navy Seal in Vietnam, said the demonstration was “to force the media to address the issue of those lies. We aren’t even going to utter the name Bush or tell people not to vote for Kerry, just purely focus on the eight or nine lies he told about the baby killers, the torturers, etc.”

From California Yankee.

Kerry To Bush: "Bring it on!"

Kerry, via CNN:

“Of course, the president keeps telling people he would never question my service to our country. Instead, he watches as a Republican-funded attack group does just that. Well, if he wants to have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: Bring it on!”

Critic's own military record casts doubts on claims

In making the case against John Kerry’s record in Vietnam, Swift boat vet John Thurlow has claimed that Kerry’s Bronze Star citation as “totally fabricated,” saying “I never heard a shot.” However, the AP is reporting in the Boston Globe and elsewhere that Thurlow’s own Bronze Star citation came in the same engagement and that he came under “constant small arms fire.”

Thurlow, also like Kerry, commanded a Navy Swift boat during the war. Thurlow swore in an affidavit last month that Kerry was “not under fire” when he rescued Lt. James Rassmann from the Bay Hap River.

Thurlow’s records, obtained by the Post under the Freedom of Information Act, include references to “enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire” directed at all five boats in the flotilla that day. In his Bronze Star citation, Thurlow is praised for helping a damaged Swift boat “despite enemy bullets flying about him.”

Kerry Wins Off Script?

The Washington Post reports that Kerry’s been increasingly going “off-script” during his stump speeches, and that it’s proof that he’s making progress in connecting to voters.

Kerry Disputes Cambodian Allegations

The Boston Globe, reports that “Kerry is disputing an allegation made by a group of veterans opposed to his presidential candidacy that he never operated inside Cambodia during the Vietnam War:”

“During John Kerry’s service in Vietnam, many times he was on or near the Cambodian border and on one occasion crossed into Cambodia at the request of members of a special operations group operating out of Ha Tien,” Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan said in a statement. The statement did not say when the cross-border mission took place.

[. . .]

James Wasser, who accompanied Kerry on that mission aboard patrol boat No. 44 and who supports Kerry’s candidacy, said that while he believes they were “very, very close” to Cambodia, he did not think they entered Cambodia on that mission. Yet he added: “It is very hard to tell. There are no signs.”

Another crewmate who said he was with Kerry on Christmas Eve, Steven Gardner — who is a member of the veterans group opposing Kerry’s candidacy — said Kerry was 50 miles from Cambodia at the time. He accused Kerry of lying about being in Cambodia or by the border. “Never happened,” Gardner said.

Separately, according to Meehan’s statement, Kerry crossed into Cambodia on a covert mission to drop off special operations forces. In an interview, Meehan said there was no paperwork for such missions and he could not supply a date. That makes it hard to ascertain or confirm what happened. Kerry served on two swift boats, the No. 44 in December 1968 and January 1969, and the No. 94, from February to March 1969.

Michael Medeiros, who served aboard the No. 94 with Kerry and appeared with him at the Democratic National Convention, vividly recalled an occasion on which Kerry and the crew chased an enemy to the Cambodian border but did not go beyond the border. Yet Medeiros said he could not recall dropping off special forces in Cambodia or going inside Cambodia with Kerry.

Poll: 75 percent of U.S. Jews say will vote for Kerry

HAARETZ: Poll: 75 percent of U.S. Jews say will vote for Kerry

75 percent of Jewish American voters will vote for Democratic candidate John Kerry in the upcoming November elections, a survey revealed on Monday.

According to the study summoned by the National Jewish Democratic Council and published on Monday, 75 percent of Jews polled said they would vote for Kerry while only 22 percent said they would re-elect President George W. Bush.

The results contradict Republicans’ claims that American Jewry is facing an historic change in voting habits, leading to mass support of Bush in the upcoming elections.

Mass. Republicans Eye Kerry's Senate Seat

AP: Mass. Republicans Eye Kerry’s Senate Seat

Massachusetts Republicans, while supportive of President Bush (news - web sites)’s re-election, are mindful of the opportunity created should John Kerry (news - web sites) beat him in November’s election: the state’s first Senate vacancy in two decades and a chance to break the Democratic monopoly on its 12-member delegation in Congress.

“We don’t think there’s going to be a race because we all feel that President Bush has the right agenda and the right message and he’s going to win in November,” said Timothy O’Brien, executive director of the state Republican Party.

Still, “in the case there is a race, we’re going to recruit the best candidate,” he said.

In the small universe of Massachusetts Republicans, the options are limited but strong, GOP insiders say.

Among the names mentioned are: Gov. Mitt Romney and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey; White House chief of staff Andy Card, a former state lawmaker; former U.S. Attorney Wayne Budd; former Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin; Bush fund-raiser Chris Egan, and GOP activist and attorney Gloria Larson.

Reports that former Gov. William Weld, who nearly unseated Kerry in 1996, is house-hunting in the state has fueled speculation that he’s interested in running again. Weld, who lives in New York City, did not return calls for comment.

Kerry Gains In Several Polls

The LA Times also summarizes a series of polls which suggest Kerry has slight leads in a number of purple states, even as the Bush campaign becomes increasingly aggressive.

London Telegraph Picks Up "Christmas in Cambodia" Story

Following a by-now familiar pattern, charges that John Kerry has for years been repeating a false story about spending Christmas of 1968 on an illegal mission inside Cambodia (at a time when the United States was officially denying having troops inside Cambodia) have now spread from the blogosphere, the Drudge Report, conservative opinion sites and the New York Post and FOX News to the London Telegraph. The Telegraph also picks up the broader story of the charges made by the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.” It remains to be seen if the U.S. print media will follow suit, although the broader “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” story has already been covered on TV by Nightline and The Daily Show.

Developing . . .

Kerry: "I Have Been Consistent All Along"

Bloomberg reports that Kerry, responding to criticism from President Bush that Kerry has changed position on Iraq, told supporters he’s been “consistent:”

“The Bush folks are trying to say that we’ve changed positions, this and that,” Kerry told a rally at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas yesterday. “I have been consistent all along, ladies and gentlemen.”

From California Yankee.

Shipmates: Kerry's Cambodia "Mission" Never Happened

The New York Post reports on the charge, in “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry,” that Kerry’s claim that he was ordered to conduct an illegal combat mission in Cambodia on Christmas Day in 1968 never happened.

From California Yankee.

Kerry’s NH story lacks key details

The Manchester Union Leader reports:

Sen. John Kerry often tells a story about John and Mary Ann Knowles. The Democratic Presidential nominee points to this local couple’s difficulties as evidence of the failure of the Bush administration’s health care policies.

Kerry gave the story big play throughout the primary and caucus races in New Hampshire and Iowa, the influential early states that launched him to the Democratic nomination. At the time, the Hudson couple appeared in Kerry campaign commercials, and their names cropped up often in the candidate’s speeches.

Continue Reading

Allies Not in Formation on Kerry's Troops Plan

LA Times reports that Kerry’s plan for bringing foreign troops to replace American troops in Iraq is unrealistic:

…Kerry’s plan, which promises to effectively shift much of the Iraq war burden from America to its allies, so far is failing to receive the international support the proposal must have to succeed.

At this point, he said, many of the allies think it would be better to concentrate on providing help directly to the new Iraqi government to improve its chances of creating a stable democracy.

Kerry's Goal of Independence From Middle East Oil Divides Advisers

The New York Times reports that Kerry’s goal of independence from middle east oil has divided his most experienced energy advisers:

Some advisers say they worry that Mr. Kerry’s focus on freeing the United States from reliance on oil from the Persian Gulf, the linchpin of the energy plan he released on Thursday, is unrealistic and misleading and that hammering away at it would erode Mr. Kerry’s credibility with business, the news media and other countries.

The advisers, who include independent analysts, former staff members from Congress and the Clinton administration, and a few industry executives, contend that Mr. Kerry’s regular jabs at Saudi Arabia in particular could be construed by many in the Middle East as anti-Arab, at a time when the United States may need the help of other Arab nations to improve the situation in Iraq.

“It goes down well in Omaha, so they use it,” said one expert from the oil sector who advises the campaign and who, like other advisers, spoke on condition of anonymity. “Though there are people who say that this is irresponsible, asinine so don’t use it.”

Democrats' Religious Coordinator Resigns

The Associated Press reports that “the director of religious outreach for the Democratic Party says she resigned this week because of criticism over her support for removing the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.”

According to the Washington Times “the Rev. Brenda Bartella Peterson is the second Democratic official to resign under pressure from the New York-based Catholic League.”

From California Yankee.

Veteran retracts criticism of Kerry

The Boston Globe is reporting:

A week after Senator John F. Kerry heralded his wartime experience by surrounding himself at the Democratic convention with his Vietnam ”Band of Brothers,” a separate group of veterans has launched a television ad campaign and a book that questions the basis for some of Kerry’s combat medals.

But yesterday, a key figure in the anti-Kerry campaign, Kerry’s former commanding officer, backed off one of the key contentions. Lieutenant Commander George Elliott said in an interview that he had made a ”terrible mistake” in signing an affidavit that suggests Kerry did not deserve the Silver Star — one of the main allegations in the book. The affidavit was given to The Boston Globe by the anti-Kerry group to justify assertions in their ad and book.

Elliott is quoted as saying that Kerry ”lied about what occurred in Vietnam . . . for example, in connection with his Silver Star, I was never informed that he had simply shot a wounded, fleeing Viet Cong in the back.”

The statement refers to an episode in which Kerry killed a Viet Cong soldier who had been carrying a rocket launcher, part of a chain of events that formed the basis of his Silver Star. Over time, some Kerry critics have questioned whether the soldier posed a danger to Kerry’s crew. Crew members have said Kerry’s actions saved their lives.
Yesterday, reached at his home, Elliott said he regretted signing the affidavit and said he still thinks Kerry deserved the Silver Star.
“I still don’t think he shot the guy in the back,” Elliott said. “It was a terrible mistake probably for me to sign the affidavit with those words. I’m the one in trouble here.”

Elliott said he was no under personal or political pressure to sign the statement, but he did feel “time pressure” from those involved in the book. “That’s no excuse,” Elliott said. “I knew it was wrong . . . In a hurry I signed it and faxed it back. That was a mistake.”
The affidavit also contradicted earlier statements by Elliott, who came to Boston during Kerry’s 1996 Senate campaign to defend Kerry on similar charges, saying that Kerry acted properly and deserved the Silver Star.

The book, “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry,” is to be published next week. Yesterday it reached number one on the bestseller list on Amazon.com, based on advance orders, in part because of publicity about it on the Drudge Report.

UPDATE : [AEBrain] The “retraction” is now reported as being bogus. See succeeding post for details.

UPDATE 2: [TCP Alan] I’ve removed the emphases from the story segment above as they were not in the original.

UPDATE 3: I object to AEBrain editorializing my post. Yes, some have reported that the retraction is “bogus.” However, the original source of this article, the Boston Globe, states the following:

Globe Editor Martin Baron released a statement saying “the Globe stands by the article. The quotes attributed to Mr. Elliott were on the record and absolutely accurate.”
In 1996, when Kerry was running for Senate reelection and faced questions about the circumstances in which he shot the Viet Cong fighter, Elliott came to Boston and defended Kerry, saying he deserved the Silver Star.

If I were to post a statement on someone else’s post, saying that a different source was reporting something differently, I would be attacked to no end. And rightfully so. I don’t think the proper form here is to cross post editorials on other poster’s sites. Make a post showing that someone else has come out on the other side. I’m sure this is not the last time this will happen before the election.

BTW, I wish to point out that AE Brain was completely upfront and sent me an email saying that he would be adding something to my post. I just think it is a bad precedent.

Kerry 's Naval Career (By those who served with him)

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group of Vietnam Vets some of whom actually served with John Kerry, have just released a damning indictment of him in the form of a Political Ad.

Louis Letson: “I know John Kerry is lying about his first Purple Heart because I treated him for that injury.”

Van O’Dell: “John Kerry lied to get his bronze star … I know, I was there, I saw what happened.”

The SwiftVet.com website has it in Quicktime format and others.

A Streaming Windows media version is also available here.

A critical look at some of the SwiftVet’s sponsors is at the Disinfopedia, but even it notes :

The Swift Boat Vets for Truth include the entire chain of command above Kerry: Lt. Commander Grant Hibbard, Lt. Commander George Elliott, Captain Charles Plumly, Captain Adrian Lonsdale USCG (retired) and Rear Admiral Hoffmann (retired), as well as enlisted men, officers, men who served with Mr. Kerry, men who served in the same group of Swift boats and men intimately familiar with the operations and conduct of Swift boat operations during the war.

Another view of Kerry’s Naval Career is to be found on page 16 of the July 2004 dead-tree edition of the US Naval Institute Proceedings, which I have a subscription to for professional reasons.

From Captain James F. Kelly, USN (retired) :

John Kerry and I were shipmates in the guided-missile cruiser USS Gridley (CG-21) in 1967 and 1968. He served as first lieutenant, the officer in charge of the deck division, and I was executive officer. [ie the 2nd in command of the ship - AEB] I remember him as a serious and intelligent young ensign, seemingly mature beyond his years. The skipper and I were mightiliy impressed with him despite his inexperience.
[…]
..John Kerry’s performance in all aspects of his duty was outstanding. Drafting his fitness report was an exercise in superlatives. In fact, of the 30 or so officers, I counted him in the top half dozen, no mean feat for an ensign.

I tried to interest him in a naval career. Silly me! It was obvious that he had bigger fish to fry. I drafted a favourable endorsement to his request for swift boat duty on the rivers of Vietnam, where he distinguished himself in combat. Before he left, he gave me his bridge coat and several other uniform items, saying that he wouldn’t be needing them in the “brown water” Navy. Aside from a Christmas card and an aborted telephone call, I didn’t hear further from John until I read about his antiwar antics, including his appearance with Jane Fonda and the famous episode of throwing medals onto the steps of the Capitol during a protest. While he was protesting agaisnt the war, many of us were still fighting it. Many of us feel betrayed that one of our own, a decorated hero, would give comfort to the enemy by his actions.

UPDATE : the actual Quicktime File (3.4 MB) address of the SwiftVets Ad is http://www.swiftvets.com/anyquestions.mov if you have any difficulty playing it in your browser - just save, then open it.

UPDATE : More damning comments from naval personnel about Kerry. On the other hand, from the same source there’s also an analysis debunking some of the claims about Kerry’s war medals being bogus. (Hat Tip : Reader Lakhim )

Kerry better qualified to be commander in chief, poll says

Buried later down in one of the articles about Kerry’s lack of a bounce.

The Massachusetts senator gained five to eight points among registered voters on issues and attributes alike, while Bush lost about as many. And after a convention that focused heavily on his military experience in Vietnam, Kerry leads Bush as “better qualified to be commander-in-chief,” by 52 percent to 44 percent.

Perhaps most critically, Kerry solidified more of his support. He sharply boosted the level of enthusiasm among his supporters; made some progress on being more than “not Bush” (but needs more); and produced a solid increase in his “strong” support, up 13 points to 85 percent, now on par with Bush.

While Kerry won some ground on Iraq, his gains occurred disproportionately among people who say the economy is the most important issue in their vote — making the economy look increasingly likely to be the tipping point in this election.

John Kerry On The Democratic Deficit

During the Democratic convention Ed Rendell described to me how the Democratic party has worked since the late 1980s to become the party of strong foriegn policy. In this March, 2003 by-lined Foreign Policy article John Kerry tried to drive the point home.

Democrats must resist a new orthodoxy within our party—a politically stagnating shift that does a disservice to more than 75 years of history. That is the new conventional wisdom of consultants, pollsters, and strategists who argue that Democrats should be the party of domestic issues alone.

They are wrong. As a party, Democrats need to talk about all the things that strengthen and protect the United States. We need to have a vision that extends to the world around us, and we should remember that this vision is as old as our party. Woodrow Wilson was elected president during a time of peace, but he led during a time of war. Franklin Roosevelt was elected to tackle the Great Depression, create Social Security, and put the United States back to work. But no one should forget that he did those things even as he responded to Pearl Harbor and marshaled the nation’s troops from Normandy to Iwo Jima. And John F. Kennedy didn’t try to change the subject of the debate when Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president brought up foreign policy. Kennedy challenged the United States globally, insisting that the country do more and better, not because these things are easy but because they are hard.

It’s our turn again to talk about things that are hard.

Read the rest.

Heinz Kerry: 4 More Years of Bush = "Four More Years Of Hell"

This from India’s Deepikaglobal / Reuters:

Discussing the war in Iraq, Heinz Kerry subtly questioned Republican President George W. Bush’s intellect, saying: “It’s vital for anyone with intelligence to acknowledge mistakes and change positions — hello.” When a Bush supporter with a bullhorn shouted “four more years” from the back of a large crowd packed into a downtown Milwaukee park, Heinz Kerry, who was introducing her husband, responded: “They want four more years of hell.” “Three more months!,” she declared, referring to the Nov. 2 presidential election.

Yeah … shove it!

Kerry Pledges Iraq Troop Cut Within 4 Years

The Washington Post reports that Kerry pledged Sunday to substantially reduce U.S. troop strength in Iraq by the end of his first term in office. He declined to offer details, however. Reports the Post:

In interviews on television talk shows, the Democratic presidential nominee said that he saw no reason to send more troops to Iraq and that he would seek allied support to draw down U.S. forces there. “I will have significant, enormous reduction in the level of troops,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Kerry accused President Bush of misleading the country before the war in Iraq, burning bridges with U.S. allies and having no plan to win peace. But when questioned about saying Thursday in his acceptance speech, “I know what we have to do in Iraq,” he would not tip his hand.

“I’ve been involved in this for a long time, longer than George Bush,” he said. “I’ve spent 20 years negotiating, working, fighting for different kinds of treaties and different relationships around the world. I know that as president there’s huge leverage that will be available to me, enormous cards to play, and I’m not going to play them in public. I’m not going to play them before I’m president.”

There’s also this:

Reminded that he sounded like Richard M. Nixon, who campaigned in 1968 by saying he had a secret plan to end the war in Vietnam, Kerry responded: “I don’t care what it sounds like. The fact is that I’m not going to negotiate in public today without the presidency, without the power.”

The Greatest Form Of Flattery

The Christian Science Monitor notes the Kerry team is approaching the post-convention push using plays oddly similar to those from the 2000 Bush campaign playbook.

Crossing the country on a two-week “Believe in America” tour through key battleground states, he’s bypassing most major cities for smaller towns, where Bush tends to have more support. He’s stressing Republican themes like values, trying to shift the definition away from things like abortion and gay marriage toward economic justice and personal conduct.

Kerry is even emulating aspects of Bush’s 2000 race against Vice President Al Gore, adopting variations of Bush’s own slogans. His promise to restore “trust and credibility” to the White House echoes Bush’s promise to restore “honor and dignity” in the wake of the Lewinsky scandals, and his refrain of “help is on the way” was formerly used by Vice President Dick Cheney. Sen. John Edwards’s variation, “hope is on the way,” is a close echo.

Jewish supporters aim at key states

A Massachusetts group of leading Jewish supporters of John Kerry’s candidacy will spread out across the country in the next three months, targeting presidential campaign battleground states to challenge President Bush’s perceived gains among a critical Democratic constituency.

A dozen or more Jewish civic and political officials — led by Steve Grossman, former chairman of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and Alan Solomont, Kerry’s New England finance chairman — will campaign in Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, where Jewish voters could well tip the balance and decide the presidential election.

Full story here.

Newsweek Poll Shows Small Bounce For Kerry

In an article entitled “A Baby Bounce?” Newsweek reports a new poll found only a small 4% bounce from the Democratic convention:

Coming out of the Democratic National Convention in Boston, Sen. John Kerry now holds a seven-point lead over President George W. Bush in a three-way race with independent Ralph Nader, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. Three weeks ago, Kerry’s lead was three points.

[. . .]

Kerry’s four-point “bounce” is the smallest in the history of the NEWSWEEK poll.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Campaign Stops Includes Awkward Moment With Marines

John Kerry, stopping at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant, talked to a few Marines who happened to be Bush supporters:

Spotting a group of US Marines, Kerry, who has made his Vietnam War service a cornerstone of his campaign, went over to chat. The Marines, who all turned out to be staunch Bush reporters, were not impressed.

“He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands,” one of them told reporters afterwards. “I’m 100 percent against” Kerry, he said. “We support our commander-in-chief 100 percent.”

Said another:

A sergeant with 10 years of service under his belt said, “I speak for all of us. We think that we are doing the right thing in Iraq,” before saying he is to be deployed there in a few weeks and is “eager” to go and serve.

Bush Goes After Kerry's Record

The AP’s article shows Bush questioning Kerry’s Senate record:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - President Bush attacked John Kerry’s 19-year record in the Senate on Friday, answering the Democratic convention mantra “America can do better” with a new GOP refrain: “Results matter.”

Bush repeated the slogan to crowds here and in Springfield, Mo., the first two stops on a swing through four key election states. He also is campaigning in Ohio and Pennsylvania, wrapping up his latest tour with a rally Saturday in Pittsburgh, just hours after Kerry speaks in a nearby suburb.

“After 19 years in the U.S. Senate, my opponent has had thousands of votes, but few signature achievements,” Bush told supporters who waved large blue and red cutouts of the letter “W.”

“During eight years on the Senate intelligence committee, he voted to cut the intelligence budget, yet he had no record of reforming America’s intelligence capability,” said Bush, whose advisers are combing the Sept. 11 commission’s recommendations to revamp the nation’s intelligence-gathering ability.

Kerry Favors Trying Bin Laden In U.S. Court

The Associated Press reports that Kerry favors trying Osama bin Laden in U.S. courts:

“I want him tried for murder in New York City, and in Virginia and in Pennsylvania,” where planes hijacked by al-Qaida operatives crashed Sept. 11, 2001, Kerry said in his first interview as the Democratic presidential nominee.

From California Yankee.

Kerry assures Sharon of his commitment to Israel's security

HAARETZ: Kerry assures Sharon of his commitment to Israel’s security

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday assured Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of his commitment to Israel’s security, aides to Kerry said.

Kerry made the comments during a phone call from Sharon to congratulate him on his official nomination as the Democratic candidate in November’s presidential elections.

The Massachusetts senator also offered his condolences for the suicide attack on the Israeli embassy in Uzbekistan earlier in the day, in which two Uzbeki members of the embassy’s security team were killed.

Full Speech Text: John Kerry

Chaos here. This from the DNC:

We are here tonight because we love our country. We are proud of what America is and what it can become.

My fellow Americans: we are here tonight united in one simple purpose: to make America stronger at home and respected in the world.

A great American novelist wrote that you can’t go home again. He could not have imagined this evening. Tonight, I am home. Home where my public life began and those who made it possible live. Home where our nation’s history was written in blood, idealism, and hope. Home where my parents showed me the values of family, faith, and country.

Thank you, all of you, for a welcome home I will never forget.

I wish my parents could share this moment. They went to their rest in the last few years, but their example, their inspiration, their gift of open eyes, open mind, and endless world are bigger and more lasting than any words.

I was born in Colorado, in Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, when my dad was a pilot in World War II. Now, I’m not one to read into things, but guess which wing of the hospital the maternity ward was in? I’m not making this up. I was born in the West Wing!

My mother was the rock of our family as so many mothers are. She stayed up late to help me do my homework. She sat by my bed when I was sick, and she answered the questions of a child who, like all children, found the world full of wonders and mysteries.

She was my den mother when I was a Cub Scout and she was so proud of her fifty year pin as a Girl Scout leader. She gave me her passion for the environment. She taught me to see trees as the cathedrals of nature. And by the power of her example, she showed me that we can and must finish the march toward full equality for all women in our country.

My dad did the things that a boy remembers. He gave me my first model airplane, my first baseball mitt and my first bicycle. He also taught me that we are here for something bigger than ourselves; he lived out the responsibilities and sacrifices of the greatest generation to whom we owe so much.

When I was a young man, he was in the State Department, stationed in Berlin when it and the world were divided between democracy and communism. I have unforgettable memories of being a kid mesmerized by the British, French, and American troops, each of them guarding their own part of the city, and Russians standing guard on the stark line separating East from West. On one occasion, I rode my bike into Soviet East Berlin. And when I proudly told my dad, he promptly grounded me.

But what I learned has stayed with me for a lifetime. I saw how different life was on different sides of the same city. I saw the fear in the eyes of people who were not free. I saw the gratitude of people toward the United States for all that we had done. I felt goose bumps as I got off a military train and heard the Army band strike up “Stars and Stripes Forever.” I learned what it meant to be America at our best. I learned the pride of our freedom. And I am determined now to restore that pride to all who look to America.

Mine were greatest generation parents. And as I thank them, we all join together to thank that whole generation for making America strong, for winning World War II, winning the Cold War, and for the great gift of service which brought America fifty years of peace and prosperity.

My parents inspired me to serve, and when I was a junior in high school, John Kennedy called my generation to service. It was the beginning of a great journey - a time to march for civil rights, for voting rights, for the environment, for women, and for peace. We believed we could change the world. And you know what? We did.

But we’re not finished. The journey isn’t complete. The march isn’t over. The promise isn’t perfected. Tonight, we’re setting out again. And together, we’re going to write the next great chapter of America’s story.

We have it in our power to change the world again. But only if we’re true to our ideals - and that starts by telling the truth to the American people. That is my first pledge to you tonight. As President, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House.

I ask you to judge me by my record: As a young prosecutor, I fought for victim’s rights and made prosecuting violence against women a priority. When I came to the Senate, I broke with many in my own party to vote for a balanced budget, because I thought it was the right thing to do. I fought to put a 100,000 cops on the street.

And then I reached across the aisle to work with John McCain, to find the truth about our POW’s and missing in action, and to finally make peace with Vietnam.

I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war. I will have a Vice President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a Secretary of Defense who will listen to the best advice of our military leaders. And I will appoint an Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States.

My fellow Americans, this is the most important election of our lifetime. The stakes are high. We are a nation at war - a global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we have ever known before. And here at home, wages are falling, health care costs are rising, and our great middle class is shrinking. People are working weekends; they’re working two jobs, three jobs, and they’re still not getting ahead.

We’re told that outsourcing jobs is good for America. We’re told that new jobs that pay $9,000 less than the jobs that have been lost is the best we can do. They say this is the best economy we’ve ever had. And they say that anyone who thinks otherwise is a pessimist. Well, here is our answer: There is nothing more pessimistic than saying America can’t do better.

We can do better and we will. We’re the optimists. For us, this is a country of the future. We’re the can do people. And let’s not forget what we did in the 1990s. We balanced the budget. We paid down the debt. We created 23 million new jobs. We lifted millions out of poverty and we lifted the standard of living for the middle class. We just need to believe in ourselves - and we can do it again.

So tonight, in the city where America’s freedom began, only a few blocks from where the sons and daughters of liberty gave birth to our nation - here tonight, on behalf of a new birth of freedom - on behalf of the middle class who deserve a champion, and those struggling to join it who deserve a fair shot - for the brave men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day and the families who pray for their return - for all those who believe our best days are ahead of us - for all of you - with great faith in the American people, I accept your nomination for President of the United States.

I am proud that at my side will be a running mate whose life is the story of the American dream and who’s worked every day to make that dream real for all Americans - Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. And his wonderful wife Elizabeth and their family. This son of a mill worker is ready to lead - and next January, Americans will be proud to have a fighter for the middle class to succeed Dick Cheney as Vice President of the United States.

And what can I say about Teresa? She has the strongest moral compass of anyone I know. She’s down to earth, nurturing, courageous, wise and smart. She speaks her mind and she speaks the truth, and I love her for that, too. And that’s why America will embrace her as the next First Lady of the United States.

For Teresa and me, no matter what the future holds or the past has given us, nothing will ever mean as much as our children. We love them not just for who they are and what they’ve become, but for being themselves, making us laugh, holding our feet to the fire, and never letting me get away with anything. Thank you, Andre, Alex, Chris, Vanessa, and John.

And in this journey, I am accompanied by an extraordinary band of brothers led by that American hero, a patriot named Max Cleland. Our band of brothers doesn’t march together because of who we are as veterans, but because of what we learned as soldiers. We fought for this nation because we loved it and we came back with the deep belief that every day is extra. We may be a little older now, we may be a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country.

And standing with us in that fight are those who shared with me the long season of the primary campaign: Carol Moseley Braun, General Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, Dick Gephardt, Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman and Al Sharpton.

To all of you, I say thank you for teaching me and testing me - but mostly, we say thank you for standing up for our country and giving us the unity to move America forward.

My fellow Americans, the world tonight is very different from the world of four years ago. But I believe the American people are more than equal to the challenge.

Remember the hours after September 11th, when we came together as one to answer the attack against our homeland. We drew strength when our firefighters ran up the stairs and risked their lives, so that others might live. When rescuers rushed into smoke and fire at the Pentagon. When the men and women of Flight 93 sacrificed themselves to save our nation’s Capitol. When flags were hanging from front porches all across America, and strangers became friends. It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us.

I am proud that after September 11th all our people rallied to President Bush’s call for unity to meet the danger. There were no Democrats. There were no Republicans. There were only Americans. How we wish it had stayed that way.

Now I know there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities - and I do - because some issues just aren’t all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn’t make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn’t make it so. And proclaiming mission accomplished certainly doesn’t make it so.

As President, I will ask hard questions and demand hard evidence. I will immediately reform the intelligence system - so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics. And as President, I will bring back this nation’s time-honored tradition: the United States of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to.

I know what kids go through when they are carrying an M-16 in a dangerous place and they can’t tell friend from foe. I know what they go through when they’re out on patrol at night and they don’t know what’s coming around the next bend. I know what it’s like to write letters home telling your family that everything’s all right when you’re not sure that’s true.

As President, I will wage this war with the lessons I learned in war. Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say: “I tried everything possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into harm’s way. But we had no choice. We had to protect the American people, fundamental American values from a threat that was real and imminent.” So lesson one, this is the only justification for going to war.

And on my first day in office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: You will never be asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace.

I know what we have to do in Iraq. We need a President who has the credibility to bring our allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American taxpayers, and reduce the risk to American soldiers. That’s the right way to get the job done and bring our troops home.

Here is the reality: that won’t happen until we have a president who restores America’s respect and leadership — so we don’t have to go it alone in the world.

And we need to rebuild our alliances, so we can get the terrorists before they get us.

I defended this country as a young man and I will defend it as President. Let there be no mistake: I will never hesitate to use force when it is required. Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response. I will never give any nation or international institution a veto over our national security. And I will build a stronger American military.

We will add 40,000 active duty troops - not in Iraq, but to strengthen American forces that are now overstretched, overextended, and under pressure. We will double our special forces to conduct anti-terrorist operations. We will provide our troops with the newest weapons and technology to save their lives - and win the battle. And we will end the backdoor draft of National Guard and reservists.

To all who serve in our armed forces today, I say, help is on the way.

As President, I will fight a smarter, more effective war on terror. We will deploy every tool in our arsenal: our economic as well as our military might; our principles as well as our firepower.

In these dangerous days there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong. Strength is more than tough words. After decades of experience in national security, I know the reach of our power and I know the power of our ideals.

We need to make America once again a beacon in the world. We need to be looked up to and not just feared.

We need to lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation - to keep the most dangerous weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands in the world.

We need a strong military and we need to lead strong alliances. And then, with confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the terrorists: You will lose and we will win. The future doesn’t belong to fear; it belongs to freedom.

And the front lines of this battle are not just far away - they’re right here on our shores, at our airports, and potentially in any town or city. Today, our national security begins with homeland security. The 9-11 Commission has given us a path to follow, endorsed by Democrats, Republicans, and the 9-11 families. As President, I will not evade or equivocate; I will immediately implement the recommendations of that commission. We shouldn’t be letting ninety-five percent of container ships come into our ports without ever being physically inspected. We shouldn’t be leaving our nuclear and chemical plants without enough protection. And we shouldn’t be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States of America.

And tonight, we have an important message for those who question the patriotism of Americans who offer a better direction for our country. Before wrapping themselves in the flag and shutting their eyes and ears to the truth, they should remember what America is really all about. They should remember the great idea of freedom for which so many have given their lives. Our purpose now is to reclaim democracy itself. We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism.

You see that flag up there. We call her Old Glory. The stars and stripes forever. I fought under that flag, as did so many of you here and all across our country. That flag flew from the gun turret right behind my head. It was shot through and through and tattered, but it never ceased to wave in the wind. It draped the caskets of men I served with and friends I grew up with. For us, that flag is the most powerful symbol of who we are and what we believe in. Our strength. Our diversity. Our love of country. All that makes America both great and good.

That flag doesn’t belong to any president. It doesn’t belong to any ideology and it doesn’t belong to any political party. It belongs to all the American people.

My fellow citizens, elections are about choices. And choices are about values. In the end, it’s not just policies and programs that matter; the president who sits at that desk must be guided by principle.

For four years, we’ve heard a lot of talk about values. But values spoken without actions taken are just slogans. Values are not just words. They’re what we live by. They’re about the causes we champion and the people we fight for. And it is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families.

You don’t value families by kicking kids out of after school programs and taking cops off our streets, so that Enron can get another tax break.

We believe in the family value of caring for our children and protecting the neighborhoods where they walk and play.

And that is the choice in this election.

You don’t value families by denying real prescription drug coverage to seniors, so big drug companies can get another windfall.

We believe in the family value expressed in one of the oldest Commandments: “Honor thy father and thy mother.” As President, I will not privatize Social Security. I will not cut benefits. And together, we will make sure that senior citizens never have to cut their pills in half because they can’t afford life-saving medicine.

And that is the choice in this election.

You don’t value families if you force them to take up a collection to buy body armor for a son or daughter in the service, if you deny veterans health care, or if you tell middle class families to wait for a tax cut, so that the wealthiest among us can get even more.

We believe in the value of doing what’s right for everyone in the American family.

And that is the choice in this election.

We believe that what matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as values, but the shared values that show the true face of America. Not narrow appeals that divide us, but shared values that unite us. Family and faith. Hard work and responsibility. Opportunity for all - so that every child, every parent, every worker has an equal shot at living up to their God-given potential.

What does it mean in America today when Dave McCune, a steel worker I met in Canton, Ohio, saw his job sent overseas and the equipment in his factory literally unbolted, crated up, and shipped thousands of miles away along with that job? What does it mean when workers I’ve met had to train their foreign replacements?

America can do better. So tonight we say: help is on the way.

What does it mean when Mary Ann Knowles, a woman with breast cancer I met in New Hampshire, had to keep working day after day right through her chemotherapy, no matter how sick she felt, because she was terrified of losing her family’s health insurance.

America can do better. And help is on the way.

What does it mean when Deborah Kromins from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania works and saves all her life only to find out that her pension has disappeared into thin air - and the executive who looted it has bailed out on a golden parachute?

America can do better. And help is on the way.

What does it mean when twenty five percent of the children in Harlem have asthma because of air pollution?

America can do better. And help is on the way.

What does it mean when people are huddled in blankets in the cold, sleeping in Lafayette Park on the doorstep of the White House itself - and the number of families living in poverty has risen by three million in the last four years?

America can do better. And help is on the way.

And so we come here tonight to ask: Where is the conscience of our country?

I’ll tell you where it is: it’s in rural and small town America; it’s in urban neighborhoods and suburban main streets; it’s alive in the people I’ve met in every part of this land. It’s bursting in the hearts of Americans who are determined to give our country back its values and its truth.

We value jobs that pay you more not less than you earned before. We value jobs where, when you put in a week’s work, you can actually pay your bills, provide for your children, and lift up the quality of your life. We value an America where the middle class is not being squeezed, but doing better.

So here is our economic plan to build a stronger America:
First, new incentives to revitalize manufacturing.

Second, investment in technology and innovation that will create the good- paying jobs of the future.

Third, close the tax loopholes that reward companies for shipping our jobs overseas. Instead, we will reward companies that create and keep good paying jobs where they belong - in the good old U.S.A.

We value an America that exports products, not jobs - and we believe American workers should never have to subsidize the loss of their own job.

Next, we will trade and compete in the world. But our plan calls for a fair playing field - because if you give the American worker a fair playing field, there’s nobody in the world the American worker can’t compete against.

And we’re going to return to fiscal responsibility because it is the foundation of our economic strength. Our plan will cut the deficit in half in four years by ending tax giveaways that are nothing more than corporate welfare - and will make government live by the rule that every family has to follow: pay as you go.

And let me tell you what we won’t do: we won’t raise taxes on the middle class. You’ve heard a lot of false charges about this in recent months. So let me say straight out what I will do as President: I will cut middle class taxes. I will reduce the tax burden on small business. And I will roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest individuals who make over $200,000 a year, so we can invest in job creation, health care and education.

Our education plan for a stronger America sets high standards and demands accountability from parents, teachers, and schools. It provides for smaller class sizes and treats teachers like the professionals they are. And it gives a tax credit to families for each and every year of college.

When I was a prosecutor, I met young kids who were in trouble, abandoned by adults. And as President, I am determined that we stop being a nation content to spend $50,000 a year to keep a young person in prison for the rest of their life - when we could invest $10,000 to give them Head Start, Early Start, Smart Start, the best possible start in life.

And we value health care that’s affordable and accessible for all Americans.

Since 2000, four million people have lost their health insurance. Millions more are struggling to afford it.

You know what’s happening. Your premiums, your co-payments, your deductibles have all gone through the roof.

Our health care plan for a stronger America cracks down on the waste, greed, and abuse in our health care system and will save families up to $1,000 a year on their premiums. You’ll get to pick your own doctor - and patients and doctors, not insurance company bureaucrats, will make medical decisions. Under our plan, Medicare will negotiate lower drug prices for seniors. And all Americans will be able to buy less expensive prescription drugs from countries like Canada.

The story of people struggling for health care is the story of so many Americans. But you know what, it’s not the story of senators and members of Congress. Because we give ourselves great health care and you get the bill. Well, I’m here to say, your family’s health care is just as important as any politician’s in Washington, D.C.

And when I’m President, America will stop being the only advanced nation in the world which fails to understand that health care is not a privilege for the wealthy, the connected, and the elected - it is a right for all Americans.

We value an America that controls its own destiny because it’s finally and forever independent of Mideast oil. What does it mean for our economy and our national security when we only have three percent of the world’s oil reserves, yet we rely on foreign countries for fifty-three percent of what we consume?

I want an America that relies on its own ingenuity and innovation - not the Saudi royal family.

And our energy plan for a stronger America will invest in new technologies and alternative fuels and the cars of the future — so that no young American in uniform will ever be held hostage to our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

I’ve told you about our plans for the economy, for education, for health care, for energy independence. I want you to know more about them. So now I’m going to say something that Franklin Roosevelt could never have said in his acceptance speech: go to johnkerry.com.

I want to address these next words directly to President George W. Bush: In the weeks ahead, let’s be optimists, not just opponents. Let’s build unity in the American family, not angry division. Let’s honor this nation’s diversity; let’s respect one another; and let’s never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.

My friends, the high road may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And that’s why Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not small-minded attacks. This is our time to reject the kind of politics calculated to divide race from race, group from group, region from region. Maybe some just see us divided into red states and blue states, but I see us as one America - red, white, and blue. And when I am President, the government I lead will enlist people of talent, Republicans as well as Democrats, to find the common ground - so that no one who has something to contribute will be left on the sidelines.

And let me say it plainly: in that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith. America is not us and them. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I want to say this to you tonight: I don’t wear my own faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday. I don’t want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God’s side. And whatever our faith, one belief should bind us all: The measure of our character is our willingness to give of ourselves for others and for our country.

These aren’t Democratic values. These aren’t Republican values. They’re American values. We believe in them. They’re who we are. And if we honor them, if we believe in ourselves, we can build an America that’s stronger at home and respected in the world.

So much promise stretches before us. Americans have always reached for the impossible, looked to the next horizon, and asked: What if?

Two young bicycle mechanics from Dayton asked what if this airplane could take off at Kitty Hawk? It did that and changed the world forever. A young president asked what if we could go to the moon in ten years? And now we’re exploring the solar system and the stars themselves. A young generation of entrepreneurs asked, what if we could take all the information in a library and put it on a little chip the size of a fingernail? We did and that too changed the world forever.

And now it’s our time to ask: What if?

What if we find a breakthrough to cure Parkinson’s, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and AIDs? What if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders of discovery like stem cell research to treat illness and save millions of lives?

What if we do what adults should do - and make sure all our children are safe in the afternoons after school? And what if we have a leadership that’s as good as the American dream - so that bigotry and hatred never again steal the hope and future of any American?

I learned a lot about these values on that gunboat patrolling the Mekong Delta with young Americans who came from places as different as Iowa and Oregon, Arkansas, Florida and California. No one cared where we went to school. No one cared about our race or our backgrounds. We were literally all in the same boat. We looked out, one for the other - and we still do.

That is the kind of America I will lead as President - an America where we are all in the same boat.

Never has there been a more urgent moment for Americans to step up and define ourselves. I will work my heart out. But, my fellow citizens, the outcome is in your hands more than mine.

It is time to reach for the next dream. It is time to look to the next horizon. For America, the hope is there. The sun is rising. Our best days are still to come.

Goodnight, God bless you, and God bless America.

A Great Line

This wasn’t an applause line, and it came right after the “misuse the Constitution” line, which garnered thunderous applause … but I think it was some of the best, and most simple, prose in the speech:

My friends, the high road may be harder, but it leads to a better place.

Of course, this was pretty good, too, and it did get thunderous applause:

I don’t want to claim that God is on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on God’s side.

Recalling The Crisis Of Confidence Speech

I’m making this post during John Kerry’s acceptance speech. I’m a bit of a student of American 20th century presidential rhetoric, and in hearing Kerry deliver this tonight …

Well, here is our answer: There is nothing more pessimistic than saying America can’t do better.

We can do better and we will. We’re the optimists. For us, this is a country of the future. We’re the can do people. And let’s not forget what we did in the 1990s. We balanced the budget. We paid down the debt. We created 23 million new jobs. We lifted millions out of poverty and we lifted the standard of living for the middle class. We just need to believe in ourselves - and we can do it again.

… I was instantly reminded of this passage from Jimmy Carter’s “crisis of confidence” speech, delivered on 15 July 1979:

We ourselves are the same Americans who just ten years ago put a man on the moon. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality. And we are the generation that will win the war on the energy problem and in that process, rebuild the unity and confidence of America.

We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to choose. One is a path I’ve warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow interests ending in chaos and immobility. It is a certain route to failure.

All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all the promises of our future point to another path — the path of common purpose and the restoration of American values. That path leads to true freedom for our nation and ourselves.

I’m not saying Kerry is Carter … don’t take it that way. The Kerry language just recalled the Carter language, and I wanted to put them side-by-side as a point of comparison.

I’m going to spend the rest of the speech watching, not blogging …

Kerry Speaks

This speech is going well … his style is more relaxed than he often is on the stump … the crowd, of course, is rapt with attention …

Cleland Scores ...

… with this passage:

When we make John Kerry our next president, he will put America back on the long and steady road toward the vision of the country we fought for — a vision of the country we can become once again. A country that doesn’t alienate our allies, but works with them. A country that doesn’t lose jobs, but creates them. A country that doesn’t limit educational opportunity, but expands it. A country that doesn’t make health care less available, but more affordable. A country that doesn’t spoil our environment, but protects it. A country that is strong a country that is respected, a country that is worthy of generations of sacrifice, and our children’s highest hopes.

That is the America John Kerry volunteered to fight for. That is the America John Kerry will lead.

Had ‘em in the palm of his hand.

Countering Swiftvets.com

The right has made much of Swift Boat Veternas For Truth, a website in which veterans who knew Kerry during the Vietnam war take a stance against his candidacy. The Dems are taking their own stance tonight, with 12 or 13 Swift Boat veterans on stage, and about 40,000 Veterans for Kerry/Edwards signs in the crowd. And Max Cleland comes next.

Pre-released Excerpts From Kerry's Speech

This just came from the DCN via email:

My fellow Americans, this is the most important election of our lifetime. The stakes are high. We are a nation at war — a global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we have ever known before. And here at home, wages are falling, health care costs are rising, and our great middle class is shrinking. People are working weekends; they’re working two jobs, three jobs, and they’re still not getting ahead.

***

We can do better and we will. We’re the optimists. For us, this is a country of the future. We’re the can do people. And let’s not forget what we did in the 1990s. We balanced the budget. We paid down the debt. We created 23 million new jobs. We lifted millions out of poverty and we lifted the standard of living for the middle class. We just need to believe in ourselves — and we can do it again.

***

So tonight, in the city where America’s freedom began, only a few blocks from where the sons and daughters of liberty gave birth to our nation — here tonight, on behalf of a new birth of freedom — on behalf of the middle class who deserve a champion, and those struggling to join it who deserve a fair shot —- for the brave men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day and the families who pray for their return - for all those who believe our best days are ahead of us - for all of you — with great faith in the American people, I accept your nomination for President of the United States.

***

As president, I will ask hard questions and demand hard evidence. I will immediately reform the intelligence system - so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never distorted by politics. And as president, I will bring back this nation’s time-honored tradition: the United States of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to.

***

I defended this country as a young man and I will defend it as President. Let there be no mistake: I will never hesitate to use force when it is required. Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response. I will never give any nation or international institution a veto over our national security. And I will build a stronger American military.

***

In these dangerous days there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong. Strength is more than tough words. After decades of experience in national security, I know the reach of our power and I know the power of our ideals.

We need to make America once again a beacon in the world. We need to be looked up to and not just feared.

We need to lead a global effort against nuclear proliferation - to keep the most dangerous weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands in the world.

We need a strong military and we need to lead strong alliances. And then, with confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the terrorists: You will lose and we will win. The future doesn’t belong to fear; it belongs to freedom.

***

And the front lines of this battle are not just far away - they’re right here on our shores, at our airports, and potentially in any town or city. Today, our national security begins with homeland security. The 9-11 Commission has given us a path to follow, endorsed by Democrats, Republicans, and the 9-11 families. As president, I will not evade or equivocate; I will immediately implement the recommendations of that commission. We shouldn’t be letting ninety-five percent of container ships come into our ports without ever being physically inspected. We shouldn’t be leaving our nuclear and chemical plants without enough protection. And we shouldn’t be opening firehouses in Baghdad and closing them down in the United States of America.

***

My fellow citizens, elections are about choices. And choices are about values. In the end, it’s not just policies and programs that matter; the president who sits at that desk must be guided by principle.

For four years, we’ve heard a lot of talk about values. But values spoken without actions taken are just slogans. Values are not just words. They’re what we live by. They’re about the causes we champion and the people we fight for. And it is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families.

***

We value jobs that pay you more not less than you earned before. We value jobs where, when you put in a week’s work, you can actually pay your bills, provide for your children, and lift up the quality of your life. We value an America where the middle class is not being squeezed, but doing better.

The Kerry Speechwriting Process

USATODAY has a profile of the Kerry speechwriting process, and tells us that he alone wrote the first draft, longhand, before turning it over two his four-person speechwriting team. Snippet:

John Kerry could call upon a four-person campaign speechwriting team. He was paying Bob Shrum and other strategists with reputations for crafting sparkling lines. Family members and leading Democrats were eager to advise him on what to say.

But the nomination acceptance speech that Kerry delivers here Thursday night started with a draft that was all his own. He wrote it in his own hand on a legal pad, mostly in the comfort of his Massachusetts homes in Boston and Nantucket.

After three months of thinking sporadically about the vital speech, the senator sat down in earnest to write about three weeks ago, according to interviews with Kerry confidants familiar with how the speech evolved. They asked not to be identified, citing a campaign policy of staff anonymity except for designated spokespersons.

When his first try was on paper, Kerry still didn’t turn the process over to a committee. He reached out for suggestions through a hub-and-spoke system. He was the hub. Friends, consultants and others whose opinions he respected spoke directly with him. He didn’t ask them for polished lines or complete sections.

Preview: Kerrys' Speech

I’ve not yet been sent a copy of Kerry’s speech (which will be “embargoed” until he’s delivered it) or excerpts of his remarks (which I can post as soon as I get them), but the print media is already forecasting its content.

The Boston Globe notes a heavy national security focus, while USATODAY writes:

History also will infuse Kerry’s address. He has reread speeches by Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and other orators. He has thought about people and moments in Massachusetts history, including John Adams and the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Kerry says he’ll talk in broad terms about what he wants to do. That’s the part political analysts say Americans most want to hear. “He doesn’t have to have a very detailed program,” presidential biographer Robert Dallek says. “He needs something that convinces the public it will get something fresh. He needs to talk about the new direction he’s going to take.”

More On Ohio

I noticed last night that Minesota’s delgation yielded to Ohio, which then put Kerry over the top and secured his nomination. This, according to the Toledo Blade, is reflective of Ohio’s importance as a battleground state.

It Officially Begins

Over the PA: “Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the presidential nomination process.”

Then, Dianne Feinstein:

“I am pleased to place the name of John Kerry into nomination to become the 44th president of the United States.”

What To Expect From Shalikashvili

Via the DNC, an excerpt from the speech General John Shalikashvili will deliver before the Democratic National Convention:

“As a young man, he heeded his country’s call to service when it needed him. He commanded in combat and did so with bravery and distinction. He knows from experience a commander’s responsibility to his troops. He stands with our troops and with their families and that is why I stand with John Kerry.”

New Book: Kerry Acted-Out Vietnam Footage For His Own Camera

Naval Officer John E. O‘Neill reveals in his new book, “Unfit for Command,” that John Kerry acted-out footage of himself in Vietnam, after the underlying events were over, for the benefit of his own Super 8 video camera

In “Unfit for Command,” Naval Officer John E. O‘Neill reveals that John Kerry acted-out footage of himself in Vietnam, after the underlying events were over, for the benefit of his own Super 8 video camera and his anticipated political career.

Similar reports have been made by New York Times bestselling author Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, author of “Reckless Disregard.”

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Via the Drudge Report.

The link to the nikita demosthenes post is here.

The 11 Minute RNC Kerry on Iraq Video

The link to the 11 minute RNC video detailing John Kerry’s shifting positions on the subject of Iraq may be found here. It’s available in streaming Real Player and Windows Media format.

The video tracks, with video of interviews, various statements made by Senator Kerry, on the various positions he’s expressed on the subject of Iraq and Saddam Hussein over the years. It also highlights Senator Kerry’s apparent shift in position against the timeline of the Howard Dean phenomena leading up to the Democratic Primaries.

An interesting subject that will certainly be the fodder of debate in the coming months.

NASA Denies Dirty Trick

NASA denies the Kerry campaign’s dirty tricks charge. The Washington Times reports that NASA told Fox News that the Kerry team saw the “bunny suit” photos before publication and passed on the release of the photos:

A NASA spokesman told the top-rated cable network that the images were given to the Kerry campaign to review before several were posted on the Kennedy Space Center Web site.

In no way were photographs “leaked,” the spokesman said.

[. . .]

According to the Fox News Web site (www.foxnews.com), the NASA spokesman said the space agency provided a photographer to document Mr. Kerry’s tour, but said NASA released no images directly to the press.

From California Yankee.

Speech Excerpts: Teresa Heinz Kerry

The following are excerpts from remarks prepared for delivery by Teresa Heinz Kerry (via DNCC email):

I have a very personal feeling about how special America is, and I know how precious freedom is. It is a sacred gift, sanctified by those who have lived it and by those who have died defending it.

Tonight I want to remember my mother’s warmth, generosity, wisdom, and hopefulness, and thank her for all the sacrifices she made on our behalf — like so many other mothers.

This evening, I want to acknowledge and honor the women of this world, whose wise voices for much too long have been excluded and discounted.

It is time for the world to hear women’s voices — in full and at last.

John believes in a bright future.

He believes we can, and will, invent the technologies, new materials and conservation methods of the future. He believes that alternative fuels will guarantee that not only will no American boy or girl go to war because of our dependency on foreign oil. But also that our economic security will forever become independent of this need.

We can, and we will, create good, competitive, and sustainable jobs while still protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the health of our children, because good environmental policy is good economics.

John believes that we can, and we will, give every family and every child access to affordable health care, a good education, and the tools to become self-reliant.

John Kerry believes we must, and we should, recognize the immense value of the caregivers in our country - those women and men who nurture and care for children, for elderly parents, for family members in need. These are the people who build and support our most valuable assets—our families.

Isn’t it time we began working to give parents more opportunity to be with their children and to afford to have a family life?

With John Kerry as President, we can, and we will, protect our nation’s security without sacrificing our civil liberties.

In short, John believes we can, and we must, lead in the world as America, unique among nations, always should-by showing the face, not of our fears, but of our hopes.

John is a fighter.

He earned his medals the old-fashioned way, by putting his life on the line for his country.

No one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will-and he will always be first in the line of fire.

But he also knows the importance of getting it right.

For him, the names of too many friends inscribed in the cold stone of the Vietnam Memorial testify to the awful toll exacted by leaders who mistake stubbornness for strength.

That is why, as President, my husband will not fear disagreement or dissent.

He believes that our voices - yours and mine - must be the voices of freedom.

And if we do not speak, neither does she.

In America, the true patriots are those who dare speak truth to power.

The truth we must speak now is that America has responsibilities that it is time for us to accept again.

With John Kerry as President, global climate change and other threats to the health of our planet will begin to be reversed.

With John Kerry as President, the alliances that bind the community of nations and that truly make our country and the world a safer place, will be strengthened once more.

THK: "The Fiesty Lady"

Australia’s The Age (1) calls Teresa Heinz Kerry “fiesty,” and (2) wonders if she’s a “secret weapon” or a “loose cannon.”

Clinton Can't Eclipse Kerry

That’s the headline at 11Alive Georgia. But which Clinton? Oh … Bill.

Heinz-Kerry Tells Reporter to "Shove It"

After giving a speech to the Pennsylvania Democratic National Convention delegation about the importance of civility in politics, Theresa Heinz-Kerry told a reporter to “shove it.” (video)

The exchange occured when a reporter questioned Heinz-Kerry regarding a statement in her speech to the Pennsylvania delegation. Heinz-Kerry told the delegation “We need to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics… .” When Colin McNickle, the editorial page editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, asked Heinz-Kerry about what she meant by “un-American,” she denied having used the word, and walked away from the reporter. Later, she cut back to the reporter, asked him which newspaper he was with, accused him of putting words in her mouth, and told him to “shove it.”

Two weeks ago, Heinz-Kerry accused President Bush of being “phased by complexity” and said “We need … [a] president who likes to read. A president who loves history.” In May, she accused Vice President Cheney of being “unpatriotic.”

Kerry Makes Surprise Visit To Fenway

The Boston Herald has the local take on Kerry’s surprise visit last night to Fenway to toss the first pitch at the Sox/Yankees game:

Sen. John F. Kerry turned his campaign plane around and headed to Boston under a cloak of secrecy. The secret mission: Catching the Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park.

Or actually, throwing. The Bay State senator threw out the first ball to a Massachusetts veteran who recently returned from serving in Iraq. Massachusetts National Guardsman Will Pumyea, 23, of North Chelmsford had also previously served in Afghanistan.

Kerry's War Letters

The Boston Globe has an interesting view on Kerry’s Vietnam-era letters home:

The glimpses into Kerry’s thinking provide at least a partial portrait of a young man wrestling with matters of war, duty, and sacrifice, and slowly changing his mind — an aspect of Kerry that would be part of his Senate career and that would become fodder in the presidential race for Republican critics who accuse him of not adhering to positions and principles.

“I too have no regard whatsoever for this war but I do see that as a member of the armed service and as a responsible person I have an obligation to take on the most interesting and challenging thing there is,” Kerry wrote to Thorne in September 1968.

Read the rest.

The Private Ambition of a Very Public Man

That’s the headline of this LA Times Kerry profile, which leads:

From his boarding school days to the grind of the campaign trail, John F. Kerry has worn his ambition like a badge - almost always on display, yet rarely acknowledged. Over the course of a carefully crafted public life brimming with accomplishment and wrenched by war and loss, he has discreetly kept his distant prize, the presidency, in clear sight.

Kerry at Ground Zero OhiO

Senator John Kerry got up up this morning at Ground Zero and saw his profile opposite President Bush’s on the front page of the Columbus Dispatch.

The graphic headline: NECK and NECK. The Dispatch Ohio poll numbers: Bush 47 percent. Kerry 44 percent. Nader 2 percent. Undecided 7 percent.

It reflects other polls in Ohio this week that show Bush and Kerry virtually tied with Bush up a little in the Strategic Vision Poll and Kerry up in the American Research Group poll.

Kerry doesn’t need the polls to realize Ohio is Ground Zero. He is also meeting with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and discussing a nomination speech for the Fleet Center in Boston.

At this hour Kerry is attending church in Columbus and will soon go to a north side swing ward that Bush won by 12 votes in 2000.

Next weekend, Kerry and Bush will be campaigning within 25 miles of each other at the same time — just down the road from Ohio’s capital in Zanesville and Cambridge.

Cross posted at Blue Dog Rising (www.ohiodems.org)

Kerry criticizes UN's anti-fence decision

JERUSALEM POST: Kerry criticizes UN’s anti-fence decision

US Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, criticized the UN General Assembly’s resolution passed last week urging Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s ruling that it should dismantle the security fence.

He said as president he would “stand up for Israel’s security in the UN or any international organization.”

“I want to express my deep disappointment at the resolution passed Tuesday by the UN General Assembly. Let us remember: Israel’s fence is a legitimate response to terror that only exists in response to the wave of terror attacks against Israel. The fence has proven to be an important tool in Israel’s fight against terrorism,” Kerry said in a statement.

Kerry, like the Bush administration, said he did not believe the ICJ had the jurisdiction to consider the issue of the fence’s legality.

45% say Kerry should quit seat, poll indicates

BOSTON GLOBE: 45% say Kerry should quit seat, poll indicates

The Democratic National Convention hasn’t started yet, but the partisan gamesmanship is already underway in Boston. The Republican National Committee yesterday released a poll it commissioned that says nearly half of Massachusetts voters believe John F. Kerry should resign from the Senate as he runs for president.

In a survey of 500 Bay State voters conducted last Sunday and Monday, 59 percent said they ”are concerned” that Kerry ”missed 70 percent of the votes in the Senate over the last two years” and 45 percent say he should resign his Senate seat, according to an RNC spokeswoman, Christine Iverson.

Kerry’s spokesman shrugged it off, saying that the poll was conducted by the Republicans.

Kerry: I can do better than Bush on fighting terrorism

HAARETZ: Kerry: I can do better than Bush on fighting terrorism

Putative Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told Haaretz that he believes it is up to Israel to negotiate peace, and that at this point there is no partner on the Palestinian side with whom to negotiate.

On his plane on the way from West Virginia to Washington last week, Kerry told Haaretz that he would deal with terror by working against Arab countries that support it. “I can be more effective with the accountability of the Saudis and other Arab countries,” Kerry said. “I’ll do a better job of reducing the threat to Israel and the rest of the world.”

Kerry has adopted a strongly pro-Israeli stand in recent months, which states that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is not a negotiating partner for Israel.

Kerry Stumps In Detroit

While Bush was in Chicago, Kerry was at the National Urban League Conference in Detroit. Read the local Detroit News coverage here. Bush will speak to the conference today.

LA Times Poll: Neck And Neck

The LA Times poll also shows the race neck-and-neck, and has Kerry with a 2 point lead among registered voters.

USATODAY/Gallup: Kerry Leads By A Hair

USATODAY has the latest USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll numbers up:

It finds that voters’ faith in President Bush when it comes to combating terrorism is bolstering his standing in a presidential contest that remains essentially tied. Boosting Bush’s prospects: The belief by most Americans that a terrorist attack on U.S. soil will occur in the next few weeks or months.

Kerry is at 47% among likely voters, Bush at 46% and independent candidate Ralph Nader at 4%. Among the larger group of registered voters, Kerry is at 47%, Bush at 43% and Nader at 5%.

White Powder Update

News 24 Houston reports that the white powder mailed to the Kerry DC HQ was “harmless.”

Poll: Kerry Leading 2-1 Among Registered Latinos

WaPo reports a new poll that has Kerry leading Bush among Hispanic registered voters 2-1. They also note that:

The findings suggest that, at this point in the campaign, Bush is falling short of his goal of notably improving on the 35 percent share of the Hispanic vote he received four years ago, although his advisers said they believe he is still on track to do so. Kerry advisers, in contrast, said they are determined to keep Bush from winning as much of the Hispanic vote as he did in 2000.

The details: The survey of 1,605 registered Latino voters was sponsored by The Post, the Univision Spanish language television network, and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI), an independent think tank affiliated with the University of Southern California.

Kerry-Bin Laden Bumper Stickers

In Kentucky, a bumper sticker reading: “Kerry is bin Laden’s Man. Bush is Mine” is creating a ruckus. The Associated Press reports:

Jefferson County GOP chairman Jack Richardson IV said the stickers were so popular that GOP headquarters ran out Friday. He won’t distribute more, but is trying to locate their source for those who want them. “I believe in the question this bumper sticker raises,” Richardson said.

Bill Garmer, chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said the sticker equates a decorated Vietnam veteran with Osama bin Laden - “one of the greatest enemies of the United States.”

“It goes way over the line,” he said.

From California Yankee.

Berger Steps Down From Kerry Campaign

FoxNews is reporting that Sandy Berger is stepping down from his position as advisor to the Kerry campaign.

Updated 5:00pm: AP confirms:

Former national security adviser Sandy Berger, the subject of a criminal investigation over the disappearance of terrorism documents, stepped aside on Tuesday as an informal adviser to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

The investigation had threatened to become a political problem for Kerry a week before his nominating convention in Boston in which he hopes to persuade voters that he is ready to be commander in chief. The cornerstone of Kerry’s argument against Bush is that he used faulty intelligence and poor judgment in waging war against Iraq.

DNC Plans Post-Convention Ad Blitz

The Associated Press reports the DNC is planning a massive post-convention ad blitz, timed to coincided with Kerry pulling his ads from the air in August:

The Democratic Party, with $63 million in the bank, plans to launch a massive ad campaign against President Bush as John Kerry crosses the United States by bus, train and boat after next week’s nominating convention. …The Democratic National Committee’s ad blitz is expected as Kerry pulls his television commercials in August, saving millions of dollars in a tight general election budget.

Separately, the DNC’s independent expenditure office plans to air its first ads shortly after the convention, especially if Kerry doesn’t advertise in August, according to two Democrats who are not connected with the Kerry campaign. They also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Kerry Biographical Series

The Boston Herald has an interesting multi-part biographical series on John Kerry, with a more personal look at the senator:

How He Found the American Dream in Millis: “I kept reading `rootless’ (in profiles about himself),” Kerry said last fall. “I could not disagree more. I have spectacular roots, a spectacular sense of family and place.”

Complex Character Formed Early On: Sent by his American parents to a posh Swiss boarding school in the foothills of the Alps, an 11-year-old John F. Kerry did what most any other kid would do - he learned to curse in Italian.

First Wife `Suffocated’ Under Political Spotlight: Friends say the union of John Kerry and Julia Thorne was a rousing love affair when they met at Yale - he a dashing 19-year-old, she a bikini-clad babe and twin sister to Kerry’s best friend.

Marriage Hits Rocks as Career Blossoms: Without his wife’s family fortune to help pay the bills, Kerry’s personal finances were strained. Relying largely on his $89,500 Senate salary, he struggled to keep up with tuitions, child support and other bills for his two young daughters, Vanessa and Alexandra.

All the Senator’s Women: The woman, given the assumed name of Nora Flax, talked about the opportunistic, ego-driven pol who went to Washington and quickly developed a love for the television cameras and Hollywood actresses. “When these guys are elevated to a public position - every day of their life, they have women throwing themselves at them,” she was quoted as saying. “It served his ego, this movie-star thing.” Most everyone in the reading public assumed the woman was Boston attorney Roanne Sragow and the senator was John F. Kerry.

Kerry Advisor, Sandy Berger, Under Investigation For Removing Classified Documents

Former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger is seen Sunday, Feb. 22, 1998, in Washington. Berger, is the focus of a criminal investigation after admitting he removed highly classified terrorism documents from a secure reading room during preparations for the Sept. 11 commission hearings, The Associated Press has learned. (AP Photo/Brian K. Diggs, ile)

Via Associated Press-Yahoo News:

- - - - - - -

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed handwritten notes he had made while reading classified anti-terror documents at the archives by sticking them in his jacket and pants. He also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio, they said.

“I deeply regret the sloppiness involved, but I had no intention of withholding documents from the commission, and to the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced,” Berger said in a statement to the AP.

- - - - - - -

The above emphasis is mine.

See the separate posting under The Command Post Global War on Terror page.

Via Little Green Footballs. See, also, Instapundit and the Drudge Report.

The link to the nikita demosthenes post is here.

"This Land Is Your Land..." Election Parody

Regular reader SBD of dotnetnukehosting.com sends us to this hilarious Bush-Kerry singalong that had me laughing too. It’s in Flash animation, and may take a while to load on a dial-up connection. But it’s worth it… almost as funny as the brilliant Bush-Blair “Gay Bar” music video. Love the Ah-nold and Clinton cameos.

The semi-frightening thing is, once you’ve seen Bush & Kerry slag each other in the parody video, you have a reasonable facsimile of America’s 2004 election debate in a sound-bite age.

Anyway, pay extra-special attention to the part right at the end. It’s important.

P.S. We asked for help… and our readers responded with the lyrics.

CA Democrats Squeal After Gov. Schwarzenegger Calls Them "Girlie Men"

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at a ‘Citizens Rally’ at the Ontario Mills Shopping Center in Ontario, Calif., Saturday, July 17, 2004. With partisan disputes having stalled negotiations over the already late state budget, Schwarzenegger again went directly to voters, reusing a tactic that has helped break previous legislative deadlocks. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Via Associated Press-Yahoo News:

- - - - - - -

- - - - - - -

Democrats said Schwarzenegger’s remarks were insulting to women and gays and distracted from budget negotiations. State Sen. Sheila Kuehl said the governor had resorted to “blatant homophobia.”

- - - - - - -

With a forceful, popular, Republican Governor in California, the Kerry-Edwards team may have to focus more resources there in their campaign for the White House.

The link to the nikita demosthenes post is here.

Kerry Gambling On Negative Perception Of Economy

Kerry is gambling that his negative message about a struggling economy and loss of jobs will resonate despite rising public optimism. The Associated Press reports:

Kerry and Edwards have a bigger selling job than Reagan had in 1980 when he defeated President Carter or Clinton had in 1992 when he beat the first President Bush.

In June 1980, three-fourths of Americans disapproved of Carter’s handling of the economy at a time of rising inflation and little growth.

In June 1992, three-fourths disapproved of the elder Bush’s economic performance when the economy was just starting to revive.

An AP-Ipsos poll this month found that voters were about evenly divided about the current president’s handling of the economy, with 49 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving. Also, consumer confidence has been on the rise.

In a twist on the old Reagan question, those in the AP poll were asked: “Compared to four years ago, is your family’s financial situation better today, worse today or about the same?”

Four in 10 respondents said better, 34 percent said the same and 26 percent said worse.

In July 1992, only one-quarter of Americans said they were doing better than four years earlier.

“By far, Kerry and Edwards have a harder case to make,” said Marlin Fitzwater, a spokesman for Reagan and the elder Bush.

“In 1980, it was a successful argument for President Reagan because everybody in the country felt the weight of the failing economy on a daily basis. It was a truly fearsome reality to see how inflation was taking hold,” Fitzwater said.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Didn't Read NIE Before Voting For War

An article at the NYTimes this morning entitled “Kerry Campaign’s Attack Backfires” states that after attacking President Bush for allegedly not reading the full 90-page National Intelligence Estimate before going to war in Iraq, Kerry aides admitted Kerry had not read the assessment either before voting to go to war.

Kerry Upsets 9/11 Families

Kerry upset some families of 9/11 victims yesterday by turning a private memorial dedication into a campaign event. The Boston Herald reports:

Press were kept away but several family members, speaking privately, said they were miffed that Kerry arrived after most other pols - such as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Rep. Martin T. Meehan, and Attorney General Tom Reilly - had all left.

And Kerry stayed much longer than the other leaders, shaking hands, posing for photos before he left with just as much commotion.

[. . .]

Others said they were disturbed that the Kerry campaign allowed television crews to film over the Public Garden fence - capturing video of Kerry with grieving family members in the midst of his presidential campaign.

[. . .]

Kerry’s aides said the event was non-political.

“As a senator from this state, and as an American, Sen. Kerry came to pay his private respects to families and friends who suffered a great loss on 9/11,” spokesman David Wade said.

“This isn’t a day for politics, and John Kerry [related, bio] attended the ceremony quietly and respectfully without staff in tow, keeping the media at a distance,” Wade said. “John Kerry remembers what it was like to lose friends on that terrible day, and it’s seared in him as an American why we must do whatever it takes to keep Americans safe and destroy the terrorists.”

From California Yankee.

Kerry seeks gain from Bush rift with rights group

REUTERS: Kerry seeks gain from Bush rift with rights group

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has tried to capitalise on growing rancour between the White House and civil rights leaders by accusing President George W. Bush of ignoring racial and economic inequalities in the United States.

At a fund-raiser in his home state of Massachusetts, Kerry put a spotlight on Bush’s decision last week not address the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and presented himself as a long-time civil-rights supporter inspired by John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

“My friends, I will be a president who meets with the leadership of the Civil Rights Congress, who meets with the NAACP,” he told a predominantly black audience on Monday.

However…

“We’ve got more African Americans in jail than we do in college. That’s unacceptable,” he added.

As pointed out by Shark Blog and My Aisling before Shark Blog, the statement is incorrect.

Sandy Berger On Kerry ForPol

The Hill has released portions of a Bisnow interview with key Kerry policy advisor and former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. Here’s the plug:

In a wide-ranging and exclusive interview with Bisnow on Business, former National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, now a chief foreign policy adviser to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, says, in answer to a question about how long he can imagine a “substantial U.S. force presence” in Iraq: “I can certainly imagine us having a force there in three years. I hope it will be a smaller force.”

Berger answers what Kerry would do differently from what the Bush administration is doing in Iraq today; whether the premises for invading Iraq were valid; whether Berger thinks the U.S. is better off for having invaded Iraq; whether Iraq is winnable or whether the U.S. should just cut its losses; who is to blame for inaccurate information about the presence of weapons of mass destruction and the hope U.S. troops would be greeted as liberators; whether Saddam was really a threat to the U.S.; what diversion the war has caused of foreign policy attention and assets elsewhere; whether the U.S. is currently making progress in Iraq; how many additional troops may be needed; whether we need a draft; whether he would use the term “incompetence” in describing execution of post-war planning; and whether he thinks John Edwards has adequate national security experience.

Read it here.

Kerry Attacks Bush On Iraq

With the release of the Senate report on Iraq, Kerry/Edwards used the weekend to attack the Bush administration’s handling of the war in Iraq, accusing the president of misleading the nation. They also defended their votes supporting the action in Iraq by saying they were similarly misled. From Boston.com:

“The president went back on his word,” Kerry said. “I take that personally.”

He added: “Evidence is mounting significantly that they made a decision, then framed an argument to support it. I think there are very serious questions about that that remain to be answered.”

Nonetheless, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and his choice for vice president defended their vote in favor of the war, saying that they had been guided by the evidence laid before them at the time.

“I’m not second-guessing my vote one iota,” Kerry said. “The vote was the right vote at that moment in time, and we don’t deal with hypotheticals. We deal with the realities.”

Utusan (Malaysia / AFP) has a similar story here (worth reading for an overseas angle):

“He certainly misled America about nuclear involvement,” said the candidate, commenting on Bush’s statement about alleged attempts by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to reconstitute Iraq’s nuclear weapons programme.

“And he misled America about the types of weapons that were there, and he misled America about how he would go about using the authority he was given,” Kerry continued.

Kerry Passes Up Terror Briefing: 'I just haven't had time.'

DRUDGE REPORT: Kerry Passes Up Terror Briefing: ‘I just haven’t had time.’

Just hours before attending an all-star celebrity fundraising concert in New York, Dem presidential candidate John Kerry revealed how has been too busy for a real-time national security briefing.

“I just haven’t had time,” Kerry explained in an interview.

Kerry made the startling comments on CNN’s LARRY KING LIVE Thursday night.

KING: News of the day, Tom Ridge warned today about al Qaeda plans of a large-scale attack on the United States. Didn’t increase the — you see any politics in this? What’s your reaction?

KERRY: Well, I haven’t been briefed yet, Larry. They have offered to brief me. I just haven’t had time.

Kerry-Edwards Sticking with Public Funds

Campaigns & Elections is reporting that the Kerry-Edwards campaign will stay with public funds in 2004. This means they will have to stop accepting private donations once JK accepts the nomination. At their current pace, they would have raised roughly $108 million between the nomination and the election; with the public funding, they’ll get $75 million.

Buch/Cheney is expected to do the same.

Dems To Highlight Diversity

FoxNews is reporting that the Democratic convention will feature record numbers of minority delegates. I would bet that we’ll here this refrain repeated again … and again … and again.

Democratic Fundraisers Against the Clock

Democratic fundraisers are in a race against time:

They now have 23 days to capitalize on Edwards’ popularity with financial backers. The new vice presidential candidate’s former patrons were frantically plotting Tuesday to find and convince those who gave to Edwards’ presidential primary run to open their wallets again for the new Kerry-Edwards ticket.

According to Federal Elections Commission rules, presidential campaigns that opt to use the federal grant of $75 million in the general election - as both Kerry and President Bush are expected to do - must not spend any of their own campaign funds after they have been officially nominated.

In practical terms, the FEC rules mean competitive fund raising for the Democrats will end on July 29, when Kerry and Edwards are officially anointed as the Democratic presidential ticket.

It's Official At Kerry Blog

The Kerry blog has an announcement post up … see it here.

Kerry Announcement Simulblog

• Enters to the sounds of Bruce

• Takes the stage with Theresa, who then sits

• This morning I’ve had the privilege of talking with a number of talented and decent Americans who have had the courage to be considered for VP of US

• Each of those individuals would make a great VP, and in their own right could lead our country.

• But I can choose only one running mate, and this morning I have done so. I have chosen a man who understands and defends the values of America … a man who has shown courage and conviction for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class … a man who’s life has prepared him for leadership and who’s character compels him to exercise it.

• Announces Edwards, and the crows goes wild (to the strains of Van Halen’s “Right Now”).

• I trust that met with your approval (cheers)

• They’re passing out the Kerry/Edwards campaign placards

• I’ve been on the campaign trail with John Edwards for months now, side by side, and sometimes face to face (knowing smile, laughter from audience)

• It is important that we speak of hope and optimism, and John Edwards will help us in doing that

• Kerry makes reference to Edwards “two Americas” campaign theme, noting it is what the campaign is all about.

• John Edwards and I are going to fight to build one America for all Americans

• He, like me, is blessed with a remarkable wife, Elizabeth Edwards … this is a family that loves each other and loves America

• The two families are getting together in Pittsburgh tonight, and will speak to the nation tomorrow for the first time as a team that will lead this country in a new and better direction

• This is about having a president who fights as hard for your job as he fights for his own job … healthcare is not a privilege for the wealthy and connected …

• Crowd interrupts with chants of “Kerry Kerry”

• This is also a fight for common sense, and I can pledge you this: John Edwards and I would never think of sending America’s sons and daughters into harms way anywhere in the world without telling American’s the truth.

• Some of that common sense is pretty straight forward: God only gave the United States 3 percent of the worlds oil reserves … no American in uniform will ever be held hostage to dependency on foreign oil; we’re going to liberate ourselves.

• Every generation in American history has had a chance to contribute to who we are as Americans … but what makes this country great is our ability to come together as we have today, in a square in a city, and build a movement that can right our future … but we have to go out and make it happen.

• I pledge to you that while we may be older and greyer now, those of us who served, we still know how to fight for our country and we’re going to fight for our country (crowd interrupts with cheers of “Kerry”)

• Wraps it up, takes off jacket, party starts in Pittsburgh.

Foreign Policy Tops Agenda for Democrats

The LA Times has an article discussing the current draft of the Democratic Party Platform, and it’s heavy on Iraq and security issues … more heavy on ForPol, in fact, than any Dem platform since the early 1960’s.

Dem Theme: "A New Team For A New America"

Just reported on CNN TV: the Democratic party has already begun circulating talking points to the press corps (nothing on their web site or blog as yet), and among the points in the campaign theme: “A New Team for a New America.”

20 Days

CNN just noted that today’s VP announcement … 20 days before the the convention … is the earliest in recent history. Some prior Dem announcements: 7 days for Mondale, 6 days for Dukakis, and 4 days for Clinton.

Kerry Picks Gephardt ... No Wait ... Edwards

I am sure there’s a great story behind today’s NY Post. I can almost hear Trumps’ voice echoing down the halls of The Post … “you’re FIRED!”

No Word Yet On Kerry Blog

I just popped over to the Kerry blog (see the RSS feed over in the right-hand column of the 2004 page) and there’s no official word there as yet, although this was in the NY Times today:

John Kerry’s advisers said Monday that he was planning to announce his running mate on Tuesday morning and that he was orchestrating an elaborate rollout of the Democratic ticket first on the Internet, then at a rally here and finally in a multistate tour beginning in Ohio and ending later this week in the vice-presidential candidate’s hometown.

Does “elaborate rollout of the Democratic ticket first on the internet” = “Command Post”? Just wondering. Regardless, seems we’ve scooped them.

Not to gloat, but we also scooped CNN’s breaking news alert, which I still have not yet received. If you want to receive breaking news alerts from Command Post, click here.

Official: Edwards Is The VP Nominee

Everywhere on radio / TV now … including CNN, which I’m watching at the moment.

(And a humble “I told you so” to the folks who were in the TCP Chat Room with me on the night of the New Hampshire Primary.)

Also, smart-ass line of the day, from a talking head on CNN:

What are the chances Kerry will pick someone else tomorrow?

Wow … it took only 27 seconds for the sniping to start …

The announcement should come live around 9 a.m. in Pittsburgh, PA.

Also, given the import of this announcement, we’ve opened comments for this post (although Michele and I will continue to keep comments closed as a general rule as we evaluate where we want to take the function).

NPR: Edwards Is Kerry VP Candidate

NPR radio just announced Edwards as the Kerry VP candidate … more as it develops.

Veepstakes: the final hours

The New York Times has details on Kerry’s veep-announcement plans, which should begin rolling into action less than two hours from now:

John Kerry’s advisers said Monday that he was planning to announce his running mate on Tuesday morning and that he was orchestrating an elaborate rollout of the Democratic ticket first on the Internet, then at a rally here and finally in a multistate tour beginning in Ohio and ending later this week in the vice-presidential candidate’s hometown. …

Mr. Kerry, said one associate familiar with the plan, intended to begin calling the major candidates in contention around 7 a.m. Tuesday to give them the news of his choice.

The first public word of Mr. Kerry’s selection is to be conveyed after the phone calls in an e-mail message to supporters who signed up on the Web site johnkerry.com, aides said. More than 150,000 people have enrolled on the site since Friday, when Mr. Kerry first promised to release his decision this way, his spokesman, David Wade, said.

If all goes according to plan, Mr. Kerry will appear at a big morning rally in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh and announce his choice at about 9 a.m. Tuesday, aides said, before flying to Indianapolis to address a convention of the A.M.E. Church. He will then return to his wife’s farmhouse in Fox Chapel, Pa., in the critical electoral turf of Allegheny County, to await the arrival of his new No. 2 for an overnight visit.

At some point Tuesday afternoon Mr. Kerry and his running mate are to appear for a wave to the cameras, which would provide, in time for the evening news, the first post-selection images of the two men together.

A few aides cautioned that given Mr. Kerry’s penchant for secrecy, he could still delay the announcement in reaction to news accounts of his deliberations. …

Mr. Kerry’s most senior aides said he had not divulged his decision to them as of Monday evening, in keeping with what one adviser described as Mr. Kerry’s “obsession” with ensuring that the rejected candidates hear it from him personally rather than from the news media, as Mr. Kerry did when Al Gore passed him over four years ago. Some aides said Mr. Kerry could still change the plan that had been put together but described that as unlikely. …

Speculation increasingly centered on Mr. Edwards, Mr. Kerry’s longest lasting serious rival in the Democratic primaries, because of a meeting held Thursday night between him and Mr. Kerry at the Georgetown home of Madeleine K. Albright, the former secretary of state, Democratic officials said. Mr. Edwards interrupted a family vacation in Florida for the session. Mr. Edwards’s advocates said they were increasingly hopeful on Monday. But aides to Mr. Kerry cautioned that too much should not be read into the late-night meeting, noting that the Democratic presidential contender had held similar unannounced sessions with Mr. Vilsack, Mr. Gephardt and other Democrats he has been considering over the last three months. …

As Mr. Kerry kept his own counsel, his entire campaign was on high alert over the holiday weekend, preparing a precision operation that was being secretly planned down to the last press release and camera angle. Teams of aides were waiting to swoop into action to proclaim, promote, defend, prepare, inform, support, transport, care for and feed whomever Mr. Kerry selects - all on a moment’s notice.

One aide said that signs designed for the losing candidates “are going to be worth a lot on eBay one day.”

Official: Kerry has chosen VP

CNN: Official: Kerry has chosen VP

Sen. John Kerry is spending the day Monday on his wife’s 90-acre farm in Pennsylvania, but he has filled the vice-presidential slot on the Democratic national ticket, a party official told CNN.

The official would not disclose which person Kerry has selected or the details surrounding the announcement.

“It’s clear Kerry has made a decision and is committed to announcing it on his terms with discipline more typically associated with Republican campaigns of yesteryear,” the Democratic official said. “That obviously means a rapid turn-around.”

Kerry Flip-flops On Northeast Dairy Compact

Campaigning in the Midwest Kerry tried to distance himself from New England yesterday. The Boston Globe reports Kerry said he no longer supported the Northeast Dairy Compact a program that propped up prices for New England dairy farmers:

”I plead guilty. I did vote for it, because I represented Massachusetts,” Kerry said. ”I was a United States senator, and I was working in a context that we were living in a number of years ago, and that’s the way we saw the world.

”We don’t see the world that way now,” he told the crowd at the Dejno farm. ”I guarantee you that as president, I’m not going to be president of New England, or president of Massachusetts; I’m running to be president of the United States of America. And I’m going to stand up for farmers in Wisconsin and Minnesota and Iowa and other parts of the country just as hard as I did before.”

The Northeast Dairy Compact provided financial support to New England dairy farmers, was strongly opposed in Wisconsin and dairy states elsewhere in the country.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Hopes to Sway Voters in Rural U.S.

AP: Kerry Hopes to Sway Voters in Rural U.S.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, hoping to narrow President Bush’s strong advantage in rural America, is highlighting agriculture policies he says will help family farmers and ranchers.

Kerry is in the middle of a three-day, 546-mile Fourth of July weekend bus tour through rural Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, just over three weeks before he accepts his party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

He planned to meet Saturday with family farmers and ranchers in nearby Independence, Wis., before heading to Dubuque, Iowa, to watch fireworks along the Mississippi River.

Kerry Returns Second Donor Check

AP: Kerry Returns Second Donor Check

John Kerry’s presidential campaign has returned a second $2,000 donation because of uneasiness about its source, and a fund-raiser who solicited both checks among Korean-Americans has resigned.

Rick Yi, a former Clinton White House military attache who led Kerry’s fund-raising from Korean-Americans, resigned for personal reasons, campaign spokesman Michael Meehan said Friday.

A $2,000 check from Sang Ah Park was being returned because the campaign could not immediately verify whether she had permanent U.S. residency, as required to donate legally.

Park’s donation was collected by Yi on Aug. 11, 2003, the same day Yi received a similar donation from Chun Jae-yong, the recently arrested son of South Korea’s disgraced former president.

The Kerry campaign said it did not know about Chun’s background until informed by The Associated Press and decided to return the money to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Boston Officials Question Kerry's Boston Pops Concert

The Boston Globe reports that Boston officials are saying Kerry’s plans for a Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade during the Democratic convention could violate rules prohibiting political events at the Hatch Shell:

”Some of us are saying, enough already,” said the high-level Democrat involved in the convention planning.

The questions could escalate the public spat between Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Menino said he was ”extremely disappointed” last weekend when Kerry decided to forgo a speech at the US Conference of Mayors meeting here, rather than cross a Boston police union picket line.

The Hatch Shell is owned by a state trust, and some convention planners interpret the rules governing the property as prohibiting the use of the shell for political purposes. Kerry aides say the event is a top priority for the hometown nominee, but they insist that the concert is devoid of politics and is instead a celebration of Boston and Massachusetts.

”This will be a free event, open to people of all political stripes or none,” said Jack Corrigan, Kerry’s convention coordinator. ”There is no fund-raising, no political speech-making, just a celebration of Boston.”

From California Yankee.

Kerry to Announce Running Mate Via E-Mail

Kerry plans to announce his vice presidential running mate in an e-mail to the 1 million subscribers to his campaign Web site. The Associated Press reports that Kerry told KSTP, an ABC affiliate in Minneapolis:

“The folks who are going to learn first about my choice are going to be the people on JohnKerry.com,” Kerry said. “They’re the people who’ve helped carry this campaign. They’re the folks who’ve been part of our effort across the nation. And they’ll be the first to know what my decision is.”

From California Yankee.

Boston's Mayor Menino Angry With Kerry

The Boston Globe reports there is a growing rift between Kerry Boston’s Mayor Menino:

Menino has repeatedly expressed his anger about Kerry in recent weeks, first over Kerry’s brief consideration of a plan to delay acceptance of the party’s nomination until after the convention and then over Kerry’s decision to cancel a scheduled speech Monday to the US Conference of Mayors because he didn’t want to cross a police union picket line.

In an unusual rebuke of his party’s nominee, Menino told the Boston Herald that he found the Kerry campaign small-minded and incompetent, and expressed frustration over a report that he had hung up on Kerry during a phone conversation about the canceled speech.

Menino told the Globe over the weekend that he was ”extremely disappointed” by Kerry’s decision to cancel the speech, and he denied yesterday that he had hung up on Kerry.

He suggested that Kerry’s aides were spreading that rumor. ”Someone on his staff made an error,” Menino said.

Yesterday, as Democrats around the country buzzed about the feud, a top aide to Kennedy said the senior senator was making calls trying to smooth over differences between Kerry and Menino.

[. . .]

Menino assured party officials that union negotiations would be resolved long before the convention started, but a contract deal with Boston police hasn’t emerged.

The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association protests delayed construction at the Fleet Center for three days and then embarrassed Menino before the US Conference of Mayors over the weekend.

Kerry: No licenses for illegal immigrants

AP: Kerry: No licenses for illegal immigrants

Democrat John Kerry said he opposes state laws that give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, a position that puts him at odds with the Hispanic activists he is courting in the presidential race.

Immigrant advocates have been pushing for the laws, saying they help undocumented workers get around safely. Licensed drivers know the rules of the road and can buy insurance, making streets safer for everyone, they say.

Shortly after Kerry told the National Council of La Raza on Tuesday that he would make immigration reform a top priority to ease the path to citizenship for working immigrants, he took a tougher stance on the issue of driver’s licenses in an interview with the Spanish-language network Telemundo.

“I think that driver’s licenses are part of the legality of being here and if you’ve been here a period of time we may work something out as part of that immigration process, but I wouldn’t give somebody who is automatically one year in here illegally all the rights and privileges of being here legally,” Kerry said in the interview.

“I think that’s wrong. That defeats the purposes of the law,” he said.

Kerry Takes a Break As Convention Nears

AP: Kerry Takes a Break As Convention Nears

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is taking a two-day break from campaigning and will spend the time at his wife’s country estate preparing for his party’s national convention next month.

Just four weeks remain before the July 26-29 convention in Boston, during which Kerry is expected to accept the Democratic nomination for president, and his choice for a running mate is much anticipated. He crossed paths with two potential candidates while campaigning Tuesday, though aides said he did not meet with either one.

CBS/NYT Poll: Statistical Dead Heat

The latest CBS News/New York Times poll indicates that the presidential race has really tightened up recently, with the two leading candidates just one percentage point apart.

Despite concerns about his handling of Iraq, and an overall approval rating of 42%, George W. Bush is still running neck and neck with Democrat John Kerry as the choice of registered voters. Growing public optimism about the nation’s economy has helped lift support for the President.

Kerry is the choice of 45% of registered voters, Bush the choice of 44%. This is a sharp turnaround for the Bush campaign in the span of just one month; in May, Kerry had opened up a wide 8-point lead over Bush. The race has been close since April.

KERRY VS. BUSH: CHOICE IN NOVEMBER
(Registered voters)

Now
John Kerry 45%
George Bush 44%

5/2004
John Kerry 49%
George Bush 41%

4/2004
John Kerry 46%
George Bush 44%

Note: Poll results did not account for “third-party” candidates.

Kerry Announces Education Goals for Low-income, Minority Students

Today, John Kerry announced his pledge of assisting low income and minority students, with a fivefold increase in money encouraging students to study math, science and technology. The total would be increased from the current $20 million per year to $100 million per year.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says if he’s elected president, 1 million more students will graduate from college during his first five years in office and he will bring a special focus to boosting opportunities for low-income and minority students.

Kerry’s campaign says nearly half the hike in graduation rates will come from population increases, and he’ll achieve the other half by bringing down the cost of education and creating other incentives to bring students to college and keep them there.

“We need to move toward the day when four years of college is as universal and affordable as a high school education is today,” Kerry told the Rainbow-PUSH Coalitio. He said although college graduates will earn $900,000 more over their careers, less than a third of all Americans and less than a fifth of black Americans have a four-year degree.

Kerry has also proposed $10 billion in assistance to states, to keep tuition rate increases at or below inflation rates.

Kabul Garden Party for Kerry

With 7-8 million expats overseas, and the importance of overseas ballots in Florida in 2000, the 2004 campaign has spread to any country where Americans live. In Kabul, US expats held a party for Kerry.

In a handsome Kabul garden Franklin the Democrat Donkey gamely posed with the aid workers, UN staff and business people who had gathered to explain why they were backing the Massachusetts senator.

The Kabul event is one of many taking place outside the United States.

Iraq and Cambodia are amongst more than 70 countries where expat Democratic party supporters are organising to help Mr Kerry reach the White House.

Kerry Cancels Meeting Because of Picket Line

REUTERS: Kerry Cancels Meeting Because of Picket Line

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry canceled plans on Sunday to address a U.S. mayors conference this week at a hotel that is likely to be ringed by picketing police officers.

“I don’t cross picket lines. I never have,” Kerry said at Our Lady of Good Voyage church in South Boston, where he attended Mass on Sunday evening.

Asked if Kerry and representatives of the U.S. Conference of Mayors would meet somewhere that police were not picketing, Kerry spokesman David Wade said: “We don’t have any information on that yet.”

Kerry had been scheduled to speak on Monday morning at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, where police officers — who have been working without a contract for two years — had a picket line on Saturday. Kerry would upset unions across the country if he crossed a picket line.

‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ runs afoul of McCain-Feingold?

Ads for Michael Moore’s ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ may violate McCain-Feingold campaign-finance laws, The Hill reports:

Michael Moore may be prevented from advertising his controversial new movie, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” on television or radio after July 30 if the Federal Election Commission (FEC) today accepts the legal advice of its general counsel.

At the same time, a Republican-allied 527 soft-money group is preparing to file a complaint against Moore’s film with the FEC for violating campaign-finance law.

In a draft advisory opinion placed on the FEC’s agenda for today’s meeting, the agency’s general counsel states that political documentary filmmakers may not air television or radio ads referring to federal candidates within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election.

Nader's Pick For Kerry Veep Candidate

John Kerry is giving advice and everyone, but this one is probably the least expected.

In an open letter sent Wednesday, the independent presidential candidate urged Kerry to choose John Edwards (search) as his running mate, saying the North Carolina senator and former trial lawyer has been thoroughly vetted and is committed to protecting the right of consumers to sue corporations that harm them.

“(Edwards) has already gone through a primary campaign and has his rhythm and oratory (the two Americas speech) all well-honed,” Nader wrote to Kerry. “After a slow start, Sen. Edwards closed fast and has won praise from the media.”

Edwards, the last Democrat to bow out after Kerry’s series of primary wins, won several large verdicts before he was elected to the Senate. Nader said Edwards is committed to preserving a civil justice system that is under attack by “corporate supremacists.”

Kerry with Slight Lead Over Bush in NJ

A new poll has Kerry leading Bush, only slightly, in the Democratic leaning state of New Jersey.

Democratic challenger John Kerry has a slight lead over President Bush in New Jersey, a state Al Gore won by 16 percentage points in 2000, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Kerry had 46 percent and Bush 40 percent, while independent candidate Ralph Nader had 7 percent in the Quinnipiac University poll. In May, Kerry was at 46 percent and Bush at 43 percent.

NYT: 865 South Figueroa vs. 146 Central Park West

Glen Justice of the New York Times has pinpointed the exact location of the fundraising battle between Bush and Kerry:

The office building at 865 South Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles is a fairly typical high-rise, but inside the plain reddish-brown tower is the headquarters of an investment management firm that handles roughly $90 billion in assets.

By contrast, the San Remo, at 146 Central Park West in New York, is a dazzling two-tower building with captivating views of the park that has been home — or at least one home — to people like Steve Martin, Steven Spielberg, Demi Moore and Steve Jobs.

These two disparate buildings across the country from each other may not seem to have much in common. But more donations to President Bush and Senator John Kerry and their parties, respectively, have come from the two buildings than from any others in the United States through April, according to an examination of Federal Election Commission records by The New York Times.

In these days of sophisticated databases it is possible to crunch numbers and find out not only who gives how much, but where they live, in what ZIP codes — even in what buildings. And after scouring the nation for the two most generous addresses for presidential donations, what turn up are 865 South Figueroa and 146 Central Park West.

FEC complaint filed against " America Coming Together"

AP’s Sharon Theimer reports that three groups have filed a complaint with the FEC against “America Coming Together,” the 527 run by former Kerry campaign manager Jim Jordan:

A pro-Democratic group that opposes President Bush in its fund-raising solicitations is the target of a complaint by campaign finance watchdogs who argue the organization is spending illegally on its mailings.

America Coming Together should be using limited “hard money” donations, not unlimited contributions known as soft money, to pay for the fund-raising letters, the three groups said in the complaint filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

The groups are Democracy 21, the Center for Responsive Politics and the Campaign Legal Center.

ACT has financed the mailings - possibly up to $1 million worth through March - with soft money, the groups say. Such unlimited donations can come from any source, including unions and corporations, but aren’t supposed to be used for federal election activities.

Kerry to return donation from son of former S Korean president

According to John Solomon and Sharon Theimer of the Associated Press:

John Kerry’s campaign collected a maximum $2,000 check from the recently arrested son of South Korea’s disgraced former president, and some of its fund-raisers met several times with a South Korean government official who was trying to organize a Korean-American political group.

The Kerry campaign said it did not know about the $2,000 donation from Chun Jae-yong or his background until informed by The Associated Press and has decided to return the money to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

“We are sending the check back,” spokesman Michael Meehan said.

South Korean government officials told the AP that a top official in its Los Angeles consulate office returned home last month amid “speculation” he had engaged in Democratic politics, but they do not believe any laws were broken.

Chun Jae-yong was arrested in February by South Korean authorities on charges of evading taxes on $14 million in inheritance money. His father, former president Chun Dooh-hwan, was convicted in 1997 on bribery charges.

Chun Jae-yong was business partners last year with Rick Yi, one of Kerry’s major fund-raisers in the Asian-American community. Yi acknowledged soliciting the donation from Chun last summer before learning of his legal problems.

Kerry Won't Fight Clinton's Press Appeal

Top Democrats have for months been discussing the wisdom in the timing of the Clinton book release. The Trib is reporting that Kerry is willing to take a few days off if the attemtion on the former president becomes too much.

Clinton Explores How To Use Book Tour To Aid Kerry

The NY Times also reports that:

As former President Bill Clinton prepares for a barrage of publicity and a cross-country tour to promote his memoirs, his political advisers are consulting with the Democratic Party and Senator John Kerry’s campaign about ways that Mr. Clinton can lend a political hand in the process.

But The Senate Likes Edwards

Vilsack not withstanding, here the NY Times reports that members of the US Senate are pressing John Kerry to name John Edwards to the VP slot, primarily because they believe doing so would help Dem Senators in five tight races in the South this fall.

Vilsack For Veep?

The LA Times reports that Tom Vilsack, Governor of Iowa, is on Kerry’s short list for running mate.

Still Not Good Enough?

WaPo reports that even though Kerry has shattered fundraising targets and is leading in several polls, some Democratic supporters—and even members of his staff—still express ambivalence, and even “angst,” about their candidate.

Kerry Pushes Bush On Stem Cell Research

WaPo reports that:

John Kerry endorsed Nancy Reagan’s efforts to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and yesterday challenged the Bush administration to relax restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research to pursue potential cures for that and other illnesses.

Kerry Jokes About VP Choice

The Associated Press reports that Kerry was just joking when he told a Detroit radio station on Friday that he’d name his running mate “in a matter of days:”

In an interview with WJR in Detroit, Kerry was asked who he was considering for vice president.

“Yeah, we’ll have that done very, very shortly. We’ve really got most of them in place and we’re on the short list and we’ll have it done in a matter of days,” Kerry replied.

Asked if he would announce the choice on he show, the senator said sarcastically: “Yeah, absolutely. That was my plan, and let me see now, I’ll run through the list.”

Kerry Spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter explained:

Senator Kerry was just making a joke after the radio host asked if he’d make his announcement on the radio show.

There is no announcement imminent. And we won’t have more to say on the subject until Senator Kerry makes a decision on who is the best possible running mate.

Kerry's Vets

Reuters reports that Kerry launched his effort to seek support of veterans by suggesting that many in the U.S. military would prefer him as commander in chief over President Bush:

“You’d be amazed at the number of active duty personnel who are coming up at events around the country, greeting me in ropelines or coming to rallies and telling me how important it is for us to stand up and fight for those who are not able to speak out for themselves right now for obvious reasons,” Kerry said.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee added: “But the numbers of active duty people quietly coming and saying we need a change, we need to build a modern military, we need to do the things necessary to protect our troops, we need to have all our allies on the ground in Iraq … that’s what this race is about.”

[. . .]

There are more than 26 million veterans in the United States and their vote usually goes Republican. In a CBS poll released on Friday, Bush got 54 percent, of the veterans’ vote while Kerry had the support of 40 percent.

From California Yankee.

Kerry Seeks Veteran Vote

Kerry seeks the traditionally conservative-leaning veterans’ vote. The Associated Press reports:

Kerry was to announce volunteer veterans coordinators in all 50 states who will try to recruit current and former soldiers to his campaign. The goal is to sign up 1 million veterans to help get out the vote for Kerry in what they say would be an unprecedented veterans organization in a presidential campaign.

John Hurley, the national director of Veterans for Kerry, says veterans will be motivated to vote for Kerry because of his war experience and their anger at diminished services from the Veterans Administration and Bush’s handling of Iraq.

[. . .]

The Bush campaign also has a band of volunteers to seek out veterans. Retired Lt. Col. Joe Repya said veterans are concerned about Kerry’s votes to cut military pay, weapons systems and funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during his nearly 20-year Senate career.

From California Yankee.

Events Forcing Abortion Issue on Kerry

WaPo reports that recent court actions, church politics, and party pressures are increasingly pulling Kerry into the national debate over abortion … a debate into which he’s been at times reluctant to enter.

Kerry Uses Big Word ... Bioterror

In a wise foreign policy shift Kerry seems to be leaving Iraq behind for the moment. His new argument? Bush hasn’t done enough on Bioterror and nuclear proliferation. In Florida (perhaps the key state again this year) today, Kerry reportedly argued that:

Hospitals are overburdened, Kerry said, and essential drugs and vaccines have not been adequately developed. He said his plan to make health insurance more affordable and accessible will reduce lines in emergency rooms, relieve pressure on state budges, and sharpen the focus on bioterrorism and other health issues.

This is probably the first politically sagacious move the Kerry camp has made in a while. The rhetoric shift presents Kerry as an alternative to Bush in that he will fight terrorism at home rather than abroad. The problem with attacking Bush on Iraq is that there was really no way for Kerry to put forth a coherent alternative.

Full Story at Yahoo!News

Kerry: U.S. As Optimists

The State.com / AP report that a new flight of Kerry campaign ads “deliver the upbeat message that the United States is ‘a country of optimists,’” and that this is a contrast to Bush’s ads that primarily criticize Kerry.

Reading this reminded me of something