Kerry Staffer's Attack 'On Background' Backfires

[Rose Siding]

Sen. John F. Kerry's campaign spokeswoman is deeply unhappy with the New York Times' chief political correspondent for quoting her criticism of Howard Dean.

The reason? The Massachusetts Democrat's team made the attack in an e-mail to reporters that contained a note asking that it be treated on "background," attributed only to a Democratic campaign. Adam Nagourney refused to go along.

After the capture of Saddam Hussein, Kerry campaign press secretary Stephanie Cutter listed past Dean statements in arguing that his opposition to the war in Iraq was "politically driven." Nagourney, ignoring the not-for-attribution request, wrote that this reflected campaign aides' concern that they not be viewed as politically exploiting a foreign policy victory.

Nagourney, who previously outed "background" e-mails from aides to Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), John Edwards (N.C.) and Bob Graham (Fla.), said: "If someone wants to go off the record, call me up, and I'll be glad to negotiate. But you cannot do it preemptively. I will not let someone attack someone else anonymously, which is what the Kerry campaign is trying to do."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6146-2003Dec16.html

[Khephra]

1. Good for Nagourney!

:toast:

[LosinIt]

2. Do you think if Adam Nagourney ever has a daughter he will name her...

wait for it...

Sagourney?? As in Weaver, or however it is spelled.

[molly]

6. LOL!!

[sandnsea]

3. Outs everybody but Dean

Dean doesn't send background emails on other candidates. :eyes:

This primary is the slimiest in history.

[w4rma]

4. busted. (n/t)

[RetroLounge]

5. Wahhhhh

:cry:

[Andromeda]

19. There you go again...

:nopity:

[molly]

7. Let the truth be known

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6146-2003Dec16.html

Cutter, who sent Nagourney angry e-mail messages, says her staff is trying to provide a "truth squad" about Dean. "This campaign has no problem going on the record about the facts in this race," Cutter said. "We've never had a problem with ground rules before." Meanwhile, the Kerry camp has sent another "background" e-mail titled "An Illustrated Guide to Howard Dean's Foreign Policy." Nagourney didn't get one."

HoHo started one of the most vicious campaign from the beginning. Who are they to cry foul?

[Khephra]

8. Lets see...Dean's first "attacks" were saying that

Democrats should be standing up and acting like Democrats again.

So...

His opponents prove him wrong by using Republican smear tactics that are far worse than that?

Ain't going to wash. Candidate on candidate attacks happen every primary. It's whether or not they're willing to hit below the belt on their fellow party members that matters--and the Senate democrats have proven that their only target is Dean's balls.

It must be an envy thing, I guess, since they don't have any.

[molly]

9. Kerry doesn't have any? Clark doesn't have any?

where was HoHo while they were getting wounded in Viet Nam? I think everyone knows he was skiing in Aspen.

[Khephra]

10. Yawn...

What have they done for us lately, say the past two years? It's brave when a man picks up the sword to defend his country, but it's cowardly for the same man to hand the sword to a tyrant.

I love how you can't even use Dean's name. "Ho-ho". You know someone else who can't use people's proper names? Bush. Grow up. Recess is over. Boo-hoo! Your candidate is mean and smelly and I don't like him! Let me call him a name that I heard my 2 year old use today.

Ho-ho. Pathetic and laughable.

Yeah, I'm impressed that someone went and fought in a unjust war and then went and voted for another one when it was time to defend the youth of today from yet another unjust war.

Not.

[molly]

11. They both have years of dedicated service to the people

of this country.

[AWD]

12. ...and yet,

they can't manage to use THAT in their campaigns, instead relying on Dem-bashing and pre-emptive attacks.

Pre-emptive attacks...I wonder where they got that idea from????

[Khephra]

13. And I don't disagree with that in the slightest

SENATOR Kerry remains one my favorite politicians ever. Candidate Kerry, well, that's a different story. That and I do think he's not really been paying attention to the Bush administration to say some of the things he's said.

I just don't like the last two years of non-service we've seen out of the Senate candidates. Instead of standing up to the worst internal threat we've had to our Democracy, they've helped it move its agenda forward.

The problem is that you can not live on past glories forever.

A man may save a nation in his youth, yet give it away to its enemies in his maturity. Just because you've done wonderful work all your life, it still doesn't mean that you can't ruin it all with one action. Karma's a bitch, and sometimes it's the things you do later on in life when you're supposed to be wise that hurts you the most...as is the exact case for Kerry. Above all, he should have known better. He ignored his own past and now (depending on the day) is either pro-war or not. His stances on warfare are no longer based on his experiences, but on his standing in the polls.

I'm not angry at Kerry. I'm disappointed in Kerry.

Dean isn't the problem here. Kerry doesn't know which Kerry he is anymore.

[AWD]

14. Well said!

The difference between Senator Kerry and Candidate Kerry is HUGE.

And frankly, Candidate Kerry is running so poorly, he's unelectable as President.

[molly]

18. As I've said many many times before -

it's NOT the campaign - it's the MAN.

[mattgabe]

17. Dean blog contantly calls Kerry "ketchup boi"

so you guys ain't no better.

Oh, and "Ho-Ho" is what many political reporters refer to Dean as. Read "The Note" sometime.

[Andromeda]

21. "ketchup boi"?

hahahahahahaha.:bounce: That's really clever!

[jonnyblitz]

15. military litmus tests for candidates are so tiresome

and remind me of CLinton's detractors. It bothers me to here this from people on our side. I say this as a vet.

[Andromeda]

20. There you go again...

:argh:

[Monte Carlo]

16. Hmm... article written by Howard Kurtz...

... I guess he suddenly becomes a credible source...