Observers see eerie parallels in attacks on Kerry, McCain

[Nicholas_J]

NEWS ANALYSIS
Observers see eerie parallels in attacks on Kerry, McCain
As in 2000 campaign, Bush attempts to distance himself from hits against rival

Zachary Coile and Marc Sandalow, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Tuesday, August 24, 2004




Washington -- Four years ago, as George Bush struggled in the polls, supporters of his bid for the Republican presidential nomination unleashed a ferocious attack on rival John McCain, questioning his commitment to veterans and his fitness to serve.

After the charges took root, Bush distanced himself from the veterans group that made the attacks, called the Arizona senator's service "noble'' and cruised to a nomination-saving victory in the South Carolina primary.

Monday, in a series of events that some observers say are eerily familiar, Bush distanced himself from a veterans' group running fierce attacks on John Kerry's military record and called his rival's service in Vietnam "admirable.'' Rather than focus on the Democratic nominee's Vietnam record, a matter that has engulfed the presidential contest for the past week, Bush said "we ought to be debating who (is) best to be leading this country in the war against terror.''

Bush passed up an opportunity to denounce the content of the group's television commercial, in which veterans accuse Kerry of lying in order to win combat medals. In a carefully worded statement, Bush called on all independent groups -- those supporting him and those supporting Kerry -- to pull their television commercials relating to the 2004 presidential campaign off the air, a request that strategists on both sides appeared to not take seriously.




http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/08/24/SWIFT.TMP

[Skittles]

1. Bush is a f***ing coward

stop the presses

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. according to Bush it's just like Abu Ghraib

he has no control over those under his command.

[Democat]

3. You won't be hearing about this article on cable news!

Instead they will have another 24 hours of all pro-Bush Swift Liars anti-Kerry coverage.

[PurityOfEssence]

4. Republicans always want to change the rules when outmaneuvered

The following is the kind of thought process one would expect from a conservative, so bear with me...

Just because they're a bunch of crybaby losers who are too stupid to adjust to changing laws, they want to blame the more competent Democrats. The 527s benefit the Dems in this cycle for a few different reasons, all of which play into their strengths: a broader range of people are sick of this President and his bullying and thievery than are still suckered by it, conservatives want things to revert to the past or not change because they don't adapt well, the depth of anger and revulsion for this administration is much greater than the adulation of the followers of it and the essential grassroots nature of the 527s mirrors the fact that the people are being ruined by this idiot and his phalanx of hate and exclusion.

Boo-hoo. When they can't win an election, they either steal it or work tirelessly to undermine the one elected. They'll defy the courts to redistrict to their liking and break any conceivable finance law to do it. They fight every campaign finance reform they can, and are too stupid to figure out how ones that they can't defeat even work. In full control of all three branches of government, they still whimper pathetically about how discriminated against they are. Selfish, unprincipled and incompetent; if it wasn't for massive amounts of money, unblinking brain-dead fear of change and limitless greed, they'd never be able to survive.

Yes, they're inferior specimens, and they know it; that's why they have to rig the system: they know they can't hack it without unfair advantages.

So, I've marginalized, diminished and mocked them, just like a conservative would. They deserve it; they're primitive, mean and destructive to civilization itself.

[Inland]

5. "Eerie parallels"? You mean, Bush is using the same tactic that worked

before. It isn't a Twilight Zone episode. There isn't anything except an evil little man in political trouble, again, doing the thing that worked the last time.

[hatrack]

8. It's the same damn people doing the number on Kerry this time!

Ooh - pretty "eerie", these "shadowy groups"!!

[ItsMyParty]

6. I think the collective "duh" of the stupid media is sickening

This should have been an observation made at the time of the first ad running and been immediately pointed out by the press. When people began to criticize him in SC with these smears the Bush campaign blamed it on "overzealous" supporters whom they had no control over and said they denounced it, etc. They pull this shit 3 and 1/2 years later and the media doesn't want to go there.

[Massacure]

7. There is no such thing as a surefire tactic in politics.

I think Kerry knows what he is doing.

[XanaDUer]

9. Repblicans are usually one trick ponies...

...