I always thought James Carville and Mary Matlin were snakes.

[Puglover]

Apparently I was right. This from Crooks and Liars and Woodwards book.

"While the discussion about Woodward's State of Denial has largely centered around the communication (or lack thereof) of the Bush Administration, M.J. Rosenberg of TPMCafe caught a little throwaway line in the book that has some deeply disturbing implications:

On page 344, Woodward describes the doings at the White House in the early morning hours of Wednesday, the day after the '04 election.

Apparently, Kerry had decided not to concede. There were 250,000 outstanding ballots in Ohio.

So Kerry decides to fight. In fact, he considers going to Ohio to camp out with his voters until there is a recount. This is the last thing the White House needs, especially after Florida 2000.

So what happened?

James Carville gets on the phone with his wife, Mary Matalin, who is at the White House with Bush.

"Carville told her he had some inside news. The Kerry campaign was going to challenge the provisional ballots in Ohio — perhaps up to 250,000 of them. 'I don't agree with it, Carville said. I'm just telling you that's what they're talking about.'

"Matalin went to Cheney to report…You better tell the President Cheney told her."

Matalin does, advising Bush that "somebody in authority needed to get in touch with J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican Secretary of State in Ohio who would be in charge of any challenge to the provisional votes." An SOS goes out to Blackwell."

This is so completely creepy. If it's true Carville is a weasel of epic scale.

[trumad]

1. It's funny---but you're basing that conclusion on a book

written by a snake....

[Puglover]

2. Perhaps you didn't read the last line of my OP.

"If it's true"

[rpannier]

3. I kind of thought that too

I mean...a year ago everyone at DU called woodward a sell out and fraud.
IMO...Woodward began seeing the writing on the wall and is trying to resurrect his image.
I wouldn't believe a word that man said even if I was look straight at what he was describing. I think woodward is a fraud and would do or say anything to enhance himself.

[wakeme2008]

4. Who cares what Carville/Matalin told Cheney...

Kerry folded there was nothing Bush/Cheney could do to make up his mind.

[still_one]

10. You are actually right, but either way it is irrelevent

just like woodward

The most important thing is to win at least one house in 2006

Then we can start to really fight back

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. More like Snake Oil salesmen.

Step right up! Get you're presidents right here..cheap!

[tularetom]

6. Carville IS a low life POS for a long list of reasons

but even if Woodward's assertion is true, I don't see how or why his actions had any effect on Kerry's dumbass decision not to challenge the Ohio results. I think Kerry and his advisors probably had Carville pegged as a loser long before election night anyway.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Yes this was a creepy thing to do

But I don't see how it makes any difference. It's not like Kerry lost the election because Carville told his wife what he was planning.

Does the book say why Kerry did not challenge the vote?

[HereSince1628]

8. So WHY would that make Kerry decide not to challenge?

I'm not a fan of Carville the DLC attack dog, but if a candidate believes there is a reason to challenge just how would leaking that to the opposition change the candidate's opinion?

This story has been floating around DU for a couple weeks and I've still not heard a satisfactory response.

[Toots]

9. So how does their knowledge of Kerry's intended actions have any bearing

on Kerry? What good does them knowing about Kerry's desire to challenge do them. Why didn't Kerry make the challenge anyway? Did they do something to prevent him from making the challenge? I don't get it. :shrug:

[peacetalksforall]

11. It's curious why Woodward put this in? What is its importance

in context? It sounds like a story that goes nowhere - except to expose Carville as someone who is not so loyal - and leaving us with an assumption ... if he told her something once, he probably did it more than once? Many DUers would not be surprised - so who was Woodward reaching out to by including it? Was it to point out that Matalin was a stealth player - DUers know that. Why would he bulk his 500 page book with this?

Carville is a has-been with me, anyway.

[ariellyn]

15. I agree. It lends more to questioning Blackwell's involvement

and the White House's than Carville IMHO. Carville just passed on what they were going to do it seems. I don't see how that derailed the recount.

[ashling]

12. Carville/Matlin - How do they sleep at night?

I have never understood marriages like this. How do they sleep at night?

They must have that new Carville/Matlin Conscience Number bed by Sleep Number. Dial your conscience number for a restful nights sleep.

The Democrat can dial his or her number way up, and the Republic can dial the number down to 0.

:rofl:

[Hubert Flottz]

13. After James Carville hooked up with Mary Matalin I suspected he

was a mole.

Do ya think he helped the GOP set Clinton up?

[Puglover]

14. Well dammit, I didn't see the HUGE thread that Kpete

started. Bleh, let this sucker sink. :mad:

[Orangepeel]

16. yeah, true. But I really don't see the relevance of THIS story to it.

What could Blackwell do with this information that he wouldn't have been doing otherwise? This frantic SOS would have mobilized him to do what, exactly? Wouldn't all the cheating ducks have been in a row already?

And, for some reason, Kerry would have challenged if he could have "snuck up" on Blackwell, but once Blackwell knew he was planning to challenge, he couldn't? That doesn't make sense.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

17. On one of the shows last week, someone asked Carville what he

would do right now if he were running some of the republican campaigns. He said, "I don't know. I'm not one of them."

Sounded a bit touchy. Bet this line in BW's book has been thrown at him a few times in the last few days. Heh, heh. Fess up, James. Mary has wrapped your balls in barbed wire, and knows just how far you can jump before you sing soprano.

[peacetalksforall]

19. It's a great answer if it were said by someone else. nt

[acmavm]

18. Kerry should not have rollled over so damn fast but I'm amazed that

so many people here can just ignore or excuse Carville's perfidious behavior.

The snake is still weasling his way into the election process. Does no one think that he needs to be gotten rid of before 2008?

He's been a washed up has-been since Clinton's election. People think because of his snappy repartee he should be a muckity-muck big shot in the dem party. Why?

He needs to be put in mothballs. And never taken out again.