Reply #51: Never forget Shelton

[Jai4WKC08]

How could any of us? That one was the worst, to be sure, of all the negative press that repeated over and over, and accepted at face value without question or investigation. They kept asking Clark what it was about, like he's supposed to know? And of course, it was expanded into a theme that none of his military collegues liked or respected him, which was totally false. But for all the many generals and other officers and enlisted people who had served with Clark and spoke on his behalf, none of that got the air time.

I got an e-mail just two days ago from a columnist at the Boston Globe, an alleged "media consultant" who worked for Kerry's senate campaign, who said, "While 2 generals publicly questioned his fitness for office, he never found one to stand up for him." This from a guy who makes his living following politics? I assume by the second, he means Schwartzkopf, who of course backpedaled like mad when he found out the story behind Shelton.

The good news is, I suppose, that it is Shelton's reputation that is irreparably harmed. Maybe not among the voting public, but with those in the know. It was absolutely one of the dirtiest things done to any of the candidates, as anyone with military experience (like Kerry for example) would understand. I don't think it helped Shelton's "sponsor" too much either.

You'll notice in that article on Kerry's foreign policy "poo-bahs" that Shelton's name is conspicuously missing. And it ain't because he hasn't been trying to get a foothold on the Kerry team.

Anyway, the only reason I didn't bring up Shelton is because I was focused on the alleged "gaffs" and the "bad campaigner" meme that is used so often now to rationalize why Clark shouldn't be Kerry's VP. But certainly it was just the tip of the iceberg where the negative media was concerned.