Ancient Hurt Rules the Day
Reported by Eleanor - August 23, 2004 -
On Dayside (Aug. 23, 1:00 p.m.) with Mike Jerrick, the swift boat controversy came up four times: Carl Cameron's report, a debate between Rich Lowry and Dan Gerstein, a Q & A with Jerrick's audience, and questions for Bush at his press conference.
Cameron reported:
- The president believes all 527's should be eliminated.
- John Edwards called this a test of character for Bush, and a failure of leadership if he fails to respond.
- The Kerry camp might rekindle Bush's National Guard service if it continues.
- This issue is defining the race, with Kerry's service and anti-war protests being the opposite of what was said later.
- The Kerry camp saw improvement in the polls, that are now going down, and fighting back is a response to that.
Rich Lowry and Dan Gerstein debated "who wins and who loses." Rich focused on Cambodia, the book, unavailability of naval records, more ads on the democratic side, and first amendment rights. Dan countered with a possible Bush boomerang, the best leadership for the country, naval records on the Internet, truth, debating this issue with Bush on their service records, the difference between taking away these ads and taking away free speech rights, and one small mistake about being in or near Cambodia does not make the entire record false.
Jerrick's Q & A kept the issue alive with audience comments. Two people wanted the controversy to continue to find out what the truth is. One commenter said: "The damage is done. Kerry has already been hurt. Move on." (The truth doesn't matter. Now that the democrats are fighting back, it's time to stop.)
At Bush's press conference, he stated nothing new - emphatically - twice - that 527's should be banned.
Comment: Bush's response is a form of political blackmail. The message: The democrats ban MoveOn, (and possibly Moore and Greenwald) who are backed up by the truth, and the republicans will ban the SBVT who are backed up by people who weren't there - who spew lies and old hatred against anti-war protesters - a 35 year old story. That's the republican version of fair and balanced. And they'll do it because they can, since they own much of the media, the means of propaganda.
Viet Nam is the story of the national campaign of 2004, not the fact that an eerily similar war is killing people right now. The irony is that the one who didn't serve in the earlier shooting war started this one under false pretenses and has the same problem that Lyndon Johnson had. No exit strategy except defeat. And the lies and the ancient hurt continue while Rome burns.
