Counter Attack Heats Up
Reported by Eleanor - August 25, 2004 -
Dayside with Mike Jerrick (Aug. 25, 1:00 p.m.) spent 35 minutes on the smear boat story. Most of this time was spent on the Max Cleland and Jim Rasmussan visit to Crawford, Texas to present a letter to Bush, asking him to pick up the phone and ask his friends to take down the ad. The letter was refused by a secret service agent, and Cleland held a press conference as a result.
I captured a lot of what Cleland said as follows, with a few comments by Rasmussan: (Not a complete transcript but key comments are included.)
- This is a "scurrilous" attack on Kerry. It's false, and George Bush is behind it.
- I tried to deliver the letter, was unsuccessful, and I'm sorry that I was.
- It's signed by nine senators who have worn the uniform.
- Where is George Bush's shame? This is disgraceful. We're going through Viet Nam again.
- This is dividing us one from another.
- John McCain says this is dishonest and dishonorable.
- The country can do better than this.
- George Bush won't stick up for vets.
- We can't let the attacks continue.
- This is character assassination. Bush went after three vets in four years - myself, McCain, and now Kerry.
- We asked him to make one phone calls to friends in Texas. He would not.
- He's trying to cover up the mess in Iraq, 1.8 million jobs lost.
- What a terrible president he has been for this country.
- We asked him to put a stop to these attacks.
- Jim Rasmussan. - They couldn't keep their story together or their lies straight. The president is trying to get out of it by putting it in with other 527's.
- It's unbelievable. The president sits by idly and lets this happen.
- It's fraudulent, illegal and dishonest.
- Veterans don't deserve to be trashed by those who didn't go.
- When asked if this is a political stunt, Cleland said, "They ran ads against me. That's political theater."
- Bush can put up or shut up. It's wrong. Accountability rests at his door.
- Rasmussan: I was an eyewitness. They're saying I'm a liar about bullets coming near me. I was there. We were under fire. We are being corroborated by others who were there.
- George Bush is behind it.
