Monday, August 30 2004
INTO THE BELLY OF THE BEAST: I arrived in New York last night and will be heading down to convention central in less than an hour. I'll be posting updates throughout the day as warranted.

STATE OF THE POLLS: There are tons of new state polls out (battleground | non battleground) few of which contain any good news for John Kerry. With the exception of a Rasmussen poll showing him up 2 points in Ohio and a Gallup poll showing a 6-point lead in Iowa, the Kerry camp has lost ground in almost all the crucial battleground states.

THE 527 EFFECT: There is a general sense, in both the state and national polls, that the race has turned back in favor of the President. Most pundits have ascribed this to the Swift Boat Veterans, which could certainly be the case. But we've also heard about how liberal 527's have spent between $60-65 million against Bush over the course of the last 9 months or so. One has to assume this money has had an effect on Bush's numbers over time, keeping them depressed. It could be that in addition to casting doubts on John Kerry's veracity and driving his numbers down, the Swift Boat Veterans have helped Bush's numbers rise by breaking through the blanket of negative ads from liberal 527's.

WHO IS SLANDERING ALL VETS?: Critics of the Swift Boat Veterans have taken to charging that their critique of John Kerry's medals amounts to a slandering of the service and the medals of all Vietnam veterans. Aside from being untrue, the argument is a problematic one for the Kerry campaign.

Thirty-three years ago when John Kerry threw his medals (or ribbons) over the fence in protest, he went out of his way to say that the "perversion" of the war had stripped the integrity from his - and by implication from all - Vietnam decorations and medals:

"This [Nixon] administration forced us to return our medals because beyond the perversion of the war these leaders themselves denied us the integrity those symbols supposedly gave our lives." - John Kerry, April 1971

What really sticks in the craw of veterans, of course, is that after Kerry denounced the value of his Vietnam medals and used them in a piece of public theatre to vault himself to national stardom, Kerry changed his tune about their value and significance:

"I'm proud of my medals. I always was proud of them." - John Kerry, December 2003

Perhaps even more telling is the quote he gave to National Journal in 1988: "I was proud of my personal service and remain so." (emphasis added).

Given the way Kerry has exploited his medals and service over the years for personal gain, is it any wonder that a group of his fellow veterans have come forward to call him on it? Anyone who thinks the Swift Boat Veterans are a creature of Karl Rove and George Bush simply doesn't get it. They are a creature of John Kerry, and they attack him now because of the way he attacked their honor back in 1971. T. Bevan 7:27 am Link | Email | Send to a Friend