September 2004

September 2004
9-10-04: Edwards, in response to (potentially forged) documents appearing on CBS's 60 Minutes which accused Bush, once again, of wrong behavior in the National Guard, says, "I think they are reasonable and legitimate questions the White House ought to answer." Despite their pattern of response to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads that they were basically ridiculous, nasty, unfounded attack ads that didn't warrant, at least in Kerry's mind, any response, now when the tables are turned, Kerry and Edwards don't hesitate to probe Bush for a response. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out with Dan Rather and CBS over possibly airing forged documents.

"If we remain silent to the extremism w/in our community, then we should not expect anyone to listen to us when we complain of stereotyping and discrimination by non-Muslims." -www.freemuslims.com

9-13-04: Kerry plays race card. "We're not gonna sit by and watch another one million votes go uncounted" etc..

9-15-04: Pat Caddell appears on Hannity and Colmes and speaks on implosion of Democratic party. Although a Democrat, Pat seemed more committed to reality than ideology; he was a contrast to an earlier and more noted partisan guest, Carl Bernstein.

3-8-04: Kerry is only 1 of 14 Senators who voted against DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), the 1996 federal law that says no state is obligated to recognize same-sex marriages performed by another state. He described DOMA as an instance of "gay bashing on the floor of the U.S. Senate." Yet, on Good Mourning America, last week, Kerry said a federal amendment was unnecessary b/c DOMA shielded states that opposed gay marriage; this put Kerry in an awkward position of supporting a law he voted against.

9-27-04: Nancy Gibbs article "Blue Truth, Red Truth." Gibbs writes, "facts have value only to the extent that they support the truth" (referring to differences in "red truth" and "blue truth"). "Above all, the stakes of the outcome seem to change the rules. If you believe that your child's safety depends on the right guy winning, what tactics can possibly be out of bounds, and what scruples—political or intellectual, or legal or journalistic—are more important than ultimate victory."

9-23-04: At a joint news conference at the White House, Iraq's Prime Minister Allawi speaks optimistically about Iraq's progress and its future hopes, thanking Bush and the American people's sacrifices for the freedom of his people. 30 minutes later, Kerry holds a conference and says Allawi contradicted himself and the reality on the ground. Referring to the contradiction, Allawi had earlier said, "Foreign terrorists are still pouring in, and they're trying to inflict damage on Iraq and to undermine the process, democratic process in Iraq, and indeed, this is their last stand...We are winning. We will continue to win. We are going to prevail." The point is that Kerry is hurting relations with Iraq's Prime Minister, and I don't see how making these comments, if Kerry is elected, would help the U.S. win the war in Iraq.