John Kerry for President? You Must Be Joking

John Kerry, instead of giving us a Memorial Day break from all his bullshit, decided to use the occassion to rip Bush with this:

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Democrat John Kerry ventured in to Republican leaning Virginia on Monday with a Memorial Day pitch targeting military families and a charge that President Bush "didn't learn the lessons of our generation in Vietnam."

Thank God for all of us that Bush did learn the lessons of Vietnam. Vietnam taught the American press that they can destroy American moral and the war effort. In addition, it taught the world that you don't have to beat the United States militarily, you just have to beat them in the press, which isn't too hard when the press is eager to portray the United States in the worst possible light. (i.e the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the Commies but thanks to the press, many to this day still think that it was a U.S. defeat)

Iraq=Vietnam? No way. But, if Kerry is elected, the aftermath might equal Cambodia.

An interesting thought from an e-mailer:

I am from Massachusetts and a avid Kerry non-supporter. I am sitting at home right now watching the Boston Red Sox pre-game report and they had John Kerry on and asked him about his Red Sox memories. He figured he would talk about last years loss to the Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS with the Aaron Boone homerun in extra innings and the decision that Grady Little made to not pull Pedro Martinez out of the game when everyone thought he should have. He goes on to set the stage, he and “about 15 or 16 other Senators” were watching the game in a back room in the house, huddled around one TV. He goes on to say that they were getting so loud that someone on the floor had to come in and tell them to keep it quiet.

Call me crazy, but does he think that people believe that he and 15 or 16 other senators were in the house watching a Yankees Red Sox game on Thursday, October 16th, at 11:00 AT NIGHT. This just proves that the guy will say absolutely anything to make him seem like your average Joe. My guess is that he was probably watching the game (if at all), with Hillary Clinton and cheering for the Yankees.

Kevin Day

Click here to see all of Kerry's shifting positions on Iraq.

...he is too easily duped, because no matter how he tries to avoid saying it, he wants Kerry to win. Get this post:

KERRY GETS IT RIGHT:

In what his campaign billed as a major foreign-policy address, Kerry said that despite the fierce election-year politics, the country is standing together when it comes to preventing future attacks.

"This country is united in its determination to destroy you," said Kerry of the terrorists, in the first of a series of foreign-policy speeches timed to coincide with Memorial Day and President Bush's trip to Europe for D-Day ceremonies.

"As commander in chief, I will bring the full force of our nation's power to bear on finding and crushing your networks. We will use every available resource to destroy you," Kerry said in Seattle.

"More like this, please," says Reynolds. The good Professor should know better. No one believes for a second that he means a word of it. Even Kerry supporters know he is only saying it to appeal to swing voters. Kerry is kidding no one. The good Professor left this part out:

Despite the difficult situation in Iraq, Kerry barely touched on the beleaguered country, except to say that he would like the United Nations to appoint a high commissioner and have NATO more involved.

Same old stock crap that he has been running for a year now. And the Professor left this part out too:

The Massachusetts senator added, "As president, my No. 1 security goal will be to prevent the terrorists from gaining weapons of mass murder. And our overriding mission will be to disrupt and destroy their terrorist cells."

Isn't that exactly what Bush is doing now, yet Kerry is criticizing him to no end for it? And he left this part out too:

[K]erry promised to ensure that the men and women of the US military are the best-led, best-equipped and most respected fighting force in the world, and as commander-in-chief, he said he will never send troops into harm’s way without enough troops for the task or without a plan to win the peace. He also emphasized that not every problem should be viewed through the military lens and stressed that as President, he will deploy all the power – economic, intelligence and our values and ideas – in America’s arsenal to meet our challenges.

There was his out. Kerry would run back to the law enforcement approach, with an administration full of lawyers that would tell him "no can do" on anything, just like the Clinton administration. And, lastly, get this part:

"When I returned home from Vietnam, I joined my fellow veterans in vowing never to abandon any veterans of America’s wars, and my commitment to veterans and members of our military has never wavered and never will,” Kerry said. “We can build a stronger America by making sure we honor all our commitments to veterans and military families, and together we will."

Funny, but throwing his fellow soldiers under the bus is exactly what he did upon returning from Vietnam. Just look at his Senate testimony.

How can anyone possibly take this guy at his word?

...exposes polls for the worthless junk that they are.

Perhaps you are out of shape. if so, try the John Kerry Workout.

When the August 6, 2001 PDB was released, the New York Times wondered why Bush didn't round up every Arab who tried to board an airplane. Now, when John Ashcroft announces a group of people wanted by the government, the Times not only places it on page A16, they accuse ashcroft of playing politics with national security.

As Ashcroft Warns of Attack, Some Question Threat and Its Timing

The White House came under criticism this year for not acting more aggressively in August 2001 when Mr. Bush was informed that Al Qaeda was planning to attack the United States or its interests abroad. In issuing a high-profile warning this time, the administration appeared intent on insulating itself from any perception that it was not responding vigorously enough.

But the announcement also came after weeks in which Mr. Bush's political standing has been battered by events in Iraq and as his re-election campaign is seeking to portray Mr. Kerry as opposed to the USA Patriot Act, the law giving the government broad powers to combat terrorism.

Just look at that blatant bullshit. Bush is "seeking to portray Mr. Kerry as opposed to the USA Patriot Act" because he IS opposed to it. (Well, maybe. I think he has flip-flopped on that too.) That is the same as if the Times wrote that Bush is "seeking to portray Mr. Kerry as being the junior Senator from Massachusetts."

It gets even better:

Harold Schaitberger, head of the International Association of Fire Fighters, told reporters in a conference call organized by Mr. Kerry's campaign that he found the timing of the announcement to be "politically convenient at best" because it came after "we see the president's approval ratings plummet."

If you read the entire article, you will find that this group, perhaps Kerry's biggest supporters, supply the entire justification for the headline. Once again, the Times carries the water for Kerry.

And, our friend sends this along as well:

FYE:

J.F. Kerry playing a moderate running for the presidency

Clarence Kolb playing the mayor of NYC in HIS GIRL FRIDAY.
(2nd from right)
http://www.carygrant.net/fotogallery/hisgirlfriday/hgf-9.jpg

Were Kerry and Kolb separated at birth?

Kerry and Clarence Kolb: two pompous liars ready to switch positions on a dime.

Except - in fairness to Kolb - he only played a flip-flopping pompous liar on the movies!

Daniel Aronstein
NY, NY

Our friend Daniel Aronstein send this along:

I watched the Kerry speech.

He's worse on WW4 than McGovern was on Vietnam!

And all this talk about what other countries feel about us!?!?!?!
Obviously he'd give Chirac and the UN a veto over our national interests.
He fails to see that our values are more important than alliances; that alliances which diminish our values and our ability to fight WW4 are not worth a thing.

Also Kerry said that TR said: "walk softly but carry a big stick", but TR said "SPEAK" softly .

In fact, according the the White House historian
(http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tr26.html)

"He liked to quote a favorite proverb, 'Speak softly and carry a big stick. . . . ' "
And Kerry quoted the self-avowed, openly communist poet again - L. Hughs - from an overtly communist poem again "let America be Amwerica" What's this mean!?!?!?

God help us, this man - who, through his lies, is more responsible for the Vietnam Syndrome than any other politician alive - must NOT be allowed to win.

Daniel Aronstein
NY, NY
http://www.c-span.org/homepage.asp

From an e-mailer, who remembered something the media has seemed to have forgotten about:

Perhaps it is because under the CFR laws, he may repay the entire amount of his $6.4 mortgage that he took out on X-mas eve on his Boston Mansion w/ campaign funds. Once he gets the nomination he can only use $250K to repay it. Further Teresa can't give more than $2K to repay the debt or it's an illegal contribution. Kerry has to use campaign donations because on his salary (even if Pres) he can't afford the $300K/year INTEREST ONLY payments.

This makes some sense given that he has only $27 mill on hand now. Paying back the mortgage now takes a little more than 20% out of his cash on hand, which could be disastrous.

Eric Fabrizio
West Lawn, PA

[Hat tip: Right-Wing and Right-Minded]

From John Kerry's meeting with Ralph Nader:

In one exchange, recounted by a Kerry aide who requested anonymity, Nader complained that the Democratic Party had become too cozy with corporate interests.

Kerry replied: "Don't judge me by the people who preceded me. You may have had a disagreement with [President] Bill Clinton, or [former Vice President] Al Gore, or the Democratic leadership in Congress…. but that's not me. I have fought with you, I have been with you on a range of issues, and you should judge me by my record in the Senate."

Kerry need not worry. We are judging him on his (pathetic) record in the Senate.

I got this e-mail from someone whose name I am withholding:

Last time I checked, the death penalty was against Catholic doctrine as well as abortion. Therefore, all Republicans who are Catholics should
also not take the Eucharist. I'm another Catholic for Kerry and proud
of it. Catholic social teaching calls Catholics to a moral obligation:
Standing up for human rights. ALL HUMAN RIGHTS. I would hardly call the
Republican platform, one which deprives the poor of health care,
education, and basic needs, representative of Christ's message.

I was raised a Catholic and continue to be a Catholic, but this sure sounds like old fashioned Socialist, Communist, and Marxist rhetoric to me. I just love the meme about Republicans denying health care. Socialized health care is a failure everywhere it exists, and this country has by far and away the best health care in the world. I won't even get into that. (By the way, has anyone ever seen a liberal hospital, privately funded? I never have. I have seen many Catholic, Christian, and Jewish hospitals, but never saw an ACLU, People for the American Way, Greenpeace, etc. hospital) And, on education, this woman must be joking. No one in history has ever spent more on education than Bush, on a bill mostly written by Ted Kennedy!! Just take a look at school vouchers, which Kerry has always been against. Catholic schools educate a hell of a lot better than public schools for a hell of a lot less money. Kerry, like his fellow Democrats, being owned by the teachers' unions, will continue the cycle of lousy schools, especially in inner cities. Faith-based iniatives will die a quick death if Kerry is elected. Can this woman, as a Catholic, really say with a straight face that the government does anything better (and cheaper) than religious groups?

As for the basic needs nonsense, it sure sounds like Karl Marx's famous quote, "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." Uh, no thanks.

Anyway, I responded to this woman with this e-mail:

Deprives the public of health care? What country is that? We aren't Socialist enough for you? And, this administration has spent more money on education, in a bill written by Democrat Ted Kennedy, than any other in history.

Typical liberal. Just keeping giving welfare and everything away to the "poor", and everything will be OK. Earth to you: The War on Poverty and the Great Society was 40 years ago, and it flopped.

Answer me this: Who gave you your education? Where do you get your health care and basic needs? Who provides for yuor family?

I look forward to your response and the continuing of our debate.

Here was her (non) response:

Actually, I was a registered Republican until last year, I'm against
welfare, and well aware of the fantastic contribution Ted Kennedy has
made to our country in his long-running term in office. I look forward
to writing you back, as well. Right now, though, I am off to work.

Read that twice. A registered Republican until last year who is aware of Ted Kennedy's "fantastic contribution." What contribution is that? In that one sentence, she exposes herself for a phony. If she bothers to answer my questions, I'll let you know. Don't hold your breath. I ain't holding mine.

...the New York Times just label itself, "The Official Paper of the John Kerry for President Campaign?" Get this laugher:

White House Is Trumpeting Programs It Tried to Cut

WASHINGTON, May 18 — Like many of its predecessors, the Bush White House has used the machinery of government to promote the re-election of the president by awarding federal grants to strategically important states. But in a twist this election season, many administration officials are taking credit for spreading largess through programs that President Bush tried to eliminate or to cut sharply.

For example, Justice Department officials recently announced that they were awarding $47 million to scores of local law enforcement agencies for the hiring of police officers. Mr. Bush had just proposed cutting the budget for the program, known as Community Oriented Policing Services, by 87 percent, to $97 million next year, from $756 million.

Yeah, OK. I'll take that seriously when the Times reports on all the vital programs that Kerry voted against, or that Kerry flat-out lied when he said he supported something when he didn't.

Nice work, Ray!!

I lost this e-mail in the shuffle. Dave wanted you to see this Byron York NRO column about the doctor who treated Kerry in Vietnam.

Dan, who always sends great links to Power Line, sent us this, via Wizbang:

Deferring Vietnam
Remember the scene from the movie Big Wednesday, where the three buddies are going to the draft board, each with a different method of trying to earn a deferment? On guy pretends to be gay, Garey Busey's character pretends to be crazy, and Jan Michael Vincent's character has his buddies kneecap him to fake and injury. That's what the whole dustup around Vietnam service is turning into...

Reader Daniel Aronstein contributes the following on Teresa Heinz-Kerry's latest quote:

"To have a couple of people who escaped [service in Vietnam] four, five, six times and deferred, deferred and deferred, calling [Kerry] anything or doubting his heroism is in and of itself unpatriotic," Heinz Kerry said. She added that she was referring to Cheney's lack of military service and to the attacks from the Bush campaign on various aspects of the Vietnam service of her husband."
Her comment brings to mind a question:

Was John Kerry also unpatriotic for seeking a deferment, but getting turned down? From a 1970 interview with Kerry in the Harvard Crimson:

When he approached his draft board for permission to study for a year in Paris, the draft board refused and Kerry decided to enlist in the Navy.
If not, then HOW CAN SHE DARE CRITICIZE CHENEY FOR SEEKING ONE - (or more) - AND NOT getting turned down?

Put another way - How can she ascribe to Cheney a lower "moral standing" than Kerry just because the DOD/SSS honored Cheney's requests and not her current husband's?

Via Keyboard Pundit

Lies
John Kerry, that dashing knight in shining Botox has apparently forgotten that the press documents everything he says, which is why if you're going to tell lies, make them consistent! Just learn from Bill!

Watch Kerry yourself. (rtsp://real.stream2you.com/rnc/suv1.rm)

TRANSCRIPT:
ON TAPE: Question: “[S]econdly, what you have done in the past personally or professionally to reduce dependence on oil in your own life?”

Kerry: “Well, I sold my gas-guzzler and got a van and downgraded. That’s what I did personally, in my own life. Also got an economical car in Washington and so forth so that I was trying to live up to that standard.”

Interesting.
Just two months later (in Feburary), in car-country Michigan, Kerry was quoted by the press as saying:

“We have some SUV’s. We have a Jeep. We have a couple of Chrysler minivans. We have a PT Cruiser up in Boston. I have an old Dodge 600 that I keep in the Senate…We also have a Chevy, a big Suburban.”

A big, gas-guzzling suburban, eh?

And again, two months after that in April, on Earth Day no less, Kerry gave a speech to environmentalists where he said:
“I don’t own an SUV.”

When later pushed by the press about the SUV matter, Kerry responded:
“The family has it. I don’t have it.”

But he said earlier that he had sold it, so what gives? Did he forget that he had said that?

Alas, six days later Kerry was back in Michigan. Pressed about what cars he owns, he replied (rtsp://real.stream2you.com/rnc/suv2.rm):
“I own a Dodge 600 that I have had for about 20 years. I own a Chrysler 300 M. … We have a Chrysler van - a minivan. A Chrysler PT Cruiser - I guess Chrysler is making out here. A Suburban, Chevy, big Suburban. And she has a Landrover Defender.”

The moral of the story is when in Michigan, pander to the folks who make SUVs and insult their intelligence by lying to them and assuming that they're too stupid to turn on the television to find you completely contradicting what you just told them.

If John Kerry can't even be honest about what kind of car he drives...

I guess this is why he can't be depended on to give a straight answer about how he would handle Iraq or the deficit for that matter -- he wants to tax-soak Americans pulling in $200k and over while proposing $1.9 trillion in new government spending. The taxes generated from the rich will only provide $700 billion. That's a pretty huge oversight there. Can't do simple math Kerry?
-----------------------------------

Also, some Kerry education stats:
John Kerry has charged that President Bush broke his campaign promise to students regarding increasing student aid.

Let's look at the facts:
- The number of Pell Grant recipients has grown by one million students, and as a former student who received a Pell Grant, I can attest how important this is.
- Bush requested $33 million new Enhanced Pell Grants for State Scholars which will provide an additional $1,000 for freshmen who took challenging courses in high school.

Kerry himself voted against Bush's Tax Relief bill which:
- Made it easier to use state prepaid tuition plans, such as allowing tax-free distributions from plans when used for college tuition.
- Expanded and simplified Roth IRAs, which can be used for higher education expenses;
- Provided above-the-line tax deduction for higher education expenses;
- Expanded and made education IRAs (“Coverdell” IRAs) easier to use by preventing income from education IRAs from counting against eligibility for HOPE education tax.

Kerry also voted six times against Expanded Education Savings Accounts, which would have provided $4 billion in tax savings; he also voted to filibuster this bill 4 times.

Written by Bill Garnet, to the tune of Garbage's "I Think I'm Paranoid."

(verse one):
Please don't shout, I hear you fine
when you speak you cross the line
Heaven knows what you are out for
oh, just walk on out that damn door
John Kerry is evil
a complicator
John Kerry is evil
manipulator

(chorus):
Just walk away
while you still have the chance
You'll send us to hell
Just walk away
you'll do just fine in France
They'll think hell is swell

(verse two):
Your conventions are as big a thrill
like a suppository pill
Failing is what you do deserve
our dignity needs to be preserved
John Kerry is evil
a complicator
John Kerry is evil
manipulator

(chorus):
Just walk away
while you still have the chance
You'll send us to hell
Just walk away
you'll do just fine in France
They'll think hell is swell

Is evil
John Kerry is evil

(chorus):
Just walk away
while you still have the chance
You'll send us to hell
Just walk away
you'll do just fine in France
They'll think hell is swell

(bridge):
Save us from your stupid frame of mind, man
Is psychiatric help out the door, man?
President is not the job for you, man
You remind me of vomit, that's bad, man

(outro):
Just walk away
while you still have the chance
It looks like you're a nazi or a commie(2x's)

Our friends at CrushKerry.com have them. Go see them.

A plane pulling a Bush sign flys over a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry D-Mass., Tuesday, May 11, 2004, in downtown Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

...from CrushKerry.com can be found here.

Take a listen to this segment of today's Rush Limbaugh show, where Rush talks about Kerry's visit to a rib joint in Jacksonville. I almost drove off of Route 202 in Tempe, I was laughing so hard when I heard it.

This post was shamelessly lifted from the Viking Pundit, as he once again shares his brilliance on Senator Splunge:

Dream headline: “Kerry misses Senate vote, shafts American workers”

As somebody who has been highly critical of Kerry’s absence from the U.S. Senate, I’ve been waiting for this day. From the WashPost: “Senate Rejects Unemployment Benefit Extension”

The Senate by a single vote rejected an election-year effort Tuesday to extend federal unemployment benefits.

Democrats tried to attach the benefit to a corporate tax bill. On a 59-40 vote in the GOP-controlled Senate, they fell just shy of the 60 votes needed to overcome objections that extending the benefits violated last year's budget agreement.

Massachusetts Sen . John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, was the only senator who missed the vote. Kerry was campaigning Tuesday in Kentucky.

No complaints of dirty tricks, my conspiratorial readers. This was a legislative rider proposed by the Senate Democrats. Oh the irony, the sweet sweet irony.

You must read this latest example of Mark Steyn's brilliance.

...but of course never will be:

"Senator Kerry, how would you characterize this priosner abuse scandal in relation to the atrocities that you admittedly took part in when you served in Vietnam?"

There is no good news for President Bush that Reuters can't spin into bad. Get this laugher:

Stocks Fall, Jobs Data Sparks Rate Fears

From the headline, you are met to think, "UH, oh...the economy is tanking, just like Kerry said." But, the story does not match the shameless headline.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips declined, while technology stocks edged higher on Friday, after a report showing surprisingly strong jobs growth last month stoked fears the Federal Reserve will lift interest rates as early as June.

That's right. Now more jobs are a bad thing, because it will raise interest rates!! What a crock of shit!! You don't have to be an MIT economist to know that interest rates have been at record lows, and have nowhere to go but up. I don't care if you show me a report from a Wharton scholar, this is a false dichotomy of the highest order. John Kerry's international propaganda arm is really stretching here. Get this while you're at it:

Strength in Intel Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. helped lift the technology-laden Nasdaq and stem declines on the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

But interest rate-sensitive sectors like car makers, home builders and financials fell sharply. The Dow Jones Home Building index fell 4.3 percent, while the Standard & Poor's Auto Manufacturers index sank 2.8 percent.

Talk about reaching to make a point. The economy is not working out like Kerry and the Democrats were counting on, so we are back to them trying to knock Bush down on Iraq. Pa-f'n-thetic.

The Viking Pundit is issuing this challenge to Kery supporters:

Let’s hear it, Kerry people. Name an issue, a single issue, where Kerry has taken – and continues to take – an unpopular position guided by some personal belief.

As always, the comments section is available to respond to his challenge. I can't wait to hear some responses myself.

You will never believe this: Kerry is starting to flip-flop on the economy.

...know he is "Unfit To Serve."

Via our friend Eric the Viking Pundit, watch this 36-second video clip about Kerry's homes, which are worth millions, while has he only donated $3,044 to charity.

(Also via Crush Kerry)

Hat tip to Right-Wing and Right Minded

...at least that's what Jean Francois told us:

Kerry uninjured in fall from bicycle

CONCORD, Mass. --Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry took a spill from his bicycle while riding Sunday afternoon but was not injured, a campaign official said.

Kerry was riding with Secret Service agents through Concord, about 18 miles north of Boston, when his bike hit a patch of sand and he fell, campaign officials said.

Must have been one of those "son of a bitch" Secret Service agents who really knocked him over. (Doesn't he just look sooooooo cute here?)

From Jay Leno, at the White House Correspondent's Dinner:

"If John Kerry is elected, he would be the first president to deliver the State of the Union address and the rebuttal."

Jesse's advice to Kerry: African-American VP

The Rev. Jesse Jackson came to Philadelphia yesterday to address the National Conference of Black Mayors, one day after U.S. Sen. John Kerry spoke to the group.

Jackson offered some advice for the presumptive Democratic nominee for president - think about picking an African-American for vice president.

C'mon Jesse, haven't you realized by now that African-Americans like you are only brought out by the Democrats when they need stooges to help them out of a jam?

And, get this part:

Jackson rattled off the names of African-Americans who have risen through the political ranks with Republican support - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

Contrast that with the prominent African-Americans who have risen through the ranks with Democratic support. For example, there's...uh...uh.......well....NOBODY!!!

(If I am wrong, use the comments to tell me who I missed. Don't bother if you think Al Sharpton or Joycelyn Elders are prominent)

According to some dope in the Seattle Times:

Immigration-law enforcement can be Kerry's winning ticket

Here's a sure-fire, guaranteed way for John Kerry to win the election: Say that as president, he will enforce the nation's immigration laws. No fancy programs required. No draconian new laws. No need for more border guards. Kerry should just say he will enforce the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. That means his administration will seriously go after employers who hire people not legally permitted to work in this country.

Do this, John Kerry, and you will become the 44th president of the United States.

There are only a few problems with this idea. One, no one would believe Kerry. Two, all of the left-wing illegal immigrant-loving groups own Kerry lock, stock, and barrell, and he would never have the balls to do this. Three, even if he did say he would enforce immigration laws, the outrage from the left would have him flip-flopping in a week, making him look even worse (if that's possible) than he does now. Thus, Kerry will never do anything of the sort. Other than that, this columnist is absolutely right on the money.

Click on the audio link on this page for a portion of yesterday's Rush Limbaugh show, and specifically listen for the sound bite of C-SPAN callers, who were asked why they support John Kerry. You will luagh your ass to hear that none of them said anything good about Kerry. Hilarious stuff.

The Democrats can spin this anyway they want, but the fact is that John Kerry is a lousy candidate. They should have just nominated Howard Dean. He would have gotten smoked, but would have energized the party and would have done a hell of a lot for their future, a la Goldwater in 1964.

Kerry Struggling to Find a Theme, Democrats Fear

WASHINGTON, May 1 — Two months after Senator John Kerry effectively captured the Democratic presidential nomination, party officials say his campaign is being regularly outmaneuvered by the White House as it struggles to find a focus and to make the transition from the primaries to the fight with President Bush.

Even while expressing confidence about Mr. Kerry's prospects, Democratic Party officials said they were concerned about what they described as his trouble in settling on a defining theme for his candidacy, the pace of his advertising and his progress in setting up field organizations in battleground states.

What are they talking about? He has a theme. It's "I'm not Bush." And, while that worked in the primaries, it won't work now.

In Ohio, the state that strategists for Mr. Kerry and Mr. Bush view as perhaps the most critical battleground, Mr. Kerry has yet to hire a state director or open a campaign office. His operation is relying so far on the work of committees working independent of the Kerry campaign.

Think about that. Relying on groups independent of Kerry. Thanks to campaign finance "reform," I don't believe that for a second. And this is my favorite part:

Mr. Bush's campaign opened its war room in early March, and it has pumped out a steady barrage of attacks and information about Mr. Kerry's record that Democrats said had blocked Mr. Kerry's attempt to make the election a referendum on Mr. Bush.

That's like Kerry trying to make water wet. Every election is a referendum on the incumbent, and this is only more proof that Kerry's theme is indeed "I'm not Bush."

For many Democrats, Mr. Kerry's single biggest difficulty was what they described as his continuing search for a defining theme for his candidacy — typically one of the most urgent tasks of any presidential candidate.

Last week, after completing the most in-depth poll of his campaign, Mr. Kerry unveiled yet another theme for his candidacy: "Together, we can build a stronger America." It was, by the count of one aide, the sixth message Mr. Kerry has rolled out since he announced his candidacy nearly 18 months ago.

No comment needed there. Kerry's people are saying it themselves, just like this part too:

"We need to be honest with ourselves: Our candidate is not one who's good with a 30-second sound bite," said Representative Harold E. Ford Jr. of Tennessee, co-chairman of Mr. Kerry's campaign. "He is very thoughtful and it takes him a while to say things."

Yeah, that damn nuance. He's smarter than all of us.

"Bush's message is clear," said Carter Eskew, who was a senior adviser to Mr. Gore. "His message is a steady leader and Kerry's a flip-flopper."

Exactly.

Kerry just said last week that Bush has spent $50 million dollars and "has nothing to show for it." If his own people are feeling the heat of Bush's steamrolling of Kerry, what do you think the public at-large is thinking?

via Jim Huber

If you are in Leesburg, Virginia, vote for Jim Huber this Tuesday, May 4th!!!!!!!!