Scotsman: Mystery of Kerry and the Intern

[Atlant]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2525830

Mystery of Kerry and the Intern

By Mark Sage, PA News, in New York

Allegations against Vietnam war hero John Kerry today threatened
his runaway presidential campaign.

Right-wing news web site The Drudge Report – which broke the Monica
Lewinsky scandal – claimed a woman close to Senator Kerry recently
left America at his behest.

<snip>

Internet columnist Matt Drudge said three reporters could confirm
the comments by former Nato Supreme Allied Commander Clark, who
quit the race for the party’s nomination yesterday amid poor results.

He also claimed that Time magazine, ABC News, Washington Post and
Associated Press – where the woman in question was said to have
once worked – had been investigating her relationship with Kerry
for several days.

<more>

[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. Seems strange the Scotsman would be first to report it.

What interest could they have in this?

[lancdem]

4. They've printed tabloid stuff before

I remember some Clinton things, for instance.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. Looks like we need some more info on who owns the Scotsman.

[billhos]

10. They are owned by the Barclay brothers

Billionare brothers known to be very reticent. They recently purchased the Chicago Sun-times and the Telegraph from Conrad Black's Hollinger holdings.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

14. Why did you bother coming here, Lance?

P.S. It's L-I-B-I-D-O. Learn to spell.

[gimme a break]

23. You know it could be sarcasm

I have a very dry sense of humor and people mistake my sarcasm for something it's not.

But, if this is true and gains momentum, it's the best thing that ever happened for Edwards. Personally I think Edwards has the better chance against Bush anyway.

Kerry has too much of a past in the senate and DC. There's too much of his voting record that fundamentalists will use against him. And regardless of his record in Vietnam, many veterans and middle-class, patriotic Americans take offense at the throwing away of medals, even if it was someone else's. And Jane Fonda "supporting" him really hurts him with the veterans. (especially where I am)

If it's true, and he encouraged her to leave the country, it does not bode well. If democrats are attacking Bush for a cover-up it is a bit hypocritical if the democrat competition is involved in a cover-up of his own.

Senators, in reality, rarely get elected President, historically speaking.

[mountainvue]

52. Since when is Jane Fonda

endorsing Kerry? I haven't heard her endorse anyone. Plenty of senators have been elected president.

[Piperay]

95. John Kerry

is so loosely tied to Jane Fonda it is laughable.

[AP]

24. Scotsman is the more conservative of the two major Scottish papers.

Kerry has a sister who lives in Scotland, by the way.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

27. He's also of Scottish descent - The Forbes part.

[Atlant]

2. Link to earlier, now-locked, LBN coverage and discussion...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=360339&mesg_id=360339

[Claire Beth]

3. sounds like kkkarl at work again!

Why would Clark get out of the race if he had any knew it?

[asjr]

6. It would

seem quite out of character for Clark to have said this. I may be wrong but it just doesn't make sense. If, indeed he did have this information (provided it is true) he would have stayed in the race. This is, I feel, Republispin.

[mountainvue]

11. Agreed

Clark has way too much integrity to ever do anything like this. The Rove machine has cranked up.

[Turbo]

20. You gotta remember, Clark was ....

You gotta remember, Clark was a vocal Republican supporter all those years, and only recently decided to join us.

Besides, I always had a suspicion that he was hiding something. Kinda like a sleeper cell.

Maybe he just buffaloed some higher ups in the party just to get on the Democrat ticket because the Repugs wouldn't let him in.

[mountainvue]

53. Funny,

I was thinking the same thing about Dean.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

87. Nice try Turbo.

Paranoia runs deeps indeed. Next you'll be telling us about the black helicopters.

The fact is if Wesley Clark felt "the Kerry Campaign was about to implode" I doubt he would have quit the race. In addition he plans to endorse Kerry tomorrow.

[griffin]

43. Clark said this to the top reporters

Clark said this to the top reporters from NBC, ABC, and CNN. This story has been brewing for weeks. Time Magazine is ready to print. The girl was interviewed on tape right before she left the country. Look for this stuff on TV soon.

[mountainvue]

54. If that's the case

why doesn't Sludge name the reporters? If they had this story and it was credible, they would have broken it.

[Shadder]

7. Yeah, was just thinking the same thing

This really sort of shoots the Drudge story down. Acording to the story, Clark knew about all this and tipped reporters off to it. If that was the case, why would he come out and endorse him?

[aquart]

36. Remorse?

[GCP]

39. The local wing-nut radio shock-jock

has a theory that the Clintons are behind it. Clark is apparently a friend of the Clintons (according to this guy, and they were behind his candidacy).

The reasoning goes like this:
Hilary doesn't want a democrat to win this year against Bush, she wants to be the democratic candidate next time around once Bush is out of the way.

But then again, she wants to be chosen as the nominee this time if there isn't a clear winner after the primaries.

You want logic? We're talking republican radio talking-head here.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

51. These Clinton scenarios are a staple of RW media

from Rush to William Safire at NYT who floats this crap at every opportunity. Hannity was pimping this "Clintons leaking this story via Clark" scenario this afternoon as well.

If Clark was going to endorse Kerry, why would he do something to damage his campaign? Makes no sense. The story is a ROVE PLANT, trying to get back onto offense from defense.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

89. I agree.

Did you also notice most of the people on this board promoting this story have less than 100 posts? Are these people real Democrats?

[no one in particular]

8. Drudge rehash

Nothing new here. Just repeating what Drudge has posted.

[Atlant]

16. But this is the standard M.O. of the Vast Right Wing Slander Machine

First, the story breaks in some E-Zine, web-site, or think-tank.

Then, the media reports on the story of the story.

Then the echo chamber goes to work, and, before you know it,
somebody is showing a stained blue dress on national TV.

Atlant

[tabasco]

33. And thanks to you it found its way to DU.

If I wanted to see garbage, I would go straight to the drudge report.

[Atlant]

34. Would you rather it surprise you in the General Election? (NT)

[tabasco]

79. I'm sure the drudge report will control the outcome of the GE.

Would you rather post some credible smears in thr future?

[Taeger]

9. Clark rumored to endorse Kerry

This doesn't make sense. If Clark KNEW there was an intern issue with Kerry, why drop out. Why not simply leak it and reap the benefits.

Furthermore, Clark is supposed to ENDORSE Kerry in Wisconsin. Why would he endorse someone who is about to blow up from an inevitable scandal??????

This sounds like a Rovian ploy to take attention away from the Awol/Cocaine story.

[yellowcanine]

12. more than just a rumor...AP is reporting it...so I guess old Drudge

may not have had his "facts" correct? Imagine that. Funny thing is, he had the "Clark to endorse Kerry" story right below the "intern" story with the Clark allegations. I don't know about you, but I don't think I would be endorsing someone for president 2 days after I was making philandering allegations about them. Maybe it was somebody else named Clark? Or maybe Drudge hallucinated the story? Developing.......

[mountainvue]

57. They're all

citing Drudge as the source.

[DoYouEverWonder]

73. The AP Wire has been posting some less than credible

reports lately. They no longer vet their sources before they post a story it seems.

[mountainvue]

55. That's exactly

what it is.

[Atlant]

15. It's getting traction in the mainstream press.

http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2089679

Will Press Pounce on Drudge's Kerry Rumor?

By E&P Staff

Published: February 12, 2004 Updated at 1:30 PM EST

NEW YORK Matt Drudge's Web site, which first broke allegations about
President Bill Clinton's dalliance with a White House intern in 1998,
is at it again.

Late this morning, DrudgeReport.com alleged that a new scandal was
about to rock the campaign of Democratic frontrunner John Kerry: some
sort of purported recent marital "infidelity" that involved a woman
who once worked for the Associated Press, and has now supposedly
"fled the country." According to the site, this story was being
investigated by the AP, The Washington Post, Time magazine and ABC
network.

Reached by E&P for comment, AP spokesman Jack Stokes said, "We simply
don't comment on stories we are pursuing or not pursuing."

Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Washington Post,
acknowledged that his staff had begun to dig deeper into the life and
career of Kerry, but said he had not heard anything about an alleged
infidelity. "What we're finding, I don't know," he said. "This is the
first we are looking into him this way."

<more>

[Media_Lies_Daily]

17. "E&P" is part of the mainstream press? A backwater eddy, maybe.

[Atlant]

18. Perhaps not, but the Washington Post certainly is...

> Leonard Downie Jr., executive editor of The Washington Post,
> acknowledged that his staff had begun to dig deeper into the life and
> career of Kerry, but said he had not heard anything about an alleged
> infidelity. "What we're finding, I don't know," he said. "This is the
> first we are looking into him this way."

[Screaming Lord Byron]

19. That proves nothing. They're saying nothing.

[Shadder]

22. If there was anything to this story

We would have seen something in the mainstream media by now. I mean come on, if the story was true and Drudge got it right, as soon as he reported it, it would have been all over Foxnews.com. But what do we see there? Some crap about Barbi and Ken splitting up. Now you know if they are pushing that on the main page, as is CNN now, it's got to be a slow news day.

It was a typical repug dirty trick that they hoped would let some of the pressure off of Bush, it failed.

[Beetwasher]

26. Exactly! THERE'S NO STORY!

There would have been at least little blurbs or mentions about it on Fox or Yahoo or SOMETHING. It's been on Drudge for hours now and nobody's mentioning it except us and a couple of fringe sites. It's a classic tactic of floating a smear to see if it sticks. The story is dead in the water.

[Atlant]

29. Let's have this discussion again on Monday, November 1st, shall we? (NT)

[Beetwasher]

38. Why Does It Seem That You're Wishing There's

something to this?

So far, nothing. Nobody's picked it up because it's unsubstantiated Drudge bullshit. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Sterling]

60. I think it may be true.

I have seen this before. It bodes poorly for Kerry and us if he is the candidate.

I was in denial when this stuff came out about Clinton, I won't make that mistake again.

[demdave]

44. The Monica story was on the Drudge and not touched for 4 days.

The "real" media doesn't jump when Drudge speaks.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

62. And what did you learn from the snippet you posted? Please share.

[Sterling]

90. What I got out of it is that the media is just looking into it.

At least some media outlets anyway. It seems a couple others have been on the case for a while. Whatever it is I hope it comes out before we are stuck with Kerry.

[Muddleoftheroad]

30. E&P is highly respected

And serves as a monitor of newspaper media.

[Atlant]

32. Thank you. (NT)

[HereSince1628]

35. E&P is read by those who watch the media

It may not be the NYTimes but I've read articles from it it on buzzflash.com, bushwatch.com, and democrats.com.

But it will take a couple of independent sources to convince me. I'm wanting to remain skeptical about sensational storie yet open minded to the truth, if it can be uncovered.

[Scurrilous]

21. This story isn't being covered by mainstream press...

...at least not yet. Googlenews only gives a few hits:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=kerry+infidelity&btnG=Search+News

[Tesha]

71. Slate's "Chatterbox" has it now.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2095441/

Selling Sleaze: A User's Guide
Ten ways to rationalize the publication of infidelity rumors.
By Timothy Noah
Posted Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004, at 4:15 PM PT

The Fourth Estate is not interested in petty gossip and unfounded rumors. We report on matters of high policy pertaining to the public interest. Consequently, the rumor of a sexual liaison between a certain presidential candidate and a female intern with the Associated Press wouldn't ordinarily be the sort of thing we'd stoop to publish or broadcast. Sadly, however, overriding considerations compel us to share this information with the public:

<snip>

[Sterling]

80. If it's just a rumor fine.

It sure doesn't seem like it though. those of us who have watched this stuff unfold in the past know how these things get started. This feels real.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

81. No, it feels like bullshit. The last grasp at the final straw.

[Sterling]

86. That is what I thought when it was Clinton.

We will see.

[gasperc]

25. He was just on inside politics CNN

he's going to wisconsin to talk with Kerry, endorsement

[Onlooker]

28. What about Bush's affair?

Remember that there was some evidence Bush had an affair with some woman in Texas. She refused to talk to the press and had no known source of income, but apparently lived quite comfortably. If the media chooses to investigate Kerry for past indiscretions, let's hope they do the same to Bush. I don't think this story will go anywhere unless the Congress launches an investigation (which I would not completely rule out).

[ComerPerro]

96. Ahh, and the handwritten note thanking her for

letting him keep the panties...

[DU GrovelBot]

31. ## Support Democratic Underground! ##

RUN C:\GROVELBOT.EXE
 
This week is our first quarter 2004 fund drive.
Please take a moment to donate to DU. Thank you
for your support.
 
- An automated message from the DU GrovelBot

Click here to donate.

[malachi]

37. This kind of crap didn't work against Clinton

even when it was true. What leads these fine folks to think that it will work now?

[JohnOneillsMemory]

40. Desperation smells so...distinctive...in a fecal way....n/t

[Muddleoftheroad]

47. Clinton was IN office at the time

It's a lot harder to get elected that way however.

[Alenne]

58. Actually Jennifer Flowers came out during the election.

[Sterling]

91. I think in many ways it did work.

It framed the debate away from issues that mattered and favor dems and progressives. Now Clinton is best known for his blowjob and not anything positive he may have done. We are still hearing about it to this day.

[griffin]

41. Republicans not doing this

The Republicans are not doing this. It is internal. Clinton? Maybe.

Also, don't forget this is not the first announcement of this. Excerpt from Feb. 6:

Rumor has it that John Kerry (D) is going to be outed by Time Magazine next week for having an affair with a 20 year old woman who remains unknown. The affair supposedly took place intermittently right up to Kerry's Fall 2002 announcement of candidacy.

http://www.watchblog.com/thirdparty/archives/000780.html

[snippy]

45. Bush is not a republican?

[Robbien]

48. That is the freeper mantra "All roads lead to the Clintons"

I wonder if it took them more than three seconds to come up with "It's all Clinton's doing". So in your very first post you were able to diss a Dem candidate and blame it all on Clinton.

[VolcanoJen]

50. Kind-of impressive, isn't it, Robbien?

;-)

And Rove's not a Republican, either...

[brentspeak]

83. And your source is...?

How do you know that it's not Republicans that's behind this?
Please tell who is, since you seem to know so much. It's the paid-GOP hacks on talk radio who are claiming that it's not Repugs who are behind this rumor. Not coincidentally, it's also the Repugs who are bandying about that the Clinton's are behind it.

Brentspeak

[Nlighten1]

42. "Pussy"

That quote was from GW in response to a reporter's question about what he and 41 talk about when they are together. Did he mean Laura's pussy or "getting pussy" in general. There is a story there...I just know that little twerp is screwing around...when will the story break?

[snippy]

46. This story will affect mostly perverted coprophagic fucktard voters.

They all vote republican anyway.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

49. Check out all the people with 2-5 posts on this thread, keeping it going

Could it be.... Freepers?..... MMMMMM?

Loyal democrats all, no doubt.

[Andyjunction]

59. Do like the chimp

Kerry should treat this the same way bush treated the stories of his cocaine use- don't address it at all, it's nobody's business, etc. That's assuming it becomes an issue at all.

[KayLaw]

61. Bodachs

Anyone read Odd Thomas?

[brentspeak]

85. My thoughts, exactly

I guess the freepers were getting bored voting multiple times on CNN online polls, so they decided to infiltrate these boards.

brentspeak

[scarface2004]

56. good..another reason to vote for kerry!!

fuck the republican scum!!

[Sterling]

63. Why? Because he possibley cheats on his wife?

It's hard for me to put a possitive spin on this, kudos to you.

[LostInTheMaise]

64. What?

I don't cheat and if someone wants to screw around then they need to not be married. This is not a dem/rep issue. Marriage means something to me and I know it means something to most honest Americans.

People don't get married to screw around on eachother.

[Sterling]

65. Kerry who says gays can't get married.

:eyes:

[LostInTheMaise]

67. Would not Gays get married to keep their sex to themselves?

If straights or gays want to have multiple sex partners than why get married? It makes no sense to marry if one wants to get laid by more than one.

[Sterling]

75. Yes I think gays want to get married for the same reasons straights do.

My point is that people like Kerry take marriage for granted and would deny it to those who might actually take it seriously enough to stay faithful to their spouse.

[CBHagman]

66. RW co-workers already gloating over this.

I kid you not. There's nothing like Schadenfreude from the RW.

This too shall pass. Besides, look at Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[Sterling]

78. It will pass you are right.

Right after Bush wins the general election.

[alarimer]

68. great

This is all we need. Even if it is not true (and I doubt it is true), the last thing we need is allegations about our (potential) nominee of this sort. I sincerely hope it is not true and that this is a rumor floated just to see if anything might stick. Otherwise we are toast if Kerry is the nominee. We need someone who is absolutely squeaky clean in this area. Otherwise we will lose. I say that even with Bush's questionable National Guard service in the news. Of course the possibility exists that this is a setup to distract us from that particular topic.

[Nancy Waterman]

69. The timing is very suspect

The AWOL story is on constantly, multiple times a day on all news stations, with new tidbits coming out all the time. How convenient to have this kind of story about Kerry now. And wasn't that around when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer?

Even if it is true, can he just level with the public about it and go on? It would still be a huge contrast with the ever lyin' Bush. Still, I find it very suspect and smelling of Rove.

[Robbien]

70. Ha! Ha! Ha! "We are toast" "We will lose" such defeatist phrases

Your post is peppered with these phrases. I wonder how many times we will hear this from the all the desperate right wingers who think Democratic voters can be demoralized if these phrases are repeated often enough.

[Sterling]

76. We are not toast we still have time to dump Kerry

The last thing we need is another bimbogate hanging on our candidate.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

92. Okay Sterling who do you want?

From your posts I deduce it's probably Dennis Kucinch, a man who hasn't garnered more than single digits in any race he's entered this year.

[mzmolly]

72. EEK! I am thinking were missing a regular poster too? She is an avid

Kerry supporter who is oddly silent on several issues as of late. :tinfoilhat:

[rocktivity]

74. So we've got one intern against 500 dead soliders and 3 million unemployed

I think the voters will be willing to settle for the lesser of two evils. Fool us with an intern twice, shame on us...


rocknation

[Sterling]

77. I can't pretend that our dead troops will matter to Joe and Jane sixpack

While we have asex scandal to keep them focused on what really matters.

We are better off ditching Kerry and running someone that can stick to the issues.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

93. Yes that's very elitist of you sir.

Keep that arrogant attitude up and the Democrats are sure to lose this year.

[molly]

82. LOL!!!!

[brentspeak]

84. What legal action can be brought against Drudge

if this report turns out to be untrue? Is it technically "slander" if a public figure (and Drudge certainly is by now a 'public figure') trots out a story like this? He has no names of reporters who are supposedly chasing this rumor.

Brentspeak

[Sterling]

88. If it aint true Kerry's gotta sue.

It's outright slander otherwise.

[Muddleoftheroad]

94. Depending on how he worded it

There would be almost nothing Kerry could do. Kerry is a public figure and the standards are a lot tougher to prove wrongdoing.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

97. Drudge is very careful. He suggests, he infers, he quotes unnamed sources

There's no real substance to his story that we can call grounds for legal action, it'd be like fighting fog. There's nothing there. He's a sneaky little bastard.