Campaign gets dirty as muckrakers turn over Kerry's personal life and Bush

[IndianaGreen]

An excellent piece on US elections from the liberal Independent:

Campaign gets dirty as muckrakers turn over Kerry's personal life and Bush troubles return
By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
13 February 2004

The United States election is still almost nine months away. But if recent events are any guide, the campaign already promises to be the dirtiest on record - with much of the muckraking centred not on Iraq, but allegations of sexual infidelity and a war which ended 30 years ago.

This week President George Bush's record in the National Guard during the Vietnam war was submitted to sharp new questioning. Old photos have surfaced of John Kerry - his most likely opponent this autumn - sitting at an anti-Vietnam war rally three rows behind the actress Jane Fonda, a favourite conservative bête noire.

In what may be more than co-incidence, The Harvard Crimson magazine has unearthed an interview Mr Kerry gave the student paper in 1970, urging that US troops be put under the command of the United Nations - again a subject that makes Republicans apoplectic.

Republicans have seized on the remarks by Mr Kerry, then a leading spokesman of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, as proof of the Massachusetts senator's softness on defence. In the interview, Mr Kerry describes himself as "an internationalist" who wanted to see US troops deployed across the world "only at the directive of the UN", and activities by the CIA "almost eliminated". Who is behind this simultaneous unearthing of ancient material is unclear, but political veterans suspect the shadowy hand of the Republican "opposition research" department which has long been amassing information on the Democratic candidates.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=490822

[Alopenia]

1. OK. Let's make a deal.

They don't bring up what our guy did during the Viet Nam era 30 years ago....and we don't bring up what their guy did during the Viet Nam era over 30 years ago.

[Terwilliger]

2. and, do you believe that would happen?

:shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

4. The Vietnam War was very traumatic for us and for the Vietnamese

Democratic and Republican Administrations have blood on their hands going back to the Truman Administration.

Some things should be left alone, and Vietnam is one of those things.

[Mad Cow Doc]

5. No deal

Let the records of each man's service and voting in the senate or as Gov and then Pres be fully reported for all to see and judge and decide and VOTE.

[cosmicdot]

3. check-mate, whatever ...is the Media adequately covering our

infrastructure, and how 'Muricans are coping?

[Fuzz]

6. This is going to be one dirty election year.

It's going to suck.

[PATRICK]

7. The backfire days

Actually Kerry can cement gains among both the Veterans and the anti-war 60's era population thanks to these reminders. There are times when the Right can't shut up and this is a good time for that. better that than bury the Dems with silent treatment(which also is not working lately).

These are "win/win" days. Keep em coming, despite the occasional victims of GOP ear poison.

[Skittles]

8. sure the Viet Nam war ended almost 30 years ago

but our fraud of a president made his Guard records an issue when he invaded Iraq and paraded around in a freaking UNIFORM. And THAT was less than a year ago.