Seems EJ Dionne has picked up on the Bush destroy war hero technique "The above-the-surface part is about his voting record, which Kerry will, indeed, have to defend. The below-the-surface part will paint him as a Vietnam-peacenik-Massachusetts-liberal weirdo" - seem's the attack against crazy McCain worked - why not again?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A804-2004Feb23.htmlBush's McCain Strategy Redux
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004; Page A21
"When I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible."
That was George W. Bush's brilliant dodge throughout the 2000 campaign whenever questions came up as to how he behaved during his twenties and early thirties. By poking fun at himself, Bush was winking at the press corps, especially the baby boomers among them. Bush's unspoken subtext: You guys did a lot of irresponsible things then, too, so you're not in an ideal position to ask me a lot of questions, are you? <snip>
Which makes you ask: If Kerry's twenties and early thirties are destined to be an issue in this campaign, is it fair for the media to give the same years in Bush's life a pass just because he's the incumbent? To paraphrase John Edwards, will we have two standards, one for a Democratic challenger and one for a Republican president?
The Bush campaign, of course, is leaving the brutal stuff to surrogates. Formally, Bush's apparatus is focusing on Kerry's record in the Senate, especially his votes on intelligence and military spending. Isn't that fair game?
What's forgotten is that Bush has a pattern throughout his political career of staying above the fray while others tear his opponents to shreds. The Republicans are trying to weave a clear narrative about Kerry. The above-the-surface part is about his voting record, which Kerry will, indeed, have to defend. The below-the-surface part will paint him as a Vietnam-peacenik-Massachusetts-liberal weirdo.
The template is what Bush's campaign did to Sen. John McCain, another Vietnam hero, in South Carolina during the 2000 Republican primaries. <snip>