OMG!! Andrew Sullivan just saw the light!

[beachmom]

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/11/the_kerry_gaffe.html

He's calling it the Kerry Gaffe Backfire:

Maybe this story isn't over. I've been thoroughly persuaded by John Derbyshire and Christopher Hitchens that John Kerry's words were indeed a botched joke. The clincher for me was the actual prepared text, which I confess I hadn't seen till I watched the Daily Show (where I tend to get the news these days) last night. The actual text was that if you didn't work hard, "you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush."

snip

So the debate over what Kerry actually meant is now over.

Now what do I next remember? I remember that the president vehemently went after Kerry, as did McCain. Now, when a president decides to do such a thing, his staff have examined the upsides and downsides every which way. They are paid to know any possible backfire for the remarks. And Rove is very smart. So this much I now know: knowing full well that he was deeply distorting Kerry's meaning, the president used the quote full-bore to impugn Kerry's commitment to the troops - and to help turn the base against the Democrats.

I know it's politics. I'm not naive. But it's also revealing about someone's character that he could authorize and exploit such a thing. Most fair-minded people will have to concede that, in retrospect, this was a very, very, very low blow. It hadn't sunk in for me till last night how low. In retrospect, this incident says much more about Bush than about Kerry. I'll bet I'm not the only one mulling that over this morning.

[beachmom]

1. I think this may represent a turning point.

People have just figured out that Bush knowingly smeared a veteran, and there's proof in Kerry's script.

This represents hope, seeing where it's coming from (people who hate Kerry normally).

[Inuca]

10. Question

Just how popular is Sullivan with the "others", anyone knows? In other words, how much of an impact his change of heart and generally what he says has?

[beachmom]

12. He's just one voice and an independent one at that.

Not sure how many it takes to create a "chorus" but we're not there yet.

[jillan]

2. "It hadn't sunk in for me till last night how low"

Me thinks he watched KO last nite..

And I'm hoping that alot of these political hacks did!

You know Keith never gave Kerry much attention, but he has made up for it the last couple of nites.

About Andrew Sullivan, I have definitely become a fan. Bill Maher has him on alot, and I love it how he is a repug that saw right thru the crap of this administration.

[beachmom]

3. Ithink it was the Daily Show that changed his mind!

But now he needs to go BACK on cable and explain what this all says about Bush.

[jillan]

4. I didn't see the Daily Show

do you have a link to a clip?

[Mass]

5. Here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x1790

[Democrafty]

6. Oh, great.

I don't expect this incident to turn anybody into a Kerry fan, but where they come out on this issue says a lot about them (which I guess is what Sully is saying, more eloquently than I am.)

Kudos to him, and to Kos, and to everybody who buried the hatchet for a couple of days and said the common-sense thing: gaffes happen, and the reaction has been absurd.

[wisteria]

7. OMG. This is just wonderful- it really is.

I am stunned at this comment below,

"in retrospect, this was a very, very, very low blow. It hadn't sunk in for me till last night how low."

[blm]

8. GD -P ..... Andrew Sullivan sees Bush's real "character" in lies against Kerry.

.

[beachmom]

9. Here you go:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2922635

[ginnyinWI]

11. what this tells me:

It's a net loss for Bush and a net gain for our side.

People already don't like or trust Bush--look at his approval ratings. Add to that an obvious distortion of and exploitation of Kerry's botched joke and I think even moderate Republicans will be disgusted. People generally hate this kind of negativity, and they've been seeing a bellyfull in campaign ads anyway. Kerry was clearly a victim here and this is what people will take away.

They've pulled out all the stops to salvage this election--why not, if you look at it from their point of view. But it is backfiring.