Kerry should have challenged the media

[Tactical Progressive]

to poll servicemen and servicewomen in Iraq who have younger siblings, as to whether they want them to go to college or join the service and come to Iraq?

Care to guess what those numbers would look like?

The media would hate that as much as they loved trying to make Kerry look like a traitor.


It would turn this Republican attack inside out and not just play defense, but shove the reality of this war and the reality of what our soldiers really feel about being there, right back into Republican faces. Defense sucks - Dems need to ram Republican attacks back down their throats.

At this stage, one week before an election, it might be best to let it go, as many Dems feel defensive. But then again, maybe not.

[truthisfreedom]

1. self-delete

[Kiouni]

2. isn't one of the main

reasons for joining the military to go to college? I mean either you work hard and get a scholarship or you have to pay for it some how and the military is a good alternative to student loans. what is everyone bitching about even if it wasn't a botched joke it was still the truth. he didn't say military people were stupid.

[Tactical Progressive]

4. That's true

and I'll bet at this stage of this Republican war debacle, the feeling over in Iraq is for their siblings to stay home and find some other way to pay for a college education in excess of 90%.

IOW I'll bet Kerry didn't say anthing that almost any serviceman in Iraq wouldn't say to their own kids or brothers and sisters.

The media should ask them.

[KharmaTrain]

3. Whose Feeling Defensive?

Kerry spoke truth to power...power is squealing like a stuck pig. The corporate media is in a tizzy not because Kerry said something wrong, he said something very, very true.

This "controversy" keeps Iraq in the news...it makes people think about all the death and incompetence. It reminds people how this regime puts power and greed ahead of the best interests of the country. And, the "messengers"...the rabid dogs of the right wing spin machine are coming out at the right time.

We've got these bastards by the short-hairs.

[Tactical Progressive]

5. I agree with what you say

about "This "controversy" keeps Iraq in the news" etc, but from listening to the news coverage tonight - I came late to the issue which has apparently been burning up the net for a day now - it did seem like Democrats were defensive. From some of the thread titles here it seemed the same way. Kerry came back strong, which I think is great, it just hasn't seemed very effective in turning it back around against the smearboaters or the media. It doesn't feel like we have anybody 'by the short hairs' on this.

I was thinking that challenging the media to survey the soldiers about their attitudes - re serving in Iraq versus college as Kerry remarked - might show just exactly who's not dissing our servicemen at all, and who is in fact talking just how they themselves probably feel. Pushing it right back into winger and media faces while at the same time spreading the word about how our servicemen really feel about this 'mission'.

Maybe I'm missing something, and as I said I've come late to this brouhaha, but it doesn't seem like this has been anything other than a semi-successful slam against Dems. I really haven't seen much in the way of a successful backlash against Repubs for this cheap shot. Most Dems seem to want it to go away, and I'm not sure I disagree.

[KharmaTrain]

7. The Issue Is Booosh, Not The Military

Some, not all the corporate media, is being driven by the Repugnican spin machine...this is a manufactured controversy. Kerry stepped in a trap that was set for someone/anyone that would give the RW something to play their faux outrage bit about. If it hadn't been something Kerry said, it would be Howard Dean or Hillary...this is strictly red meat for their base and falls on deaf ears when you take a step back and see a bigger picture.

Look at how the Allen fiasco seems to be backfiring in Virigina. A reason? It pissed off the VA Beach military community that sees Webb as one of them and now have begun to turn on Allen and his phony cowboy boots. The only poll the military needs to take on what Senator Kerry said and their feelings about this regime and its incompetence is next Tuesday. There's a big rift that's developed between the politicians and the rank and file military...especially those who served in Iraq...that's why so many are running as Democrats this year.

This is a vainglorious attempt for the Repugnicans to get "on the offense" at a late stage in the game and they're trailing badly. The corporate media are like the announcers who have to make a 20-0 game sound intereesting in the 4th quarter.

Kerry spoke truth to power...power is squealing...and it's time to stand up...not cut and run.

Cheers...

[bowens43]

6. Kerry shouldn't have made the stupid comment.

It's shit like this that helped him lose in 2004. This is exactly why we need to be sure that he is not on the ticket in 2008. This almost as bad as his little salute and "John Kerry reporting for duty' nonsense.

[Mark E. Smith]

8. Agreed

I hope he can punch his way out of this, but John Kerry has made
John Kerry the issue in this election at the worst possible time.

How many times do you the term "dumb fuck" has been used
in Howard Dean's office in the last day or so?

[Disturbed]

9. Anybody that actually believes that J. Kerry dissed the troops

is stupid. Of course the RW Corp Media took his comment out of context because they are still supporting the Busholini Corp. Regime. It's all pure bullshit. The RWing knows this but grasp onto anything now that their ship has hit the iceberg.

[Mark E. Smith]

10. Kerry should have taken all of that into account.

This is politics, not truth.

[Tactical Progressive]

11. Well, there seem to be alot of different opinions on this whole episode

and I have to say, I agree with parts of most of them.

I think Kerry probably shouldn't have said anything to get caught up in a smearfest this close to what might finally be an America awakened just enough to realize what Republicans are all about and throw them out. On the other hand if you look at the comment it is fairly innocuous and as Kharma points out, if it wasn't that it would have been something else from maybe somebody else.

Some here seem to think we made out in this episode, while many don't. I think not from what I've seen on broadcast media, but I think we surely could - that's what the op was about.

Many seem to want to get this behind us. I partly do too, just based on the proximity of the potential electoral windfall in a week - why jeopardize that- but on the other hand it seems we're always treading cautiously and I think it would be nice if John Kerry, especially John Kerry after the 2004 smears, shoved it right back into Repub faces and the media's too. I think it's eminently doable.

Oh, and I wouldn't mind Kerry taking a shot at McCain, who had the gall to cheap-shot Kerry's committment to the troops when he could have easily taken the high road, especially after his vote in support of torture. I would love Kerry to cut him off at the knees with something like 'I'm not really concerned with the opinion of someone who voted to support torture as a new American policy.'

Well, there will probably be plenty of time for all of that a week from now, whichever way things go, so I'm tending towards the side that says let it go.

BTW, I cringed at that little salute the second he did it.

[OllieLotte]

12. Oh I think he has said enough already. n/t