The opinions expressed in the Mailbag are not necessarily those of BuzzFlash. Read the BuzzFlash FAQ for info on submitting to the Mailbag.

Subject: Heads Up

1. Great site.

2. FWIW, the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch is a LONG standing republican paper, but in the last six months it has been absolutely ripping Pres. Bush. If republican papers start turning, can the end be far off?

Gregory Port
Columbus

Subject: Remember that package with Bush's debate tape and briefing book?

During the 2000 campaign, a Bush briefing book and debate rehearsal tape was sent to Tom Downey. At the time it sounded like the classic "honey trap," which unraveled only because Downey called the police within minutes of receiving the package. Ultimately, a young female volunteer with close ties to Andrew Card took the fall for it, pled guilty and was quietly whisked off to jail.

I thought at the time that she was set up, and either intimidated or enticed into taking the fall. Is she still incarcerated? Did any members of her family magically come into money? Has anyone tried to talk to her and investigate?

Could be another fine example of George climbing over the backs of little people to make his way in the world, and the media either too lazy or too co-opted to really investigate.

Any reporters out there dare take a crack at this?

Bob

Subject: Swift, my ass

Buzzer,

I'm just curious how Larry Thurlow could live with himself for 35 years knowing that he received a medal he himself knew was based on lies. And why he didn't ever try to correct that error....

Seattle For Kerry,

RVK

Subject: Willie Horton

I am wondering if I am the only one to remember that story about George Bush being the one to ok the Willie Horton ads for his father's campaign. Am I right or what?

lh

Subject: found something...

Scroll down, he is listed near the bottom of Page 3 (2000 campaign): http://www.unc.edu/~chaos1/documents/vets_for_bush.pdf

Cached, as this one is (SURPRISE) no longer available; 2004:

"... Colonel Kenneth Cordier (U.S. Air Force, Ret.) is a national veterans steering committee member from Dallas, Texas. He flew 175 missions during two combat tours in Vietnam. He was shot down in 1966, 85 miles north of Hanoi, and held in four different prisons until his release on March 4, 1973. After the war, he served in a number of flying and staff assignments, culminating as Air Attach to the United Kingdom. He retired in 1985, and then represented British Aerospace in Washington D.C. He is now a private management consultant in Dallas, Texas and has held leadership positions in several veterans organizations, including NAM POWs..."

REMOVED FROM, although this still shows up in my "Google" search:

http://www.georgewbush.com/Veterans/SteeringCommittee.aspx

CACHED SAYS (in case this makes sense to you):

These search terms have been highlighted: bush cheney
These terms only appear in links pointing to this page: cordier

E.L.T.

Subject: separation of church and state

Just saw a church based plug from the Lutherans for GWBush. It wasn't an open endorsement, in that it was a clip of him giving the commencement address he gave at Concordia College, Mequon, WI (near Milwaukee), with Lutheran Social Service written/flashed in different areas of the video.

They didn't actually say vote for Bush, but this close to the election what else could it mean? I thought there was a separation of church and state? I understand they might want to promote that the president spoke at the college to recruit new students, but this happened last spring, they have not been showing the ad all along and most students who are going to school this fall have already been recruited. So to me the timing is suspicious.

Kay

Subject: Unmitigated Effrontery

Attackers ambushed a U.S. patrol north of the Iraqi capital on Friday, killing one American soldier and wounding four others, while the U.S. military said two Marines were killed in action in Iraq's volatile Anbar province earlier this week. The soldiers were attacked with an "improvised explosive device" in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.... (AP, Fri 8/20/04)

Your president blathers about soft money in response to questions from craven zombies about swift boats, and how dangerous it was up the river in Viet Nam, thirty years ago! -all this, while our people are still dying every day. In minor part because the national culture has never learned from Viet Nam, and in major part because certain missile head morons have never gotten over Viet Nam, those very same morons have us now flexing our muscles in front of a mirror mixed from the seven deadly sins. It's like an old family scandal or tragedy that just never got better. Now, the only people allowed to question our leader act as though Bush is not part of the same clan that's STILL sending swift boats up the river. IT'S THE SAME WAR, people, only far, far worse. Wake up. Everyone who thinks Bush is jumping in this time as the swift boats shove off probably never hung with W when Kerry was shipping out the last time. In fact there are no such witnesses of W's service because friends like Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High don't make the best witnesses, if you know what I mean. The one relevant trait or characteristic that Kerry shares with our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that Bush clearly does not, is that Kerry signed up, showed up and shipped out. And that comparison is without even evaluating what has become increasingly irrelevant in the aftermath of the largest major policy disaster in human history, the invasion of Iraq. Who cares if the fool was awol thirty years ago at this point. He should be granted leave now.

For thirty years these hypocritical, evil missile heads have made war in the popular culture by associating politics and patriotism after a fashion that insidiously seeks to squelch a fair and dignified deliberation of all just interests, public and private, national and local, even within the character of individual discourse and civil behavior amongst our own citizens. As a nation, almost as one, we have become increasingly disapproving and intolerant. At times, members of the elite, men like John Kerry, have been vilified unfairly, while honest debate about how the candidates differ and, perhaps more importantly in a democracy, a full and fair consideration of how they are identical and why, is lost to obfuscation or trivia.

Many, many knee jerk Republicans have hated John Kerry ever since he came home and opposed what was happening in the name of HIS country in Viet Nam. If it were up to people like those in the Bush administration, believe me, Kerry would never have had the opportunity to express his opinion in opposition to the imperial farce, then or now. They just don't understand what it means to defend the US Constitution. This is what it means to be an American. If we're not fighting for the right to oppose an unjust war, then what are we fighting for? Let's not forget, the FBI followed John Kerry in the 70's solely because he spoke his mind. THE SAME authoritarian assholes are now waging a dishonest war, similar to Viet Nam, for more corrupt reasons and much much bigger stakes. They've had thirty years to perfect the art of propaganda related to what they want to do with our military. Look where that has gotten us.

The evaluations now taking place in the media, amongst otherwise seemingly grown adults, pundits, "reporters," journalists (whatever that means now), hacks, and holier than thou bastards sitting around with score cards sneering at the details of what happened in a war thirty years ago, are so callous and indifferent to what it must mean to go up that river or out on that patrol. Shame on them. I won't hold my breath for some right wing know-it-all to give the same shabby treatment to one of our survivors from Samara. Will they take a close up of some of his or her wounds as a benchmark for belittling these things? In fact, the next gerbil brain (hopefully it's Sean Hannity or Joe Scarborough, both would be too much to even hope for) who questions or prattles about any details from the Viet Nam war should be put on the first transport for patrol duty in Samara. After all, it was only an improvised explosive device.

Chris McFarland

Boca Raton, FL

Subject: that paula zahn woman

i was watching some show on cnn tonight with paula zahn and uncommitted voters. one man stood up and started his question with a clear shot at kerry by saying "i served my country in vietnam significantly more than four and a half months" before he could finish paula zahn erupted in cheer and was so excited she nearly fell out of her chair! that woman should be working at fox news!

shorty

Subject: B'Flash NAILED IT, back in March!

BuzzFlash nailed it, back in March! And notwithstanding the Bush Family Cabel political M.O. over the years, the DNC and Kerry Campaign were still caught "flat-footed"!

A Message from Gen. George S. Patton to Sen. John F. Kerry, Democratic Senators, and the Democratic National Committee.

"To halt under fire is folly. To halt under fire and not fire back is suicide. Officers must set the example."

Too many Americans have given too much, and too much is at stake, for the DNC to dither around while the Bush Family Cabel pulls out all the stops to fight dirty for its own amoral, greed-obsessed ends. Get your act together and go on the offensive -- now !

Sharp, prepared, take-no-prisoner surrogates can hold press conferences, hit the Sunday morning show circuit, hit Hardball, CNN, NPR, The News Hour, send press releases . . . all for free, and in and by these means of communication call out Bush for the coward he is, the bungler he is, the traitor he is, the liar he is. When I see the DNC going on the offensive,

I'll happily send some of my money its way, and give it my time. But its timidness portends America's downfall. How will the DNC answer history?

R. Newton

Subject: I apologize

Buzz readers:

As a citizen of Georgia, please allow me to ask your forgiveness for the ignorance that will pour forth from the lips of our un-esteemed senator Zig Zag Zell Miller at the Republican convention. The Bushies are trying to make an issue of which candidates "flip-flop" on the issues. I place in nomination for flip-flopper of the century, the delusional Miller, who is the sell out politician of all time. This guy gave the key note address for Democrat Clinton and now turns around and does the same for Bush??!! Give me a break! While many of his former Ga. Democratic pals aren't speaking out about it, a few have stated that he's simply showing his true colors. I can only color him RED......for red neck, right-wing, Benedict Arnold. My greatest desire is to see him return to the hills from which he came, when Kerry is elected president!

D. Turner
Atlanta

Subject: Tit for tat

Hey Buzz -

I was under the impression that there is a group of military pilots out there who have been raising some provocative questions concerning Bush's "service" in the Air National Guard. Surely we can find a wealthy benefactor (or benefactors) somewhere who would be willing to sponsor this group. Needless to say, Kerry could use all the help he can get at this juncture of the race protecting his campaign war chest against the "loyal" opposition. And this is precisely how these ads featuring the "Smear Boat Liars" are being funded. It occurred to me that for each ad that appears featuring this group, we should counter with our own hard-hitting ( and I emphasize "hard-hitting") ad featuring this group of pilots. Just a thought. What do you think? Could this have wings, perhaps? Might it "fly"? Thanks for listenin'.

Best regards,

G. Will Hunter

Subject: Forwarded, re National Guard

People, ages 18 to 64, sought for National Guard (Valencia County [NM] News-Bulletin)

Lt. Col. Robert Brisben used to patrol the streets of Belen in 1985 as a police officer in an effort to keep the city crime-free. Now he's out to recruit people from the streets he policed into the National Guard."We have some International Guard troops going overseas pretty shortly from that area. We are looking for people to join the National Guard to take their place," he said. Brisben said 200 members of the International Guard left for Iraq almost two weeks ago and, with more preparing to leave, the National Guard is looking for people who will stay in New Mexico and work to maintain homeland security. Citizens throughout Valencia County are being invited to enlist."We are looking for people between 18 and 64," he said.Most of the senior members of the National Guard, said Brisben, are military retirees; many were stationed in Vietnam. Those interested should send a resume to Brisben, the civil affairs officer at the National Guard Armory and Headquarters on 600 Wyoming NE, P.O. Box 33, Albuquerque 87123.

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Burn the Bush!

Greetings from the Emerald Isle,

The vast majority of right thinking people worldwide want Bush out of the White House. Though Kerry is circumspect on Iraq (let's face it, he has not spelled out properly his aversion to the current war), all he has to do at every speech is to stand in front of a large poster that reads "Mission Accomplished" with the updated number of American deaths. Blunt and to the point. When it reaches 1,000 I wonder if the American people will have the stomach for another 1,000, which is inevitable at this rate.

Patrick J.

Subject: NYTimes.com Article: Kerry Denounces New Ad...

Hey --

Rutenberg piece. I find it strange that he allows Schmidt to say that Kerry should condemn some 527 ads but Rutenberg fails to inform the reader that Kerry DID already condemn the MoveOn Pac's ad. And Rutenberg knows this because he's the author of the piece on the condemnation of the MoveOn Pac ad (which ran August 18th).

Kerry Denounces New Ad on Bush's Service in Guard August 18, 2004 By JIM RUTENBERG

Senator John Kerry denounced an advertisement by the liberal group MoveOn.org questioning President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Air National Guard.

Jake

Subject: RE: Bill Selznik

Mr. Selznik makes a good point: assuming that what he was told in that classroom on Sept 11 was "America is under attack,", his reaction must be considered without the hindsight that the tragic events were in 4 locations not 100 -- at that moment the scope would have been unknown from the words "America is under attack." One wonders if those words were actually what was said; so much else about the official mythmaking about that classroom visit deserves scrutiny.

But, no matter how I try to make sense of it, the President's reaction is strange to watch. Whatever he knew or didn't know at that moment, one thing is obvious: this man has a phenomenal capacity for denial. It is also interesting to me, as an educator and behavioral support therapist who was working in classrooms after these events, that the children in that Florida school were in a bubble that was rare on that morning. If the experience of similar high profile tragedies I have seen in schools in three different states is any indicator, I'd guess that most school principals in this country got on the intercom when that 2nd plane hit and announced to the children under their care that something very sad was happening in the famous buildings in NYC. And when the Pentagon was hit in DC, they would tell the school personnel and students that no one knew exactly what had happened or why, but that there were people hurt, that they would be kept informed and that their own safety was of utmost importance to school officials.

By contrast, those children in Florida were kept ignorant of the unfolding events long after the rest of the country knew something unimaginable was going on. The President of their country and Commander in Chief was in their midst acting as though nothing big had happened. Not only in the classroom but for the following 20 minutes of photo ops.

I've read that the school principal has defended the President's (non)response. That is not encouraging news if it defined the mindset of the public school administrator in this country. The task of true education is not served when our actions are dictated solely by what is the least confronting or most convenient. The position of that principal that day however was unique and unenviable. There was a great deal of pressure on all personnel in authority positions that day, there was a particular pressure on her because of the course being set by the Commander in Chief and his staff on site.

I wonder what those children will think about that day as they grow up?

R.R.

Subject: Living to fight another day

[Cordier appeared in a commercial launched Friday by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which has accused Kerry of lying about his Vietnam service. In it, he and other Vietnam veterans accuse Kerry, a decorated Navy officer, of selling out his old comrades by joining the antiwar movement upon his return home.] as reported by CNN, Inside Politics.

Notice the ploy in this campaign ad [Kerry sold out his comrades by joining the antiwar movement when he came home.] The Swift (kick in the butt) Veterans are doing a Bush strategy dance. Of course, you remember how Bush kept changing the reasons for invading Iraq. His reasons started with WMD and ended with [They had capabilities. They had programs.] Now the SBVs are changing course in the middle of the stream... just like Bush does. The slime message is morphing into Kerry joined the antiwar movement and sold out his old comrades.

Has it ever occurred to any disgruntled veteran who falls for the SBV ploys, that it was Kerry and a majority of the American people who probably saved their lives in Vietnam? Yes, Kerry saw a lot in Vietnam first hand. In making evaluations of what was going on in Vietnam, who could have been better than Kerry the witness? Much of what he saw was against his principles, morals and human ethics. Because of those attributes, he spoke out:

• He questioned the US reasons for being in Vietnam just as Americans and GI's did

• He saw a (no win) situation in Vietnam and tremendous loss of life among his comrades just as many Americans were surmising

• He detested the killing of innocent women, children and elderly, as aptly reported by Dan Rather on the CBS nightly news. Americans too, grew to detest what they saw

• He knew the US was going to back out of Vietnam on a time-table and he questioned why more of his comrades and innocent Vietnamese would have to die just to meet that senseless time-table

Ironically, many vets who criticize John Kerry today are able to do so because of John Kerry and the antiwar movement. If it were not for Kerry and many Americans speaking out, many would not have lived to bad-mouth this American hero and Patriot.

Cathy

Subject: communicate to DNC

I have attached below a copy of a message I have just e-mailed to Terry McAuliffe at the Democratic National Committee. I urge all BuzzFlash readers to cut and paste it; send it to your Democratic Congressmen and Senators; send it to Senator Kerry and send it to the DNC. Send it to MSNBC, CNN and FOX. Let's put a stop to this nonsense.

Dear Chairman McAuliffe:

Attacks by people like John O'Neill on Kerry's war record serve only to highlight the fact that Kerry volunteered for a deadly war while George W. Bush tried to avoid fighting that same war. It's that simple. Kerry can silence his critics with one sentence: "Since the president wants to focus on the Vietnam War, we should add another debate to discuss our military service." This challenge would guarantee that Karl Rove would tell John O'Neill to just go away.

As a committed Democrat, I am asking you to please relay this specific challenge to the chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Sincerely yours,

Donald P. Russo

Subject: attacks by swift boat vets for bush

Is anyone surprised Bush will not condemn the attacks on John Kerry? He is obviously trying to divert attention away from rising health care and prescription drug costs, embryonic stem cell research, the dismal 32,000 jobs created in July, over 1.3 million people who have lost their job and millions more who have lost their health care since he took office.

Ever hear W touting his new rules governing overtime pay? No? That's because some 6,000,000 workers will lose overtime pay. Bush also won't mention that the Labor Department is telling companies how to avoid paying overtime.

Bush refuses to admit that, according to the Congressional Budget Office's report, his tax cuts actually benefit the wealthy, not the middle-class. One third of the benefits went to the top 1% (households earning more than $1.1 million annually).

W can't brag about his environmental record. For example, his rollbacks allow coal power plants to operate without lowering mercury emissions. Consequently, fish in rivers and lakes nationwide are tainted with mercury. People eating them have dangerous levels of mercury. Doctors say elevated mercury levels cause brain damage in developing fetuses.

The SBVT attacks also deflect focus off the disaster in Iraq. Bush's leadership and planning have been pathetic. Reconstruction is stalled, Halliburton is ripping taxpayers off for billions, Iraq is on the brink of civil war and W says stay the course? Yeah right!

Bush has no plan to fix what is happening, so Republicans are trying to smear the man who does.

Brian H.

Subject: Bush wore medals NOT listed in service records WH supplied to media

The medals Bush is wearing in the photo are NOT listed on the service records he supplied to the media.

Questions about Bush's Guard service unanswered (usatoday.com)

And WHY do Bush's military service records NOT show him receiving two medals that are given just for showing up??????

1) Why didn't Bush receive the two medals you get just for showing up: Texas Faithful Service Medal Texas State Guard Service Medal

2) Did Bush actually earn the medals he shows off: Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon

D.M.

Subject: I am not the only one who thinks this! -a reader's comment

I am disenchanted with the Kerry campaign. I will not vote for Bush, but I am not happy about the conduct of the Kerry effort to define himself. BuzzFlash was right about this and continues to be. We are again embroiled in character issues rather than policy issues.

Sen. John Kerry is making a belated effort to diffuse the effect of the Swift Boat group's media blitz. It has been noted by the NYT and other sources that the tale they tell is full of contradictions and that the source of funding is Republican. It has even been discovered that the campaign has a coordinator who until about a week ago was listed on the RNC website, but then his name disappeared. (Google "mirror" sites maintain images of the website before and after the de-listing, so this is a confirmable fact as is the fact that the man is officially active in both efforts--a violation of campaign laws.)

All of this still amounts to nothing.

The Annenburg Foundation released a study saying about half of declared Bush loyalists find the ad at least plausible, while 17% of Kerry loyalists say so, but the so-called "undecided voters" are evenly split on whether it is even a plausible charge. Annenburg apparently credits this to the media echo chamber which made the ads a bigger story than their intended market (3 or 4 states where the ads were actually shown).

Kerry has been advised by average supporters (Liberal advocates and John Q Publics) to fight back with force and prevent being defined by this Willie Horton-type attack. Given that there is the additional force of the Republican media consortium (Fox, Rush, et al), it will take far more effort than what I have seen thus far to produce an audible retort. It will cost time and money, but it is worth it.

I am sure Kerry's strategists think they should keep their powder dry. I am sure they think they can afford to wait this out and spend during the months after the Republican Convention. I am sure they think there will be no October Surprise, and that undecided voters will pay attention later-rather-than-sooner.

I think this reasoning is like "fighting the last war." It is also time to unleash the big dogs for a strategic strike with a strategic theme. It is time to lay siege on the White House (metaphorically, of course). It is time to call a lie by its proper name--not smear, not contradiction, not misinformation. And it is time to call the President to account for his own poor excuse for evading service; for his AWOL behavior. And, for his own lack of courage to face the American people and explain his behavior instead of depending on surrogates to tear the other guy down. Bush needs to be called out (challenge issued) whether he decides to show or not.

Kerry alludes to the "bring it on" attitude (shared apparently by brother Bush--an unsubtle allusion, but also an unsavory one if you ask me). But if you are going make such a response, it has to be matched with a go-for-the-jugular action. I believe it is time to force a primetime comparison between the privileged "service record" of Mr. Bush and the same of Mr. Kerry. Having someone else carry the water on this will NEVER have the effect of reaching the mind of the undecided voter with clarity or significance.

I will the be the first to say this Swift Boat/Medals-thing should be a non-issue when compared to all the other important things which need to be addressed in a campaign. But it is now unavoidable and Kerry is the only guy who can confront, address and and get rid of this issue, so important things can be addressed. The ONLY one. And he needs to draw blood. It is time to quit playing Shane of the first reel, and move on to the second reel.

I am not a master campaign strategist. I am an ordinary voter. I have this opinion: Sen. Kerry, if you "still know how to fight for America," now is the time.

G.T.
Birmingham, AL

Subject: Two versions of Swift Scumbag stories, then and now

There are two sets of stories coming from the Swift Boat Scumbags. First, there is the version they filed at the time in their mission records. These back John Kerry's version and heroism. Under military procedures, filing a false record would most likely be heavily disciplined, a strong disincentive to lying. Then there is the version they tell now, when there is no penalty. In fact, there is a high likelihood that they are being paid well, say to a numbered account in Bermuda by one of the Bushie corporate exec backers. Where is the risk here?

What are the tradeoffs? Well, in the service, going to Leavenworth to make sand from big rocks is a real possibility. Today, they could lie to get rich and know this regime will never allow a judge to hold them accountable. A simple economic decision. Power is worth any amount to the aristocracy of the right. There is no place for honor. Corruption rules. These creeps will do anything to retain control.

One thing is certain: we have only seen the very beginning of the false attacks thus far. If Kerry begins to look like a winner, expect a second coup d'etat.

Mark

Subject: U.S. Navy Mess Hall Menu: YOUR SHIPMATES

The Republican "Unfit Swifties" are practicing Veteran Cannibalism on their "Buddies."

How is Navy Recruiting doing? When your other sailors turn on you, how good is that to attract prospective Navy Recruits?

Who wants to belong to a team that practices cannibalism on your shipmates?

Whit

Subject: Re: Defining Bush or being defined....

You're right on the mark of course. Could you please leave that headline in place for awhile and see if the Kerry campaign gets a clue?

Subject: passage from Dole's book

FOUND THIS ON A MESSAGE BOARD, CAN I GET A CONFIRM:

In a 1988 campaign-trail autobiography, here's how Dole described the incident that earned him his first Purple Heart:

As we approached the enemy, there was a brief exchange of gunfire. I took a grenade in hand, pulled the pin, and tossed it in the direction of the farmhouse. It wasn't a very good pitch (remember, I was used to catching passes, not throwing them). In the darkness, the grenade must have struck a tree and bounced off. It exploded nearby, sending a sliver of metal into my leg--the sort of injury the Army patched up with Mercurochrome and a Purple Heart.

Karin D.

[BuzzFlash Note: We were aware of Bob Dole's wounds story. We're not sure how he connects his wounds to Kerry's, but we agree with Mailbag contributor Joe Smith: Dole seems a little loopy lately. Perhaps he should take a break from the viagra.]

Subject: Swift Boat Liars

From Reuters: Kerry Files Vietnam Ads Complaint

Bush's campaign advisers denied any involvement in advertisements by the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.....

[snip]

Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel on Friday denied any coordination with the Swift Boat group, calling it "a frivolous complaint."

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6033806

[snip]

"But that still shouldn't be used to draw any connection there because we have not been involved in this ad whatsoever," McClellan told reporters near Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/21/1092972821564.html

From CNN: Bush adviser quits after appearing in swift boat ad

From Me: Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subject: Define Bush

Please send a copy of your editorial re Define Bush or Be Defined to Sen. Kerry. It is so important for him to realize he needs to fight back or we are lost & so is our democracy. I am so sick of the bushes getting away with everything they do. Thanks for all the "real news."

Marlene Spitz
Tucson, AZ

Subject: Has Senator Dole been popping too much Viagra? Or, is he another Alzheimer's victim?

Hi BuzzFlash,

After reading tonight's AP report of Senator Dole's outrageous comments on CNN's "Late Edition," I am very concerned that he is suffering from some kind of mental disease or breakdown. Just take these first two sentences: "One day he's saying that we were shooting civilians, cutting off their ears, cutting off their heads, throwing away his medals or his ribbons; the next day he's standing there, 'I want to be president because I'm a Vietnam veteran.'"

Excuse me, but shouldn't somebody have reminded him that something like thirty years has passed between these two events? I mean, he's obviously trying to invoke the GOP 'flip-flop' label, but he's got the dates all confused! There's more evidence, too:

"Maybe he should apologize to all the other 2.5 million veterans who served. He wasn't the only one in Vietnam."

Well, first of all, I think it's safe to say everybody knows Kerry wasn't the only one there. To point this out, as though it's some kind of revelation, is just stupid. More to the point: I'm sorry, but I think that if anyone is owed an apology here, it's the American public that is due an apology from Bush's handlers... a) for trotting out this poor relic of a man and, b) for asking him to fling slime through our TV sets and into our living rooms. [Maybe they think that, since the guy's getting feeble-minded, we'll just cut him some slack and write it off. But, I don't think so. I'm honestly offended by the transparency of this sleazy tactic and, even more, I'm really embarrassed for poor Dole.]

The clincher, as far as I'm concerned, is the way he suddenly flips from personal and glowing *praise* of Kerry to viciously back-stabbing him in the same breath. This is amazing: "And here's, you know, a good guy, a good friend. I respect his record. But three Purple Hearts and never bled that I know of. I mean, they're all superficial wounds. Three Purple Hearts and you're out."

So, please tell everybody to go easy on the poor guy, ok? Tell 'em I said to save their wrath for Bush when they're casting their vote this November. It isn't Dole's fault. He just isn't the man he used to be.

Sincerely,

Joe Smith
p.s. - Oh, and thanks for all the good work you do!

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2 OF THE AUGUST 24, 2004 BUZZFLASH MAILBAG.