TOM MAGUIRE OFFERS ADVICE TO THE BUSH CAMPAIGN on how to respond to the various attacks coming from the Kerry campaign:
Karl Rove can actually use these stories to his advantage. First, spin it as a last gasp, say-anything attempt by the media to win this for their guy Kerry. (Waddya mean, “spin”?). This will rally a newly-aggrieved base.
Secondly (and here comes your sound-bite), turn the AWOL story back on Kerry. “The President is running on his record of leadership and his vision for a safer, more propserous America. We are only having this discussion about new documents because the President has signed the Form 180 authorizing the release of all of his records.
The President is not running on a service record he has nonetheless fully disclosed; John Kerry is running on a service record he has not fully disclosed.. If we are going to compare the two candidates’ records, we need full disclosure from both sides.” (See “MORE”, below).
Finally, timing is everything – the Kitty Kelley book, coupled with the new AWOL charges, looks like a liberal media mudslide, and increases the effectiveness of the “this is a say-anything assault by the media” meme.
(Emphasis in original). Read the whole thing.
The press will call this Kerry move shrewd, but after things like the bogus-boos story from the AP, the press isn’t exactly riding high in the credibility department. In fact, I sometimes wonder if part of Karl Rove’s strategy isn’t aimed at eviscerating media credibility — or, more accurately, encouraging media folks to eviscerate their own credibility — so as to give Bush a freer hand in the second term. If so, the press is certainly cooperating.
UPDATE: Several readers note that — in addition to failing to open his military records — Kerry has refused to release his medical records, as well as Teresa’s tax records. I don’t think the press would allow such behavior by a Republican to pass with so little comment.
ANOTHER UPDATE: RealClearPolitics has further thoughts on what’s going on. And here’s a roundup of Bush AWOL stuff. (Via Dodd Harris, who has much more). And read this by Byron York, too.
And here’s some more Doug Brinkley backpedaling that I had missed:
John Kerry’s biographer today called on the presidential candidate to release his military records and warned a Navy investigation into his medals could prove to be the “death knell” of his campaign.
In the past, Kerry has said he could not release some documents because of contractual obligations to Douglas Brinkley, author of “Tour of Duty.” Brinkley said he has no contractual claims to any of the papers.
No contractual obligations? Interesting. So where are the records?