*I had meant to tear into Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter’s claim that “There was no terrorism in Iraq before we went to war,” but Stephen Hayes had done it for me.
*Does Kofi Annan want Bush to win, or is he (more likely) completely oblivious to how little most Americans (even many critics or skeptics of the Iraq war) like having some UN functionary tell them that it’s “illegal” for America to go to war with a country that repeatedly violated the terms of a cease-fire? The State Department fires back.
*Got your Florida campaign slogan right here: “[L]et them go naked for a while” may not exactly be “let them eat cake,” but it’s close.
*Not that Kerry himself is any better; he’s about as convincing a populist as Prince Charles. Vodkapundit notes that Kerry calling Lambeau Field “Lambert Field” is hardly the first example of him botching the local color, citing his campaign’s ignorance of St. Louis radio powerhouse KMOX and his misadventures with Philly cheesesteak. Of course, then there’s touting “Buckeye football” to a Michigan crowd, misidentifying Eddie Yost as a Red Sox player . . . it’s stupid stuff, and the Yost thing is particularly forgivable because it was from a years-ago memory, but it does bespeak a certain disinterest in connecting with people on things that should be easy to get right. But here’s what’s hilarious about the Lambeau thing: Lambeau is a French surname, and Kerry said it like one of those guys who deliberately refuses to pronounce a French name properly. If Kerry can’t get a French name right, what, precisely, is he good for?
*Opportunity knocks: Bush and Kerry have each been invited to appear, separately, for half-hour segments on Black Entertainment Television (BET) to address questions of special concern to African-American voters. Bush should jump at this. Yes, any potentially hostile interview is a risk in the stretch run of an election. And yes, Republicans often eschew advertising and campaigning directed at African-Americans out of a rational short-term calculation that there are more likely votes to be won elsewhere. But this is free TV, it’s just a few hours of the president’s time, and it’s a way to showcase his interest without having to get booed by an NAACP crowd.
*Hey Hey, Ho Ho. (But check out the definitive rebuttal in the second comment).
*Roll tape!
*The camera does not love John Kerry. Of course, the caption here suggests an improvement on current campaign tactics.
One thought on “Quick Links 9/17/04”
Comments are closed.
That Ho Chi Minh item doesn�t even seem to meet the new CBS/New York Times standard of �fake but accurate� and probably crosses a line even in the more lenient department of humor. (Although it is analogous to CBS�s current position).
As for Kerry�s gaffes, some are more forgivable than others, but asking for swiss cheese on a Philly Cheesesteak really should be an automatic disqualifier for a man seeking public office.
Finally, I�m honestly curious as to whether Kofi Annan thinks that the war in Kosovo, which also was not sanctioned by the UN, was “illegal”?