Written by: Beck

MSNBC carried an article recently on Kerry's move to the defensive, now that the Bush campaign is finally calling him out on a few of his more over-the-top statements. As I read the article, however, it seemed each sentence brought new mind boggling statements--things that I can't believe anyone can take seriously. How can people hear tripe like this and not just shake their heads, laugh, and walk away? So I decided to just break the thing down one piece at a time (fisking I believe it's called in the blogosphere). Blockquotes to follow.

First, the issue at hand:

The White House kept up the pressure Monday. Senator Kerry is going to say he has support from foreign leaders, then he needs to be straightforward with the American people and say who it is that he has spoken with and who it is that supports him, White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters.

And now, the news release from Kerry's campaign:

With so many serious questions facing this nation, it is unfortunate that this White House is resorting to engaging in campaign tactics, the statement said.

Were I not protected by a thick layer of cynicism, my head might have actually exploded upon reading that. I apologize, belatedly, for those of you whose own heads just suffered damage.

Let's make sure I'm perfectly clear on this point. The Kerry campaign is criticizing the Bush campaign... for ENGAGING IN CAMPAIGN TACTICS. What is wrong with these people? What is wrong with a world in which a serious contender for the job of Most Powerful Man in the World can issue a statement like that? Seriously, people, could someone please explain to me how one engages in a campaign that does not involve, um, let's see, tactics? The two are integral... virtually one and the same. Inseparable. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, actually refused to go about campaigning for his election. He felt that it wasn't appropriate that someone go about the base, contemptible act of campaigning for such an important position. Somehow, he won the election. But still, his refusal to campaign was a tactic. Moving on...

The theme was raised by Cedric Brown, a participant in a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania. He wondered whether Kerry was meeting with foreign leaders to help you overthrow the Bush presidency.

Pressed repeatedly by Brown, Kerry finally declared: "That's none of your business

I've used the NOYB argument many times. Of course, that was in elementary school, and there we said, "bees-wax." It seemed clever at the time. Nothing coming from John Kerry seems that clever (or is it that he's too clever by half?)

Quoth Colin Powell:

I don't know what foreign leaders Senator Kerry is talking about. It's an easy charge, an easy assertion to make. But if he feels it is that important an assertion to make, he ought to list some names, Powell said. If he can't list names, then perhaps he should find something else to talk about.

At least someone is talking sense. Now, on a somewhat more serious note,

The point is that all across the world, America is meeting with a new level of hostility, [Kerry] said. There are relationships that have been broken. I think what's important for us as a country is to rebuild those relationships.

The Democrats are all about building relationships. It's far more important to them that everyone like us than that we be safe, prosperous, or respected. It's as if their goal is to restore our roll as the biggest mark for the world's con artists. If you wonder what I mean by that, just read P.J. O'Rourke's comments on the UN Millennium Summit. You can find it excerpted on Amazon.com--just skip forward to Page 6.

Moving on...

He's pushed away our allies at a time when we need them the most, Kerry said in his appearance at the firefighters union's legislative conference. He hasn't pursued a strategy to win the hearts and minds of people around the world and win the war of ideas against the radical ideology of Osama bin Laden.

Pushed away our allies? What allies would those be? France? Germany? Saudi Arabia? How is it that we're supposed to value closeness with nations like those over the security of our own citizens? Worse than that, though, is his blather about "winning the war of ideas," against Islamic militants. He just doesn't get it. You can't win a war of ideas with people whose ideas are absolute and inflexible. Their notion of fighting the war of ideas is to kill all non-Muslims, even if you have to kill a bunch of Muslims in the process. Kerry wants to fight these people with, what, different ideas? You can't beat them that way. You can only earn their contempt. I will tell you right now how you convince a terrorist to cease to be a terrorist, and at the same time, to discourage others from following in that terrorist's footsteps: put a bullet in him.

Kerry told the 263,000-member firefighters union, which has endorsed his candidacy, that Bush talked tough on terrorism but failed to back it up with the financial resources firefighters and other first responders needed.

OK, first of all, that's factually incorrect (support coming up), but second of all, how is it that the war on terror is won by supporting those who respond to terrorist incidents (i.e. firemen) instead of support of those who prevent terrorism (i.e. soldiers, the CIA, etc)? Anyway, about Kerry's assertions that the White House hasn't supported firemen:

The Bush-Cheney campaign responded that Bush's budget request for fiscal year 2005 called for $500 million in grants for firefighters, a 400 percent increase since 2001.

Now, would someone please explain this to me:

I do not fault George Bush for doing too much in the war on terror. I believe he's done too little, Kerry said. I think this administration has it backward. President Bush says we can't afford to fund homeland security. I say we can't afford not to.

The department of homeland security didn't EXIST before the Bush administration took power. It was the White House that pushed forward the creation of said department. And you're going to tell me that the administration hasn't supported homeland security?

Finally, a money quote for you, as the Bush campaign engages in some more tactics:

When John Kerry shows up to meet with union bosses today, he should explain why he didn't show up for the vote on last year's $29.3 billion Homeland Security appropriations bill, said Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign.