I would be very careful about demanding the opening of these records too loudly. I'm sensing a "politics of low expectations" game being played by the Kerry camp here, as in, we're all anticipating something of a Jack Ryan-type magnitude, and Kerry ends up looking like a picked-on, innocent choir-boy compared to the expectations that have been created.
I think Ryan should get back into the race. The damage has been done. I have a feeling the democrats would shut down any more media hype over Ryans divorce out of fear for what could be hidden in Kerry's past.
I think that we should use the same principles in the political arena that we do in court - leave the individual's character and personal life out of things unless and until they decide to use their character or personal life to their benefit. At that point, character goes in and all the skeletons come marching forth from the closet. If a candidate chooses to run soley on his past record (prior office voting) and his principles, then I don't think it's fair to drag his kids' problems, or his divorces and such into it. As soon as he opens the door, telling everyone what a great guy he is, and what a family person he is, then I think anything which goes to the contrary becomes fair game.
I thought it was all open except for the financial matters? All the grounds for divorce, etc. are supposedly available as per Drudge the other day.
Ok, for the sake of argument let's grant the media's position. What matters in news coverage of a particular issue is not so much the stand but whether or not the party involved is being hypocritical.
If this is the media's position then I want a full court press (no pun intended) on the Kerry's tax records. A fundamental issue with the Democrats is that the rich don't pay their "fair share" of taxes. Now you know and I know and even the press knows that the reason Teresa will not release her tax records is because she has a billion dollars and she does not pay tax accordingly. She and her hubby are classic examples of how the super-rich avoid paying their "fair share" of the tax burden. I can think of no more hypocritical stand than the demagogery of rich liberals like the Kerrys when they wail that the rest of us are not paying enough taxes.
Don't expect the press to pick up on this. Because in the final analysis the biggest hypocrits of all are the members of the press themselves. They have to a man become whores of the Democrat party. The are no longer the watch dogs of our freedoms. They have reduced themselves to being nothing more than the propoganda arm of the Democrat party and everybody knows it ... but them.
ping