Kerry appearance at American Legion - live thread

self

[rod1]

Wonder if John F'N will bring Hanoi Jane with him to warm up the crowd?

[Jonah Johansen]

I predict that he will not use a normal lectern but instead use Max Cleland and his wheelchair as a lectern.

[finnigan2]

"CNN reported yesterday that they have seen parts of Kerry's speech and he is going to attack the Swift Boat Vets and question what they have done for the past 35 years (I'm a Senator and you're not!)."

- To directly attack the Swifties would be suicide. The closest he might come would be to make some oblique reference about "those" with whom he disagrees, on events so long ago they are now lost in the mists of time, yada, yada.
As to his reception at the convention, I will echo Mark Steyn's observation that while the Dems aren't much good at running government, they're real good at running scandals. They will have left nothing to chance. Dem supporters will arrive early and cram the front rows and give loud standing ovations at every opportunity so as to catch the cameras. Friendly media allies will have received the Dem talking points in advance so everyone can stay consistently on message. Kerry will keep it short and clear out quick. He will pull it off unless there are enough spontaneous boos to rattle his delivery - which is unlikely.

[sweetliberty]

Meekie, I trust you are doing double duty troll patrol these days. It's gonna get worse you know. I can hear the demons screaming and the weeping and wailing and gnashing of RAT teeth at the DU from here.

It ought to get interesting. Why on earth would anybody vote for that stupid, arrogant blowhard, Kerry.

Did you happen to catch Leno last night when he was talking about the convention and about John Kerry? He was talking about Kerry being on Nantucket windsurfing. Then he said, "even Kerry's favorite hobby depends on which way the wind is blowing." I would love to have the transcript of that monologue. It was hilarious. LOL!

There have been some great lines from different people this week, especially at the convention. Of course the call in RATs on CSPAN after the conventions sound like clanging cymbols, screeching wheels and fingernails on the chalkboard all at one time. The difference between the two conventions (and messages) is like the difference between an accomplished orchestra and and a bunch of preschoolers with noisemakers.

Speaking of highly accomplished performers...did y'all catch the Harlem boys choir? Wasn't that amazing? Still, I could hear the RATs shrieking over that one too. Besides the fact that they hate anything partiotic OR Christian, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic is both, the last thing in the world they want America to see is a picture of black kids perforning well in a traditionally very roungh area where the stereotype is gangs and crime and poverty, and race pimping is at a premium. I loved it. (Am I terrible for enjoying RAT angst so?)

[OldFriend]

Kerry is going to be talking about all he's done for veterans while in the senate.

We shall see how that resonates with these men.

[OldFriend]

There will be no booing. They need the senator's vote on veteran's issues.

[amordei]

Doing legwork for us? You're awesome! thanks.

[Timeout]

I caught the boys' choir on tape...fabulous! (I loved that they sang the old version---"Let us die to make men free!"--- not the new, improved, politically correct one.)

Darnit, I have an appt at speech time. Will rely on y'all to give a blow-by-blow description of audience react!

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Off subject, but not...(Do I sound like Kerry?) Regarding the events this morning in Russia. Remember the theater targeted by the fanatical murders in (?)Moscow a while back?

Did not end very well. Russia got the terrorists, but it cost the hostages their lives. I pray to God those children will be spared a similar fate. Perhaps this is why the murderes chose a school.

[amordei]

Intant classic!

[Republican Red]

Kerry believed that the media would carry him thru

August 10:

According to a Kerry campaign source, senior campaign advisers tasked two Washington-based campaign staffers to vet the recently published Unfit for Command.

"The purpose was to compare what that book had with what we had on file from Senator Kerry," says the campaign source, who said that the research project developed more than 75 instances where Kerry's recollections, previous remarks, or writings conflicted with the book's reporting.

"We took some of the most glaring examples, like the Christmas in Cambodia story, and presented them to senior staff, and we assume that those things were put in front of Senator Kerry," says the source. "We haven't heard a word about it. All we were told is that it was being taken care of."

The campaign source said that the book was not considered a "serious" problem for the campaign, because, "the media wouldn't have the nerve to come at us with this kind of stuff," says the source. "The senior staff believes the media is committed to seeing us win this thing, and that the convention inoculated us from these kinds of stories. The senior guys really think we don't have a problem here."

link

[Cboldt]

Friendly media allies will have received the Dem talking points in advance so everyone can stay consistently on message. Kerry will keep it short and clear out quick. He will pull it off unless there are enough spontaneous boos to rattle his delivery - which is unlikely.

I agree with that speculation. Plus, I'd like to think that the membership of the American Legion has class, and won't "boo" Kerry. I don't expect much to come of the event, either way. At most, one could comapre the reaction to Kerry with the reaction to GWB. Kerry's comments might telegraph his present "fear" and future plan for dealing with facts of his service being seriously drawn into question.

Kerry will be going down in the polls, not on the stage. Once it is clear he is not electable, things will get interesting.

[Wolverine]

Timing is everything.

 

This ad is timed to coincide with Kerry's address to the American Legion on Wednesday. It's running in Florida, there's a nationwide cable buy -- and a special buy in Nashville, where the Legion convention is being held.

KERRY: 'WE WILL NOT READILY JOIN THE AMERICAN LEGION' 

 

Swiftboat Veterans 1st Ad

Swiftboat Veterans 2nd Ad

Swiftboat Veterans 3rd Ad

Swiftboat Veterans 4th Ad

 

James Warner POW in North Vietnam

Windows Media Player Broadband http://www.videopa.com/kerry/warner.asx                       8 minutes of POWERFUL INDICTMENT!

Windows Media Player Dial-up http://www.videopa.com/kerry/warner_low.asx

“The North Vietnamese told us we were war criminals, not covered by Geneva Convention…” PLAY THIS (Last on this page): POWs http://www.stolenhonor.com/documentary/samples.asp 

TOGETHER WITH THE SWIFTVETS AD.

The Swiftboat Vets' second ad, released at the beginning of this week to play in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, features former POWs charging Kerry with betrayal for accusing them of war atrocities during his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971. http://humaneventsonline.com.edgesuite.net/unfit_video2.html

[Crawdad]

The war on terror, to me, is like being an alcoholic, which I am. It's a daily battle. If I don't have a drink during one day, I won that day. I wake up the next day and fight another battle.
However, if I were ever denied the tools I use in battle each day, I would lose every day, and I would have died, literally, long ago.

[sweetliberty]

"Darnit, I have an appt at speech time"

Some days it just really sux to have to be at work. Oh well. Thank God for FR.

[goldstategop]

Denial is a river in Campaign Kerry.

[Darksheare]

Arnold's line when he got up to the podium:
"A guy cam eup to me on my way here and says 'Arnold, you're as good a governor as you are an actor.'... what a cheap shot."

*Chuckle*

[Crawdad]

Caveat: We are not powerless over terrorism.

[alnick]

Here's some interesting viewing while you wait:

http://www.gopconvention.com/interactive/

There's a video of an interview with Ari Fleischer there.

Enjoy. :o)

[OldFriend]

It might have worked too but the Kerry campaign has NO message. You can't focus on a puff of smoke!

There is not a single issue that has been stated by Kerry that can be pointed to with any confidence that he hasn't already changed his mind.