Posted on 04/09/2006 11:37:16 AM PDT by SkyPilot
Was it his campaign's slow response to the swift boat advertisements or the remark that he voted for Iraq war money before he voted against it that John Kerry regrets most from his failed bid for the White House?
Neither, according to Kerry's reflection Sunday on what he considered his biggest mistake when trying to wrest the presidency from George W. Bush in 2004.
"I think the biggest mistake was probably not going outside the federal financing so we could have controlled our own message," the Massachusetts senator said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
The Kerry campaign opted to accept federal money _ and federal spending limits and other rules _ after he won the Democratic nomination. The nominating convention in Boston occurred more than a month before the GOP renominated Bush, forcing Kerry to begin spending under federal rules much earlier than Bush.
"We had a 13-week general election, they had an eight-week general election. We had the same pot of money. We had to harbor our resources in a different way and we didn't have the same freedom," Kerry said.
"I think the most important thing would have been to spend more money, if we could have, on the advertising and responding to some of the attacks," he said.
As for other missteps, Kerry said: "I made some mistakes. I know what they are, and I take responsibility for them."
Some political observers believe the Kerry campaign should have acted more quickly in countering an anti-Kerry group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, that attacked his Vietnam War record.
The Bush campaign criticized Kerry relentlessly for his remark about voting for and then against an $87 billion bill for the military and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. The GOP used Kerry's own words to support the contention that he flip-flopped on issues.
As for a run in 2008, Kerry said Sunday he would make a decision by the end of the year.
___
There was no "slow response" to the Swiftboat Vets and POWs for Truth. The Kerry campaign went after them with everything they had. The problem for Kerry and the Democrats was that truth was not on their side.
Furthermore, the MSM tried to assist the Kerry campaign by ignoring the Swiftboat vets early on (the only media to cover their initial press conference in May 2004 was C-SPAN2). But that didn't work either, because their ads were too effective (and they cost $200,000 to make - pocket change compared to what the Democrats were spending).
Poor Kerry. He is a haunted man. He cannot accept he is a loser.
He looks almost lifelike in that photo.
I look at Kerry and wonder how anyone could vote for him. Then I look at some of the things I ignore to vote for the people I do, and about all I can do is shake my head.
Not enough to spend? The man had Moveon.org spilling its spew throughout the whole campaign.
If he couldn't make it on that, it just wasn't making.
In other words, "I SHOULD'VE WHORED FOR SOROS!"
Really? I thought he looked like a wax figure. Well, actually, I thought he WAS a wax figure, so maybe my perception is slanted that way.
Kerry's biggest mistakes:
* a plan that consisted of having a plan
* John - whatshisname? - oh yeah, Andrews
* Mrs. Kerry
* looking like Lurch
* 20 years in the Senate without doing anything
* coming from same state as Kennedy, Dukakis, and Bawney Fwank
* being a general idiot
Nah. It is a wax figure.
This guy is like the jelly of the month club - it just keeps coming, but you don't want it.
And don't forget Kerry's (well, Tereeeza's) private Gulfstream V jet "The Flying Squirrel."
"As for a run in 2008, Kerry said Sunday he would make a decision by the end of the year."
Mr. Kerry, why don’t you save us both a lot of time, the time you waste running and the time I spend doing everything within my power to stop you from getting elected.
Wait a minute. Wasn't there an enormous controversy in the days after the election when it was discovered that he had not spent 10 million or so dollars that he had available? What sense does this make in that context?
What a huge head - must be where his ego lives!
Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten how ballistic DU went over THAT revelation!
Some political observers believe the Kerry campaign should have acted more quickly in countering an anti-Kerry group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, that attacked his Vietnam War record.
substitute attacked and put in exposed
substitute anti-kerry group and put in combat war veterans
now that sounds more like it
Hey, just because he was completely blindsided by John O'Neil (whom he knew about since 1974), and just because he proved completely unable to effectively neutralize the Swift Boat Vets, that's no reason to think he wouldn't have made a damn fine President, whose international charm offensive would have easily defeated al Qaeda.
Gotta give them credit on naming the plane the Flying Squirrel. Can't say I have ever seen a name more reflective of the owner.
Anybody have a pre- and post-Botox picture of Horseface?
ping
Whatever happened to Larry O'D? After that rant he laid on the Swift Boat Vet, he's kinda gone away. Is that my imagination or is it so?
Yet Kerry claims that he could have foreseen and avoided all sorts of events that Bush did not.
without Odo's warm personality.
You might say that he looks undead.
And more money would have helped change his own words how?
Kerry was going to release all of his military records before he didn't.
Looking "lifelike" is a quality shared by all Frenchmen.
He is still the same old spin doctor liar he always was. Remember how PO'd the Democrats were when they found out Kerry had 17 million unspent dollars from his campaign funds?
Everyone was asking then why Kerry didn't spend the money on voter drives, advertising, recounts, etc. for a final push at stealing the election.
They should be asking the same again as the frog tries to make us forget what an idiot he is.
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/050405/kerry.html
“He really angered a lot of people by keeping all the money that he did,” Cari said, referring to close to $17 million left unspent in Kerry’s campaign account after the election.
“I wrote and asked for my money back,” said Cari, who gave $2,000 to John Kerry for President Inc. and $2,000 to Kerry-Edwards 2004 Inc., the general-election legal fund. “When you hold back $17 million, there’s no way that you can say that ‘I gave it my best shot.’”
Correct me if I am wrong but isn't the VP-BKZ registration of the pictured aircraft allocated to Bermuda?
No body running for President of the US would be that stupid !
It is - that is a picture of a G-V from the outside. No one I know has a picture of Tereeeza's actual G-V - but it is exactly the same.
"It was the money"
As I've said before Kerry lost because he did not sacrifice enough gamebirds to satisfy the gods.
O, idunno, Sherm. Allya gotta do is sacrifice one, but you gotta know how to read the entrails right. BTW, any word on MY Purple Heart, yet?
I can't wait.
Run sKerry, run!!
As I recall, most of the response to the Swifties was through 527 organizations. Supposedly they have been hobbled somewhat by the FEC. I'm sure they are working full time on finding loopholes :)
ATTENTION JOHN KERRY, now hear this, you fool, you lost the presidential race because you are a LIAR, you are USELESS, you are IGNORANT, get your head out of your ass, smell the coffee, face the fact that you are a LOSER, plain and simple pal, you are a LOSER, no one likes you, except maybe T Razor and I certainly question her judgement......
Did he not end the campaign with about 15 million in the bank, unspent?
the beast will have them released, somehow they will appear; she will wipe out the entire field we will hear about everybody's mental illness, homosexual secret lifestyles,adulterous relationships,wife beatings; this election cycle will be better than anything hollywood could ever produce
Robwin to Kerry: Electing you to any public office is the real mistake, you dweeb.
The question we should be asking Democrats is, that if Kerry was good enough for the Democratic Party in 2004 and garnered 252 electoral college votes why is he not good enough
in 2008?
Party questions Kerry's war chest
By Ron Fournier, Associated Press | November 18, 2004WASHINGTON -- Democratic Party leaders said yesterday they want to know why Senator John F. Kerry ended his presidential campaign with more than $15 million in the bank, money that could have helped Democratic candidates across the country.
"Democrats are questioning why he sat on so much money that could have helped him defeat George Bush or helped down-ballot races, many of which could have gone our way with a few more million dollars," said Donna Brazile, campaign manager for Al Gore's 2000 presidential race.
Thanks for the link to refresh my memory.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
The Bahamas, I think.
No body running for President of the US would be that stupid !
Don't forget the Kerry yacht "The SCARAMOUCHE!"
I thought it was 16+... but that's neither here... nor there.
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