I'm finally seeing some strength from Kerry.

[Guaranteed]

Bush and Cheney have been attacking him for awhile now, and Kerry's hitting them right back- harder. I especially liked the "I'm quaking" response to Cheney's attack that he's an indecisive leader...the contempt that he's showing is exactly how a real leader should be approaching the ridiculousness of the Bush administration. I think we're seeing real leadership.

While I'm still concerned about Kerry's support for the war as a "last resort," and I wonder if he will be willing to lead our country back onto the right path once he gets into office, I must say that if he keeps this up I will not be reluctant, but glad, to vote for him.

I'm a Dean supporter, but I'm truly glad for this, and I'm glad for Kerry, and our country. We're coming together, with strength, and I'm proud to be an American, and I'm proud of our entire party once again.

Let us never again allow our country to be taken over by lying, corporate warmongers.

[David Dunham]

1. If Gore had been as tough as Kerry, there'd be no Bush II

[patricia92243]

2. I didn't hear the I'm quaking statement - tell me more about it, please

[Guaranteed]

3. The article WAS here:

http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=832149&tw=wn_wire_story

But I just went there and it looks like they just took it down in the last fifteen minutes. I dunno what's going on...

Anyway, Cheney said something about Kerry being an "indecisive leader," and that, in war, not making quick decisions gets people killed. Kerry responded with, "I'm quaking" and that making RUSHED decisions gets people killed ;) (Good response).

[whirlygigspin]

4. the only way to beat a republican

is to beat them constantly and hard with the truth,

Don't give an inch Mr.Kerry

-as the old saying goes: "give a republican an inch, and he'll take Iraq."

[dennis4868]

5. Kerry cannot....

let himself get (Al) gored now. The media is trying though. Bush says that Kerry is a flip flopper and the media of course picks up on it and then never bothers to see that Bush himself is the king of all flip floppers on the issues.

[patricia92243]

7. Bush is NOT a flip-flopper. He makes horrible decisions and sticks to them

no matter how wrong they are proven to be.

[jpgray]

10. LOL, are you kidding me? (nt)

[AgadorSparticus]

25. bush is the poster child of flip flopping

Here's a short list of Mr. Flipflopper Bush himself:

Here's a post from one of Kos's readers to knock that softball right out of the park:
* Bush is against campaign finance reform; then he's for it.

* Bush is against a Homeland Security Department; then he's for it.

* Bush is against a 9/11 commission; then he's for it.

* Bush is against an Iraq WMD investigation; then he's for it.

* Bush is against nation building; then he's for it.

* Bush is against deficits; then he's for them.

* Bush is for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.

* Bush is against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict; then he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.

* Bush is for states right to decide on gay marriage, then he is for changing the constitution.

* Bush first says he'll provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency), then he doesn't.

* Bush first says that 'help is on the way' to the military ... then he cuts benefits

* Bush-"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. Bush-"I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care.

* Bush claims to be in favor of the environment and then secretly starts drilling on Padre Island.

* Bush talks about helping education and increases mandates while cutting funding.

* Bush first says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea. Now he will

* Bush goes to Bob Jones University. Then say's he shouldn't have.

* Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq. Later Bush announced he would not call for a vote

* Bush said the "mission accomplished" banner was put up by the sailors. Bush later admits it was his advance team.

* Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the US. Bush after meeting with Pres. Fox, he's against it.

[Meshuga]

24. Not only that...

Whatever accusation against Kerry by Bush is reported by the media and the media doesn't bother to report whether the accusations are true or not. They just let it stick.

[The Magistrate]

6. Sen. Kerry, Mr. Looney

Is a fighting man. The people he is up against are not, and that makes all the difference.

"The mildest mannered a man as ever cut throat or scuttled ship."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[MessiahRp]

8. I don't know if that's the case..

Don't get me wrong... I'm no Bush Apologist (actually you should hear some of the violent stuff I would do to him if I were locked in a room alone with him) but they fight alright, they fight dirty, and they use multiple sources to make most of it untracable. They create a rumor and then because of their connections, they make it fact in the public's eyes in a matter of seconds.

Karl Rove was selected to be Bush's political advisor because he works like the CIA's Black Ops do. He's evil but unfortunately very smart and I don't want to underestimate him or the power of their lies one bit. If 2000 taught us anything, that would be the one lesson.

I love Kerry, he's a fighter, but if we don't raise more money than our party has ever raised before and thensome, we're in for a misinformation campaign like none ever before it.

Remember Bush not only has the $150-175 million already, but he saves on expenses in a multitude of other ways.

-He goes to a small speaking engagement in a community and claims it's for one of his initiatives and then goes to two to three fundraisers for millions of dollars each on the public dime claiming that it was a job-related speaking expense (he did this quite shamefully on MLK day in Atlanta I believe in 2003).

-Every speech he has gets broadcast live on every news station.

-Every ad he gets earns multiple playings and discussions on news programs for free. (Hardball played all three Bush commercials three times each on one night! Instead of paying for nine advertising slots on that show, Bush paid nada.)

-He has an entire network that works for him (FOX).

-He has 90% of the talk radio hosts that will be campaigning for him because it seems as if only Right Wing radio hosts are employed in most markets and mostly by the Republican Clear Channel which owns 1,200 stations nationwide.

The effect of this basically makes that $175 million he has, more like $800-900 million in advertising alone. That's one hell of a battle for us to fight.

That's why we need to raise so much money for Kerry that it puts previous campaigns to shame. It's not a fair fight and no matter how much groups such as MoveOn.org and the multitude of Democratic groups work, the Republicans have even more billionaire donors than we have to try to counterbalance this.

I know what the Republicans are capable of. Fighting is something they will do, and they won't do it fair.

Rp

[The Magistrate]

9. That Is A Different Thing, Sir

There is something different in the eyes and the carriage of a man who has fought and might have died at it, and a man who has not. It is immediately discernable on a preconcious level, and people respond to it in contests for leadership. Atavistic it may be, but we are but clever monkeys when all is said and done.

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[whirlygigspin]

11. "it's a question of simian survival"

why we must beat Bush for $100, Alex.

[The Magistrate]

12. And It Does Not Hurt, Sir, To Be Several Inches Taller....

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[sangh0]

15. It doesn't hurt to be willing to go "mano a mano" either

Kerry is eager to do that. They are not. They hide and shoot from the shadows. Kerry will take the fight right into the Oval Office if that's what he needs to do.

[Guaranteed]

13. Keep it up, Kerry.

Do NOT start in to the middle.

[The Magistrate]

14. Some Such Course Will Be Necessary In Future, Mr. Looney

And we on the left must expend some self-discipline to sit through it calmly while others are courted at need....

"There will be a holiday in our street soon!"

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Guaranteed]

16. If you think that, you're reading this election wrong.

Look at your posts above. We're measuring dick-size.

Moving to the middle would only be viewed as weak, and would play into the "indecisive leader" charge that Cheney is laying on him.

[The Magistrate]

17. Emphasizing Difference In The Parties Is Essential, Sir

We are certainly agreed on that. But different groups are still courted in different language. My point was only that we cannot allow ourselves to be dismayed by stylistic concerns. It is, Sir, analogous to advertising; if you do not like an advertisement, rest assured, its sponsers do not care --- they were not talking to you, but to someone else...

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[Guaranteed]

18. That's an interesting group of words strung together.

Anyway, back to the point, which is that if Kerry doesn't show leadership, he'll get no respect. The second he moves to the middle the Bush administration will jump on him and say "See? See? He's weak, and he knows that WE'RE right." Kerry has to be tough.

Leadership is the name of the game, Sir. It's the universal language.

[sangh0]

19. The perception of strength is not weakened by being moderate

And I think you have a nmuch different definition of leadership than I.

[Guaranteed]

20. I assume that your definition of leadership isn't

"the ability to cave in to media-fueled radical right-wing political pressure."

Politicians are perceived as weak when they start pandering in the direction of their political opponent. It's a deferment of leadership, an admission that the other guy is right, and it puts the other guy in control. That's exactly what happened in 2002, and it's why we lost control of the Senate.

Hell, I'm HOPING Bush makes a break for the center. He does that, we just yank the leash, and BOOM we're back in the driver's seat.

That's my prediction- whoever breaks for the center first in this election will lose.

Don't blink.

[sangha]

21. Nope

Many campaigns have been won by doing exactly that, not that I think your description is in any way accurate.

[Guaranteed]

22. This is a very, very different election. nt

[sangh0]

23. Yes, it is

but saying it will be different is not the same saying HOW it will be different. Look, you might be right, but I don't see it in your posts. Merely claiming that moving to the center will be viewed as a sign of weakness without backing it up will not convince me, particularly since so many people are so ignorant of the candidate's records that they won't know if a candidate has moved because they didn't know where the candidate was to begin with.

[Guaranteed]

26. Remember 2002?

What did you learn from 2002??? THIS is what we've been dealing with for the past two years! This VERY concept! It should be in the front of your frickin mind!

[Guaranteed]

27. Kick for fairness. nt