The Worcester Telegram on McAuliffe's book

[Mass]

Something tells me that the McAuliffe did not endear himself to the MA media. (or is it Kerry's team's answer we are seeing?).

http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWS/701230317/1020

Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Failed political operatives just keep bouncing back

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE


The ability of some political strategists to bounce back from monumental campaign debacles is simply amazing.

...

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is embracing ex-Democratic Party boss Terry McAuliffe, best known as the brains behind John F. Kerry’s disastrous presidential campaign, most of which was a rehash of the Vietnam War. That limp “reporting for duty” salute was not quite a Duke-in-the-Tank moment, but it was close.

Such operatives have a talent for squandering candidates’ political capital, but their true genius is their ability to convince them that the bungled campaigns were somebody else’s fault. Mr. McAuliffe, now on an extended book tour, is describing the Kerry campaign, which he himself ran, as “one of the biggest acts of political malpractice in the history of American politics.”

It’s as if the seats of power in Washington, D.C., are afflicted with mass amnesia. How else can one explain why, like Othello cozying up to Iago or Cleopatra clasping the asp to her breast, otherwise sensible-seeming candidates keep bringing such alleged campaign “experts” back into the fold?

[Island Blue]

1. Ummm, if this is "Kerry's team's answer"

he needs to fire them. Looks like whoever wrote this is doing a twofer bash here, slamming both McAuliffe and Kerry.

[Mass]

2. I was talking about the various media making fun of McAuliffe.

Note also that they do not blame Kerry, but its operatives. Also, a lot of people I know were bothered by the fact that the Convention was basically ONLY about VietNam, and ignored mostly the rest of his accomplishments. As courageous as he was during this period, it is only TWO years of his life, and the rest of his accomplishment as ADA, Lt Governor, and Senator, needed to be put into evidence at the Convention. A lot of soldiers behaved admirably in VietNam, or other wars, and this by itself does not qualify them for president.

Kerry's Convention speech was great and inspiring, but the part coming to that was not so great, IMO. Happy to see that the Telegram attributed it to the right guy, the one who spent hours of interviews talking about the TNG rather than telling us why Kerry would be a great president.

[beachmom]

5. I agree. From Yoda:

"Wars do not make one great"

I think his serving in war was more about him being vulnerable and getting through it (despite the macho Hollywood image, every time I hear real war stories, the men telling them speak of fear and vulnerability), being able to handle that pressure, being cool headed under fire, and even having coherent thoughts about how badly the Vietnam War was being conducted in his theater. He passed the physical bravery test, but it was really his protesting the war (which he did not have to do) which was a true act of courage. The media tried to make it out like 1971 was so late in the game that it was not brave to protest. Well, for a decorated veteran with a bright future, it was a HUGE risk, and he's still paying the consequences for it to this day. And with no regrets, I may add.

Then there were the investigations -- Iran/Contra, BCCI, and CIA drugrunning -- for which his time as a prosecutor in Cambridge prepared him. He was under fire from both parties, and yet he had the grit to keep it going because of his total distaste for government corruption. There was also Vietnam -- his speech and the subsequent article about his aid really filled in some of the story. That it was he and his team (not McCain, not Clinton) who put together the framework on how to get past the war and normalize relations with Vietnam. Yes, credit should go to McCain and Clinton, too; but clearly, Kerry and his people were the leaders of this effort. Type in Vietnam in Google and see the results of that work.

I didn't realize McAwful was so involved in the Kerry campaign. Pretty stupid that he wrote a book criticizing a campaign for which he was intimately involved.

[karynnj]

9. Kerry's speech was great - and contained very little Vietnam

One place where the Vietnam circa 1970 stuff should have been eliminated was in Clinton's speech. It was hypocritical of him and what he could have done was to highlight Kerry's accomplishments in the Senate. Kerry contributed to 2 of Clinton's biggest accomplishments - Openning Vietnam (the SFRC staffer article had more info than I knew before I read it) and S-Chip, though Kerry gets no credit in Clinton's book.

I think there was less VN than people remember - there was very little in Kerry's speech, his dauther's, or wife's. Obama's or Edwards'. Added together that is a huge part of the time. (Clinton had too much and then spoke about his accomplishments - his speech was well received, but if you look at it, did the least to sell Kerry.

Some of the Vietnam stuff was to define his character - and in a decent fair world, it would have. (esp Cleeland's and Alston's (?).

[MBS]

3. I didn't see this as a bashing of Kerry

Maybe I read it too quickly, but it looks to me like it's a bashing of McAuliffe, plain and simple, including laying blame on him for the results of 2004; and, if anything, a criticism of Hillary for being stupid enough to hire a known incompetent like McAuliffe.

[Mass]

4. We agree.

[wisteria]

6. I see it that way too! n/t

[Island Blue]

7. Obviously, I'm wrong.

Hey, it happens.

[Dr Ron]

8. Losers v. Losers

I've always found it interesting that if a candidate loses it is held against htem and itis rare to get another chance. However the political operatives behind the loss do not have the loss held against them.

Personally I think it makes more sense to take the guy who would make the best President and, if the political operatives can't get him elected, have him run again but dump the losing political operatives. After all, it is the political operatives job to win elections.